Sonny Crockett’s Ferrari Testarossa was every Gen Xer boy’s dream car. It was on posters in bedrooms, and a big reason kids like me tuned in every Friday night. I didn’t understand a lot of the plots involving drug dealers and other criminals around South Beach, but I understood cool-looking cars, and Ferraris were at the top of that list. If you’re a fan of the show, you know that the white Testarossa wasn’t the first car Crockett (Don Johnson) drove. It didn’t become his ride of choice until Season 3. And it wasn’t what the producers had in mind. Ferrari kind of forced it on them.
Ferrari Brought A Lawsuit, And The Testarossa Was The Settlement
Fans of the show will remember that Crockett’s original “Ferrari” in the first two seasons of Miami Vice was a black 1972 365 GTS. However, that wasn’t actually a real Ferrari. It was a replica built by McBurnie Coachcraft on a Corvette chassis. In the story of the show, Crockett got the car after it was seized by the department in a drug bust. The car became one of the most iconic visual elements of Michael Mann's show, oozing style, often over substance, if I’m honest. It had some pretty amazing guest stars too, in addition to the Ferraris.
After Season 2 of Miami Vice, Ferrari, it seems, didn’t like the idea of the show using a replica. So they sued the show and McBurnie, claiming IP infringement by using the name and badge of the legendary Italian automaker. Mostly, it seems, the car company wanted to stop McBurnie from building more replicas. They did, however, love the exposure the car was getting on the hit show. So rather than winning money from McBurnie or NBC or anyone else, Ferrari cut a deal
No More Replicas, But How About A Couple Free Cars?
The settlement of the lawsuit meant that the show could no longer use the ‘72 365 GTS replica, but Ferrari did give the show two new 1986 Testarossas. The first time one of those cars is seen in the show is early in Season 3, and they stuck around as Crockett’s main ride for the rest of Miami Vice’s five-season run. This is the car I most remember from the show from when I was a kid. This was the one I had on a poster.
Interestingly, the Testarossas weren’t white when they were delivered. Like the car they were replacing, the cars were both black. Mann, however, had learned something while filming the first couple of seasons of the show, and had them both repainted white. Not only did this distinguish them from the replica Ferrari they were replacing, but it also made them really pop in the scenes taking place at night under the Miami Beach neon. The fact that they are called “cocaine white” by fans of the show only adds to the lore as well.
If you miss the show as I do, it’s good to know that Miami Vice '85, starring Austin Butler as Crockett and Michael B. Jordan as Tubbs, is currently on the 2027 movie schedule, hitting theaters next August.
