RE: Ferrari Testarossa | The Brave Pill

[Durzel]

mark1970 said:

Never mind Outrun, this reminds me of playing the first Test Drive game on the Atari ST/Amiga.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61HHBCNc63E&t=...

Never mind Outrun? NEVER MIND OUTRUN!?

Heresy.

[JohnnyF2]

blackrabbit said:

I used to work on the Miami Vice TR's at the Collection Ferrari dealership in South Miami. Although some histories say the cars were painted I am pretty sure that is incorrect and instead they were swopped out for white models, we did the PDI on one. In terms of actual running cars I only saw two, I think there were other shells used for some special effects. Both running cars also had a tiny gold UA badge on the rear bumpers to denote property of United Artists. At time I remember the dealership also had a warehouse full of exotics owned by people in jail. I never saw Don Johnson in the dealership but Phillip Michael Thomas came in a few times and drove a Volvo wagon in real life.

There have been more than 3 for sale in the past few years claiming they are the official cars at crazy prices, I am guessing somebody has used the shells to create more "Miami Vice" cars. The ones first registered to the production companies are authentic as they have real VIN numbers and traceable logbooks. The one in a Buford Georgia private collection is real as I have seen it and it still has the original UA badge. No idea where the other one is.

Edited by blackrabbit on Monday 26th October 13:47

It's interesting how the Miami Vice scriptwriters explained the change in colour of the Testarossa from black to white. In the story, the car was black and originally belonged to notorious Miami villain/drug kingpin Bunny Berrigan. Then Berrigan gets shot dead in a police bust, and the cops impound his car. It is then given to Crockett at the beginning of the next series, to use when he's undercover playing his alter-ego, drug-dealer "Sonny Burnett".

Crockett's boss Marty Castillo gives him the car at the beginning of the episode "Stone's War", it is explained that the car has new paint. (Presumably because if the car was still black, it would be recognised by the Miami underworld as being Berrigan's car, blowing Crockett's cover).

[MX-6]

I always loved the Testarossa shape, one of those bedroom wall poster cars. Of course I'd love one but they are a million miles away from my kind of budget. They look delightfully retro now, especially indoors. I actually like brown leather trim interiors, but never think they look right with a red exterior colour, would be better in tan or black there.

I do remember the period when they were in the thirty something thousand range (along with the Countach), and thought they looked cheap at the time. But that was back when stuff like the Mondial, 308 GT4, 400i, etc. were around at prices from £12k. Times change, there seems to be a lot more money and demand about now...

[shane.norman]

From some angles, it's breathtakingly beautiful - from a time when form followed function rather than style, and when four tailpipes meant only one thing: 12 cylinders, rather than the four of, say, a Fiat 500 Abarth.

On the other hand, that interior is the pits: pooh brown with diarrhoea accents.

Edited by shane.norman on Tuesday 27th October 18:07

[Deathmole]

seanyfez said:

Obligatory pic of mine....

That is absolutely tremendous!

[pgamble]

The linked CherishedLuxuries website has the main ad and it was up for just under £88k.
I really didn't like the rear and it hasn't grown on me since - just too wide, too shallow and two rectangular. It was a massive statement car though for the period. Looking at it now, I actually like most of the other angles inc front and sides. I also remember those mad Koenig days and had several magazine reviews at the time. It made the Testarossa look 'right', particularly at the back (again, in my mind, but completely accept others will feel differently).

I loved the original Testa Rossa (and the 250GTO - oh my !) and the early curvy cars like the Dino 246GT. I was hugely fond of the 308 (although in my eyes it hasn't aged well). As it got fatter with the 328 and 348 it got less attractive to me - not a good period for Ferrari in my eyes. What is odd is that the 288GTO is and remains absolutely stunning from every angle - very strange given that it was a derivative of the 308. I lived in Camberley in the 70s and 80s and used to regularly see an F40 (which again didn't do it for me). It was in some way connected to Pantiles nightclub in Bagshot. I did follow it spitting fire on occasion. I also saw a 288 GTO driving down Camberley town centre streets on one occasion. Quite a moment.

Looking back a little earlier I liked the 512BB with it's orange flush headlights. I saw a rather aged one near Farnham a year ago and my stomach sank. It was so much prettier than the Testarossa. Yes, probably challenging to own, but many of the best and most emotional either were or had a tendancy to catch fire - ho hum :-)

I've got my self started now. My favourite in the 70s was of course the 365 Daytona and I got very excited when a front engined 'successor' came out - the 456GT some 20 years later.

Looking at more recent models - 355 was a dream but like the 308 just hasn't aged well for me. The physically big F50, Enzo, LaFerrari etc - great on track and again, statement cars but never a aspiration for me. Roma feels like a real Daytona / 456GT successor - soft, pretty, not too look at me GT. 812 - mental, but bonnet just too big with cabin too far back. Shouts Dodge Viper at me. 458 and derivatives - just right. 488, oh yes. F8, losing her edge a little, except the Spider. SF90 - again, just seems to be losing that Ferrari distinctive beauty.

I'm sure many are screaming and you're right too - this was just a nostalgic memory lane thing for me. I guess I focused on form over function to a degree. Of the holy trinity, the 918 with it's curves and top mounted exhausts won by a mile - it wouldn't have mattered if it came last in every test.

Paul

Edited by pgamble on Tuesday 27th October 18:52

[blackrabbit]

emix said:

Interesting insight. I've read several times that the original Miami Vice cars had their engines swapped with American V8s because they were frustrated with the maintenance costs of Ferrari engine. They even detailed how the engine sounds were recorded beforehand and would use them to cover the obviously different V8 sound of the (Chevy?) V8s.

The Daytonas in first two series were Tom Mcburnie replicas built on Corvette frames and engines. I think he still makes them now, you see a few for sale and they are pretty good. Only thing real Ferrari on them was the badges and overdubbed sound White TR's in series 3 onwards were standard Ferrari's via the dealership.

[Coatesy351]

blackrabbit said:

emix said:

Interesting insight. I've read several times that the original Miami Vice cars had their engines swapped with American V8s because they were frustrated with the maintenance costs of Ferrari engine. They even detailed how the engine sounds were recorded beforehand and would use them to cover the obviously different V8 sound of the (Chevy?) V8s.

The Daytonas in first two series were Tom Mcburnie replicas built on Corvette frames and engines. I think he still makes them now, you see a few for sale and they are pretty good. Only thing real Ferrari on them was the badges and overdubbed sound White TR's in series 3 onwards were standard Ferrari's via the dealership.

There was a stunt Testarossa that was a Pantera made up to look like a Ferrari. Easy to tell by its offset wheels.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a16372/the-c...