An exhibition at London's Design Museum is celebrating 70 years of Ferrari. The iconic car has also starred in different films and TV series: "Miami Vice" and "Magnum, P.I." just wouldn't be the same without it.
Advertisement
Ferrari, big picture star
The cult car has starred in different films and TV series. In some cases, the valuable Ferrari even needs a double, just like a top actor.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Universal Studios
'Magnum, P.I.': Ferrari 308 GTS
Private investigator Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) lives on the estate of a rich author in Hawaii. His employer provides room and board — and a Ferrari, in which Magnum chases criminals. Originally, it was supposed to be a Porsche 928, but Porsche rejected the request. Ferrari, however, grabbed the opportunity to advertise its models. And that's how the 308 GTS became known as the "Magnum Ferrari."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Universal Studios
'Miami Vice': the Testarossa
Don Johnson became THE fashion trendsetter of the 1980s by embodying policeman Sonny Crockett in the "Miami Vice" series. His white Ferrari certainly contributed to the cult. The model's name, "Testarossa," means "red head," which refers to the red valve caps of the 12-cylinder motor.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Photoreporters
'Miami Vice,' the film : Ferrari 430 Spider
Tubbs and Crockett reloaded: In 2006, the cult series was adapted into a film, starring Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell in the role of the detectives. They work undercover, chasing gangsters in a silver F 430. One of the special features of the model is that it emits blue flames from the exhausts when given full throttle.
Driving a Ferrari 355 GTS, Russian agent Xenia Onatopp races against James Bond's famous Aston Martin DB5. While agent 007 enjoys the speed during the car chase, it freaks out the person riding with him, as well as a bunch of cyclists they meet on a road that's obviously narrow, steep and curvy. The race ends with Bond letting the Russian agent drive away.
Image: picture-alliance/United Archives
'Rush': Ferrari 312 T
Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) is believed to be a far better driver than his rival James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth). They meet in a particularly dangerous race on Germany's notorious Nürburgring track, often dubbed the "green hell." Prior to the race, Lauda becomes the victim of a disastrous accident, suffering heavy burns. The 2013 film is based on true events during the Formula 1 season in 1976.
Image: Jaap Buitendijk/Universum Film
'Le Mans': Ferrari 512 S
The mother of all car racing films feels like a thrilling documentary. Starring as racing driver Michael Delaney, Steve McQueen faces his rival, Ferrari pilot Erich Stahler (Siegfried Rauch) in a Porsche 917. During the 24-hour race of Le Mans, the two of them get involved in a very tough battle. There isn't much dialogue in this film from 1971, but that's compensated by spectacular racing scenes.
The two inspectors, Lowrey (Will Smith) and Burnett (Martin Lawrence), are tracing a gang of drug dealers. The climax of this 2003 film is a four-minute car race during which quite a few cars end up exploding, burning, or flying around in the air. But the tough Ferrari survives the carnage with just a few little wounds and a broken spotlight.
In this action comedy from 2011, an extremely rare exemplar of a GT Lusso gets smashed. The car is the property of a crooked stock market mogul who embezzles his clients. He used the Ferrari to hide his money in plain view: Underneath its paint, the car parts are made of gold.
'Ferris Bueller's Day Off': 250 GT Spyder California
In this high school comedy from 1986, Ferris convinces his best friend to borrow his dad's prized Ferrari for a little joy ride. The car is left in a parking garage for a few hours, and the guards there also "borrow" the car, driving it over such a distance that it becomes obvious on the odometer. The boys try to cover up the situation, but that doesn't work out well...
Image: picture-alliance/United Archives/IFTN
'Overdrive': 250 GTO
In this French film from 2017, two car thieves are hired to steal the extremely costly 1937 Bugatti Type 57 from their gangster boss Morier. Their attempt miserably fails, and they are caught by Morier. However, instead of having them killed, Morier grants them another chance: They are to steal the much beloved 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO of Morier's rival, Max Klemp.
Although Ferrari built its first car in 1940, the first car with the Ferrari badge was completed 70 years ago, in 1947. The company's emblem, a prancing horse known as the "Cavallino," originally "Cavallino rampante," became the company's nickname.
Its creator and the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari, called his first model "125 C Sport." That was the very first of many legendary Ferrari car models. A successful racing car in various competitions worldwide, it also became a status symbol.
A variety of Ferraris can be admired in London's Design Museum in an exhibition held through April 2018. Under the slogan "Ferrari: Under The Skin," the museum depicts the company's history through cars, photography and other items that are likely to fascinate not only Ferrari fans and car freaks, but a more general public as well. After all, as one of the most expensive cars in the world, Ferrari has become mythical.
Some 8,000 Ferraris are sold every year. For some models, only very few exemplars were produced. The most widely sold Ferrari is the Testarossa, built between 1984 and 1996.
While that model was worth about $150,000, nowadays, Ferraris are being auctioned off for millions, especially cars having a particular story. There are quite a few Ferrari collectors in the world, among them ultra-rich sheikhs.
Some Ferraris, among them the 250 GTO and the Dino 246 GT, the Testarossa and the Ferrari Enzo, have starred in movies and TV series. Click through the gallery above to revisit which ones.