There were approximately 15 Ferrari 308 GTS models used across the eight seasons of Magnum PI. Only one of them was there for the very beginning. Chassis 28251 is a 1979 Ferrari 308 GTS that appeared in the pilot episode, "Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii," and continued into the first season of the CBS series. It is crossing the auction block at Barrett-Jackson's Palm Beach sale, running 16 to 18 April at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach, with no reserve.
Provenance like this is either worth a great deal or nothing at all, depending entirely on the documentation behind it. In this case, the documentation is substantial. According to the Barrett-Jackson listing, letters from Ferrari historian Marcel Massini and from F-Register confirm that chassis 28251 is one of three carbureted 1979 examples authenticated as having been used in the show's first season. A factory colour change tag on the door jamb records the car's transformation from its original Giallo Fly finish to the Rosso Corsa red it wore throughout filming.
The car and the problem it solved
Tom Selleck is 6 feet 4 inches tall. A Ferrari 308 GTS was not built with that in mind. As The Shop Magazine reports, the production team solved this by stripping out all the seat padding and bolting the seat as far back as possible — and even then, Selleck had to drive with the targa roof removed for most scenes. Ferrari, which supplied the cars to the production after Porsche declined to modify a 928 for the role, customised the 308 to accommodate him.
The seat modifications have since been reversed and the seats returned to their original Crema leather configuration. The door cards have also been restored to original trim. The rest of the car, however, is largely as it was. The odometer reads just over 93,000 miles. There is some bubbling on the dashboard vinyl. An aftermarket Bluetooth stereo and aluminium shifter knob have been fitted. The quad exhaust exits through a perforated aftermarket metal shield. Robb Report describes the overall condition as unrestored and patinated.
Under the bonnet sits the original 2.9 litre quad cam V8, fed by four twin choke Weber 40DCNF carburetors and paired with a five speed manual transaxle with limited slip differential. Power output is 237 horsepower. The car rides on 15 inch five spoke Cromodora alloy wheels.
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What happened after filming
As was the case with all 308s used on the show, chassis 28251 was returned to Ferrari North America in New Jersey once its time on screen was done. There the bodywork was repaired, the car was repainted, and it was serviced before being sold into private hands.
Its post-production life includes one more notable chapter. Robb Report and Octane Magazine both note that the car is believed to have been driven across the United States by the late political satirist and author PJ O'Rourke for a road trip feature published by Car and Driver in 1980. O'Rourke, who died in 2022, was one of the sharpest automotive writers of his generation. If the attribution holds, the car carries two separate stories worth telling.
Barrett-Jackson chairman Craig Jackson told Robb Report:
"This is one of the most iconic cars in both cinema and automotive history. Every kid dreamed of being Thomas Magnum, racing around Hawaii in a Ferrari, in hot pursuit of the bad guys."
What it is likely to fetch
The car has been to auction before. Yahoo Autos reports that it sold for $115,000 in 2025 and subsequently failed to meet a reserve of $120,000 at a later sale. It is now offered without reserve, which means it sells regardless of where bidding stops.
A standard unrestored 1979 Ferrari 308 GTS in comparable mechanical condition commands somewhere between $60,000 and $90,000 at auction. What this one carries over and above that is the pilot episode credit, the authenticated provenance documentation, the Selleck seat modification story, and the possible PJ O'Rourke connection. How much those stories are worth is, as always, entirely up to the room.
As carbureted 308s were only used in season one — Ferrari supplying fuel injected GTSi models from season two onwards before the Quattrovalvole took over for the final two seasons — this car represents the specific, early version of the Magnum Ferrari that most people picture when they picture it at all.
The auction runs 16 to 18 April. The mustache, as Motor1 correctly noted, is not included.
Sources:
- Barrett-Jackson — 1979 Ferrari 308 GTS Targa "Magnum PI" listing
- Robb Report — Tom Selleck's Iconic Magnum PI Ferrari Is Now up for Grabs
- Octane Magazine — Magnum PI Ferrari 308 GTS is up for grabs in Barrett-Jackson's Palm Beach 2026 auction
- The Shop Magazine — Ferrari 308 GTS Magnum PI Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction
- Complex — Tom Selleck Magnum PI Ferrari Sale
- Yahoo Autos — Iconic Magnum PI Ferrari 308 GTS Driven by Tom Selleck Heads to Auction
