Miami Vice wasn’t always about the sleek white Ferrari Testarossa cruising the neon-lit streets. During its first two seasons, the show featured a clever replica of the 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spyder a Corvette underneath, dressed with Ferrari-shaped body panels by McBurnie Coachcraft. This replica looked the part but didn’t fly under Ferrari’s radar. The Italian marque hit back hard, filing a lawsuit against the show and the manufacturers for trademark infringement, protecting the value of their brand and design.
The legal firestorm led to a rare collaboration. Ferrari stepped in, donating two brand-new Testarossas, originally painted black with beige interiors. But producer Michael Mann wasn’t going for subtle. He demanded white paint jobs to make the cars pop in the show's frequent night scenes transforming the Testarossa’s image forever into “Miami Vice white.”
For the high-risk stunts, the show used a De Tomaso Pantera fitted with fiberglass body panels mimicking the Testarossa’s shape. Carl Robert, who crafted these stunt cars, chose the 1972 Pantera for its matching wheelbase. This stunt car could take the punishment without endangering the real Ferraris, even featuring reinforced frames and modified brakes for better handling in chase scenes.
The switch to genuine Testarossas shaped Miami Vice’s style as much as its soundtrack. The cars quickly became stars themselves, forever linking the Ferrari Testarossa with ’80s cool and the show’s stylish, high-stakes vibe. Ferrari backed off on the stunt car issue once the Testarossa cemented itself as an icon.
