Miami Vice Ferrari Daytona Spyder Replica is Rad ’80s Ride

By Craig Quackenbush - September 13, 2018

"Miami Vice" 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder replica

Illinois’ Volo Auto Museum is auctioning off rare replica from its storage vault beginning Sept. 19.

The 1980s. Reaganomics, Glasnost, Betamax versus VHS, MTV, big hair, hair metal, New Kids, New Wave, No Wave, Gordon Gekko, and Miami Vice. The show featured lots of style, and one especially sweet ride that was perfect for balmy Miami weather: a convertible Ferrari Daytona Spyder.

Beginning on September 19, Illinois’ Volo Auto Museum will be offering a replica of one of the Miami Vice Spyders as part of its upcoming no-reserve online auction, with a sale estimate of $22,000 to $27,000. How is this possible? Well, it’s not technically a Ferrari. It is a replica build that fuses Ferrari with Corvette, and we think it does so pretty well.

When it debuted on NBC in 1984, Miami Vice was different from anything else that had previously been seen on television. It was slick, sleek, and violent. The show was flashy, but it backed up the grit and glitter with solid writing and directing. At its core was undercover Miami-Dade Vice cop Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) infiltrating the criminal community.

One of the show’s most memorable cars was a black 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona, known as the Daytona Spyder. It was Crockett’s main ride for the first two seasons of the show, later replaced with a Ferrari Testarossa. This car is a replica of that Ferrari, which Volo purchased to display in the museum while the museum’s screen-used Daytona was being restored. It is mostly a Corvette C3 underneath, and is one of less than 150 Daytona replicas made. It has a body made by McBurnie Coachcraft and features wire wheels and a black and tan palette. The interior boasts Ferrari details like badging, and black seat inserts, just like Crockett’s ride.

The “Faux-rari” was constructed using a C3 Corvette base. It boasts a glossy finish, a well-maintained interior, new tires and an engine bay, power steering, power 4 wheel disc brakes, period-correct tach and gauges, A/C, a manual folding top, top boot, and power windows.

This rare ride is hitting the auction block because the Volo museum is selling off collectible items from its storage vault that it does not have the space to display any longer. If you’re looking to own a piece of Crockett’s ride, this might be the most cost-efficient way of getting a slice of Vice. Just hold off until sundown, put on “In the Air Tonight,” and take a spin with some ’80s history.