Why Austin Butler cannot drive the famous black Ferrari in Miami Vice ‘85
Recent footage from the Miami Vice ‘85 set shows Austin Butler’s Sonny Crockett and Michael B. Jordan’s Ricardo Tubbs behind the wheel of a white Ferrari Testarossa, which is not the car tied to the era of the TV series being reimagined by director Joseph Kosinski’s movie. There is probably a legal explanation for that choice.
In the opening two years of the 1980s series, Don Johnson’s detective Sonny Crockett drove a black 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spyder convertible until it was shot down by a Stinger missile in the Season 3 opener. That moment also inspired the familiar Crockett reaction meme.
Within the show’s storyline, Crockett’s cars were confiscated from criminals and loaned to him by the Miami-Dade Police Department for his cover identity. Later, the department provided him with a white 1986 Ferrari Testarossa in the following episode of Season 3.
The Daytona Spyder shown on the series was in reality, a replica constructed on a Corvette C3 frame, since Ferrari North America refused to provide the production with an authentic model. Ferrari then entered a legal fight with the show and the replica builder, McBurnie Coachcraft, over trademark infringement and dilution of the brand.
- The dispute was eventually settled, giving Ferrari strong legal protection for its trademarks and even the car’s shape and profile.
- As part of the agreement, two real Testarossas were given to the production, but only on the condition that the fake Daytona would be dramatically destroyed on national television.
That likely means Universal is simply avoiding another legal problem by leaving the Daytona Spyder out of Miami Vice ‘85 and using the white Testarossa instead, even if it does not match the original continuity.
Miami Vice ‘85 has been shooting in New York and New Jersey, but production will move to Miami after hurricane season ends. The movie is set to open in theaters, including IMAX, on May 19, 2028.