I had always heard the Ferrari interior (and body) was from the Daytona. For the stunt car did they have to narrow everything down to fit over the chassis and wheel placements of the C3 Corvette frame arrangement?

 

It was a replica body made to look like a 364 GTS...Enzo Ferrari was upset over the TV car being a (mundane ) Chevy that parts in common with a pickup truck...The (Daytona) was replaced with a real Ferrari...the white Testarossa
I was a past Ferrari owner...so I am a fan of real cars instead replicas.

 

I guess today we would call them tribute cars and not replicas.

And the model kit engine looks to be a V8 so its performance would have been far from mundane as the L-82 optioned engine though it had been de-tuned by 1979 to meet the new EPA requirements from that decade. That was probably remedied over at the engine shop before it was planted into the Fake Ferrari, too.

BTW the 'pickup truck parts' adage is actually only applicable to the engine version for GMs (Chevy's) in line 6 they had made from 1909 to 1988 for virtually all their passenger models. And specifically it was only the truck cam shift with its higher lift that was used from the GM trucks part bin. Like any good hot rodder of the time was going to do.

The other borrowed suspension parts were from Pontiac and Buick if I remember correctly. But this really only applies to the 1953 and 1954 Corvette MYs. All those parts were upgraded and improved and a brand new V8 engine design developed for 1955 that is still being tweaked up to 2024. So a reference from 25 years past seems like a weak argument from Enzo.

There were actually 3 black Testarossas provided to the show producers. But I still think the stunt car versions used in the show production of them were rebuilt over a C4 chassis this time as well. They were also repainted in white to better show the new car transition to the viewers from the black 'Fake Ferraris' to the Testarossas. And served as the show cars for close ups and beauty shots.

 

Yep, that's what I've learned from my readings. There were actually two Daytona replicas used in the series, one from a 1976 C3 Corvette (V8, 350cu) and the other one was from a 1981 Corvette. The engine sound was modified in mixing studio with the real Daytona 12 cyllinder's sound.

https://miamivice.fandom.com/wiki/Crockett's_Daytona

The Story Behind the 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder in Miami Vice

The interior of the Revell kit is based from the ''real'' Daytona. The seats and dashboard looks like the real thing. The interior door handles are absent in the Revell kit.....

https://external-content.duckduckgo...ipt=30c89ddd08e4e6c57693fbb1403f147e538b5fb9961b24b1a506ac289399fd0c&ipo=images

https://www.millermotorcars.com/imagetag/4798/19/l/Used-1972-Ferrari-365-GTB/4-Daytona.jpg


As for what we saw in the TV series, the dashboard and seats looks like custom made. That's why I have to modify the dashboard and decided to scratchbuilt the seats and interior door handles. Bye, bye my OOB project, too many differences that are way to much visible. I simply can't built this car OOB, it's a convertible, we clearly see the interior...

 

Yep, that's what I've learned from my readings. There were actually two Daytona replicas used in the series, one from a 1976 C3 Corvette (V8, 350cu) and the other one was from a 1981 Corvette. The engine sound was modified in mixing studio with the real Daytona 12 cyllinder's sound.

https://miamivice.fandom.com/wiki/Crockett's_Daytona

The Story Behind the 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder in Miami Vice

The interior of the Revell kit is based from the ''real'' Daytona. The seats and dashboard looks like the real thing. The interior door handles are absent in the Revell kit.....

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https://canepa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/72-Ferrari-Daytona-09.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=30c89ddd08e4e6c57693fbb1403f147e538b5fb9961b24b1a506ac289399fd0c&ipo=images

https://www.millermotorcars.com/imagetag/4798/19/l/Used-1972-Ferrari-365-GTB/4-Daytona.jpg


As for what we saw in the TV series, the dashboard and seats looks like custom made. That's why I have to modify the dashboard and decided to scratchbuilt the seats and interior door handles. Bye, bye my OOB project, too many differences that are way to much visible. I simply can't built this car OOB, it's a convertible, we clearly see the interior...
View attachment 357917
View attachment 357918

That is about the only image I have ever found from the show stills as well. The upper dash pad and instrument cluster in front of the driver are definitely Ferrari but must have had to have been shrunk down to fit into the Corvette front window frame space and metal body supports around the internal fire wall. The steering column and lower dash there do look like the Corvette slopes and curves to me though. As does the key location on the column.

I cant really see the Center dash console completely but it looks like the round engine gauges are the ones that should have been their in that area for the Corvette. And the center console between the seats to me looks like the proper Daytona parts and layout as well. I am not sure where the radio and ac controls reference back to from this photo though.

I cant recall seeing the night shot before but it does better explain for me how they widened the upper door skin panels to fill the space that is pinched in on the Corvette to mimic the more flat sided continuous fender and door lines of the Ferrari. This also had to had been down at the bottom of the door as they curved in substantially on the Corvette. Almost to the frame rail if you include the rocker panels under the doors.

Even many Corvette owners do not realize that their doors are a steel frame work on the interior side and the exterior side as well. A fiberglass door panel is attached to that frame work and metal plate about mid line of the door for additional safey protection. With the interior door card covering the inside portion of the metal door frames that supporet all the internal mechanisms for the locks and window. They are exceptionally heavy items and often cause the original door springs to sag or even break over time.

 

Didn't Ferrari give the producers the Testarossa??

 

Yes...2 WHITE ones.

 

Sorry, that is incorrect. Ferrari handed them a Black Testarossa. Debuted in the Episode "When Irish Eyes are crying".
Driven by others. It was then decided to be painted white cause it would look better in the night scenes and handed to Sonny. The car was later owned by the Owner of the Swap Shop in Fort Lauderdale where it was displayed for a long time for the public to enjoy.

 

This video says the Testarossa stunt car was built on a Pantera base. It also shows a pretty good shot of the interior of this camera (stunt) car at several points in the video.

 

This video talks about the car before it was involved in Miami Vice. The interior scene is near the end and is before it was uncustomized a little bit for the show car version.

 

The white rear motor that was the later car...it was the Testarossa ...A real Ferrari NOT the Chevy poser car !

 

The Testarossas were real - never said they were not. I noted already that it is referenced to be a modified Pantera though for the camera/stunt car. Maybe it was also the 3rd 'Testarossa' used in filming later on.

 

Hi guys,
Here's on what I'm working on . The ''FAKE'' Ferrari Daytona seen on the TV show ''Miami Vice''. One of the stunt cars was built on a 1976 Corvette C3. That's the one I'm building. At first, I wanted to do an ''OOB'' buit but I couldn't, there's so much details that are wrong on this basic kit...... The kit seat's are based from a real Ferrari Daytona 1972, not a Corvette. I worked on the frame, on the engine. Now I'm working on the interior. Still so much stuff to scratchbuilt...... I'm currently making the ''custom seats'' and working on the dasboard.

Here's the link for this project. I will add pictures to this post from now on.....

1972 Ferrari Daytona ''Miami Vice''

How is the build going?

 

Hello,

Thanks for your interest on my project.

BTW, nice videos about the Miami Vice cars..... Gee, he really made lots of them.... 350 kits plus several complete replicas...... No wonder Ferrari America went nuts....... Thanks for sharing the videos....

Back to my built, I've been kinda doing the ''moonwalk'' lately..... I've spend lots of days trying to scratchbuilt the customs seats...... finally gave up, I wasn't satisfied with how they were going to look like. So I hired a 3D designer. He's almost done, just one thing that needs to be modified and then I'll ask a buddy of mine to 3D print them.

BUT I did do other stuff to the interior. The door interior are no way near what we can see on the real Daytona. There's no door handle., if looks weird but that's the way it was. I'm currently working on those these days. I won't modifiy the dashboad instrument cluster, it won't be like the one that was in the series. I don't think I can do a good job on this detail. So I prefer not touching it.

More to come...

 

Hi guys,
Here's the custom seat . Next, get them 3D printed..... I'm pretty happy with the result.......

 

Hi guys,
The seats are 3D printed. I've made the interior door modifications per what I saw during season 1. I'm not totally satisfied by the work I've done with the dashboard. I will try something else to make it look better. More to come, hopefully soon.....

 

I was a past Ferrari owner...so I am a fan of real cars instead replicas.

 

We do have a 1:1 car section if you want to share photos of your Ferrari with us.

1:1 Car Threads

General discussion for all full size 1:1 automotive topics.

www.hobbytalk.com

 

Did you design those seats yourself?

 

Hello,
Nope. I hired a 3D designer for this. I did the same for several other parts that you will see also on this project and also on some futur projects. I gave him several images that I've capture while watching the season 1 and 2 (I'm at season 5). The dimensions of the seat are the same as the ones from the kit' s seat but I didn't take into acount the angle of the seat. So now, these news seats are 2-3mm to high. I have to lower them by sanding them. I also have to do some modifications on other places on the seat before painting them. Right now, I'mM working on the dashboard. I bought a 1970 Corvette (couldn't find a 1976), and cloned the center of it. Now I need to install it to the dashboard. I'll be doing that tonight.... hopefully with success......Ill keep you guys posted for sure.....

 

Hi guys,
Here's a small update. Not sure if I need to reprint the seats, they are a bit to high..... Rrrrrr.... That could be a print test, I've got myself a 3D printer this week..... Got to understand how to use it...... Anyhow, I can replace them at the end. I'll be working on the black paint for the next few days........ that's gonna be a challenge for me, I always avoided making car in glossy black paint because every defects will be visible.......

 

Well after some thoughts, I'll be replacing those snaps on the retractable top, they look out of scale...... That will be tricky because I glue them with CA...... I will also repaint the car, but this time in Tamiya flat black........ then I'll spray several coats of gloss coat.....

 

How are the revisions going?

 

Hello,
Well I've been doing some cha-cha steps for quite awhile on the body. Now I'm almost satisfied with the gloss finish. I,M probable going to polish it a biit more. On this picture, the hood wasn't polish, you can see the orange peel gloss surface.....

I've painted the interior of the windshield and started fabricating the sunvisors and the mirors. The kit's mirors are from the real Ferrari Daytona. On the ''fake one'' are square with a curved front side.... I've also sprayed a ccoat of semi-gloss finish of the chrome parts, so they won't look like they came from a 1/64 Matchbox Daytona........ I migh spay another thin layer of a mix of gloss and semi-gloss finish.....

And I've installed the wheels.... it doesn't show on this picture but I've replaced the push-bottons on the retractable roof fake cavans, they were a bit out of scale....

I've finally found what we can see on the center of the sterring wheel. I've got to make some decals for that.....
That's it for now........
Thanks for your interest......

 

Nice job, question does the semi gloss clear on the chrome parts work well? I know that kit chrome parts somehow look wrong to me, to much silver or something.

Waiting to see the finial car, but looks good.

 

Hello,
Well just a satin coat didn't look good. I've decided to mix 50-50 Vallejo Satin and Gloss clear. It looks much better then the original kit's chrome. But still, for me, the best is to strip all the chrome and paint them with the Alclad chrome. I've decided not to do this on this kit, too much stuff to modify on this kit, almost everything is wrong compared to the Daytona seen in the TV series.... Black gloss paint is really a nightmare........

I've assembled the car, installed the chrome parts, modified the front chrome bumper (the gap between the bumper and the car was too big), glued the fake retractable roof, glued the photoetch license plate frame to the license plate decal. The seats are not glued , they are there just for the pictures. I need to reprint them to the correct size. And the car is not polished, I still need to manipulate it. I need to add several details to the engine, some decals on the sterring wheel and on the car (Ferrari logos). And this project WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AN OOB BUILT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't to this with this project...... but the Testarossa built will be an OOB, except for a couple of small details.... I'm on vacation next week and can't go anywhere because my father is in the hospital and I need to help my mother.... BUT I will work on this project, my objective is to finish it...... I have a couple of stuff to add to this project that will make it even more special...... More to come soon, stay tuned...... Same Bat Time, Same Bat channel........ Ahahahahaha.........

 

The chrome looks okay in the photos and the rest of the build is coming along nicely. 🤟

 

Yeah, the chrome is not bad. I've installed the Ferrari decals on the wheels. I've scrapped the Ferrari logo between the headlights, so I reprinted two more. And I'm almost ready to print the seats , in the correct size. I'm almost there. I had to figure how to use the slicing software Chitubox. Now I understand it. The last thing I need to do if to set the printing exposure times with the help of a friend of mine. Not sure if I should be using the Elegoo printing numbers...... I should be ready pretty soon.......

 

Well I've printed my second part last night, with some crazy excitement. I let the print go all night... Woke up in the morning and saw a fantastic sonny day in my garage!!!!!! Ahhhhh noooo.... it was supposed to be a rainy day..... Crap.... moved in a hurry my printer in my darken basement, cleaned everything up, some resin fell off the container in the transport..... Anyhow, it worked. The seat size is now more in scale. Time to print another seat.