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Nee, een kenner
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Daytona Spyder
Detective Sonny Crockett was granted a number of undercover props to augment his identity as a high rolling, fast dealing drug runner. At the start of the series, he drove a midnight black Ferrari Daytona Spyder, Florida license plate ZAQ178, on loan to him by the Metro Dade County Vice Department. The Daytona was Crockett's prized "possession" and served as the perfect complement to his low key, yet high living identity. While more exotic cars such as the Lamborghini Countach could have been selected, the Daytona proved to be a wise choice by the producers.
Crockett's Daytona was an important visual part of the show. The sleek, mysterious Ferrari was integral to the undercover role of ultra cool Sonny "Burnett". A more exotic car would have been too conspicuous for his underworld drug running role, although many of his nefarious contacts preferred the flashy cars. The Daytona also provided a large dose of V-12 muscle in the high speed pursuits through the streets of Miami.
More formally known by Ferrari aficionados as the 365GTB/4[1], the Daytona was not well known to the general public. In fact, when the pilot episode aired, viewers were confused by the relatively obscure Daytona[2], and mistakenly identified it as a custom Corvette (although ironically, they were correct -- read on).
The original Daytona was introduced as a Berlinetta (coupe) model in Paris by Enzo Ferrari in 1968. Production continued in the U.S. for ten years until it was discontinued in 1978. The 4.4-liter V-12 (60o slant) was one of the last front-engined production models in the Ferrari stable. A 1971 road test review proclaimed the Daytona as the "fastest production car of all time."[3] The 352 bhp[4] engine was housed under the shapely front hood and provided spectacular performance in both the standing 1/4 mile (13.7s @ 104 mph) and 0-100 mph (12.6s).[5] For comparison with other sports cars, the Daytona reached 0-60 mph in 5.4s. The Aston Martin Vantage and the Porsche 911 were contemporary cars with similar performance.
The Spyder was a convertible version which was originally made by the Scaglietti house in Modena, Italy prior to the alliance of Ferrari, Pininfarina and Scaglietti. Original Scaglietti Spyders are quite rare, especially in the U.S., and most conversions are performed by custom car companies specializing in exoticar restorations. Berlinetta models were transformed into Spyders by sawing off the roof and remanufacturing the entire rear end. European Auto Restorations in Costa Mesa, California reworked Berlinetta models in 1979 for $15k and delivered a Daytona in three months.
Car design genius Pininfarina was responsible for the sharp, angular lines of the Daytona which was in marked contrast to the rounded shape of vintage Ferraris. The clean aerodynamic lines of the long-nosed Daytona allowed Group 4 racing[6] without major modifications. Spoilers were not used at all. Early models were manufactured with unique Plexiglas fairings which spanned the entire length across the headlights. Later models, designed for the U.S. market, had retractable headlights.
Crockett's Daytona Spyder was actually a look-alike replica, built using a 1980 Corvette chassis with Ferrari-designed body panels and real Ferrari hardware inside. According to Popular Mechanics, the original replica was "spotted on a lot in Newport Beach by the show's producer."[7] Motor Trend magazine, however, claims the two show cars were bought at an auction. Al Mardikian, an auto importer had the two replicas built by Tom McBurnie, but he found himself in legal trouble and the two cars were confiscated by the Feds.[8] The producers in turn purchased the cars from the government.
In 1986, McBurnie Coachcraft and California Custom Coach both offered Daytona Spyder kits for building replicas, and turn-key models built on a Corvette chassis were available for $45k.
By the start of the third season, Ferrari executives were getting miffed that the ersatz Daytona was gathering so much attention. The television audience was unaware that the show cars were fake. The producers intended for the car to be treated as a genuine Ferrari and Crockett never hints that the Daytona is a replica. Given the constructed reality of television, it is no wonder that the fake car was treated as real. In any event, Ferrari North America offered to provide two bona-fide Ferraris for Miami Vice, and they chose their flagship model, the 12-cylinder muscle machine, the Testarossa.