What Kind Of Ferrari Was In Magnum PI, And What Happened To The Originals After Filming?

An iconic mustache, catchy theme-song, lush Hawaiian landscape, and bright red Ferrari all combined to create the Magnum P.I. series that was a hit with 80s audiences. Lead character Thomas Magnum, played by the legendary Tom Selleck, was relatable, cocky, and never failed to get himself, his buddies, or his clients out of a jam. And humor was on point between Magnum and his polar opposite Higgins, perfectly played by the late John Hillerman. But arguably there are two headline stars on Magnum P.I.; Selleck, and the Ferrari 308 he drove around Oahu.

The vehicles used for the show were provided by Ferrari North America. Once CBS wrapped production in 1988, Ferrari North America took the cars back, repainted them and put them up for sale. This exotic sports car was such an 80s symbol, it even had at least one copycat, when a rare Pontiac Fiero model earned a lawsuit from Ferrari. Although, the 308 GTS would have to later share the small screen with another Ferrari, the Testarossa featured on Miami Vice, which was one of several cars that became instant classics. Back in 2017, Bonhams auctioned the 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole driven by Selleck during the show and it sold for $181,500. 

During its eight seasons, Magnum PI, used three different Ferrari models. In the first season, Magnum was behind the wheel of a 1979 308 version which included carburetors. Then a few seasons into the shows run, they swapped out the 308 carburetor model for the GTSi with fuel-injection. Toward the end of the shows production, the Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole would take the place of the GTSi. For those not extremely familiar with classic Ferrari's, there are subtle differences between the models for eagle-eyed viewers focusing on exterior elements like the door mirrors, and hood venting, among other small details.

While these early 80s Italian sports cars were undoubtably stunning to look at, the reality was their performance was a bit lackluster. In fact, the last 308 used on the show (the Quattrovalvole), featured the most robust configuration, but its V8 only generated 176 kW (kilowatts) or (236 horsepower). Of course, underwhelming performance doesn't extend to the automaker's latest offerings, as we found out in our 2024 Ferrari Roma Spider review.

Another interesting aspect of the Ferrari's used on Magnum PI, was that each one had to be specially altered due to actor Tom Selleck's tall height. Not only was foam removed from the driver's seat and pushed back to the farthest setting, but the crew often chose to shoot Magnum driving without the top, because it allowed the actor to fit better in the car.