Comments about the car from guest stars were peppered throught the series but especially in the first few seasons. Sometimes they just shot a scene with someone admiring the car and looking inside it but saying nothing else. Ted Danson for example in Don't Say Goodby. Sometimes people approached him about it like Admiral Wheeler did after Magnum interrupted the Tea Higgins was having or when the reporter was giving Magnum crap about his nurse friend from Nam. There were lots of other examples. The pilot episode probably set the record, though.
Just caught an early episode. "Thank heaven for little girls..and big ones too" - I believe that was the title. Anyway, I noticed in one scene Magnum getting out of the car and there was missing black paint on about 1/3 of the "blood groove" line that horizontally bisects the body.
308s had a lot of body roll, very small brakes and not much power in the early '80s in US-spec. But they always looked good. Image Unavailable, Please Login
"Or is a late 70's Cadillac some sort of supercar in disguise?, because Magnum always seems to struggle to shake them off in a car chase with the Ferrari!" I went to HI in the early '80s when we lived in AK and I rented a carbed 308 for three days. One of the things I most remember about the car itself was that after we got out of Honolulu onto the highway I slowed down, got into first gear and my wife and I got ready for the insane acceleration when I nailed it and went through the gears… My personal car at the time was a fairly stock 1968 Formula S 340 Barracuda (13.5 sec 1/4s running in bracket classes every weekend) and my reaction to the Ferrari's acceleration was, "is that it?" I was very disappointed in that aspect of the car but we loved driving it in general and hated to give it back. In fact we had fallen so much for the car that we immediately rented another one for 3 more days - a QV. I couldn't tell any difference in performance but the carbed car sounded cooler! My point is that a late 70's caddy could have been modified a bit (easy/cheap with US cars) to stay with a 308. I'm sure that's what the bad guys musth have done! But a stock '70s Caddy - no, no way.
it's funny when i was a kid watching the then new episodes I loved the 308 and knew what it was but it wasn't until I was older that I learned the differences between the different versions of 308 such as carb car, 2 valve, 4 valve. I was watching the Black Orchid episode yesterday and at the end Magnum is walking over to the car with Higgins and as Magnum gets to the passenger side he reaches in and picks up a orchid off the seat and as I see the seat I'm thinking thats not a carb car seat that has the design from a f.i. car. Sure enough I rewind and the first shot is of a f.i. seat and the next shot as he gets in the car it is a carb car seat.
yeah thats the way the show was made but I do remember some episodes where guys told Magnum "nice little car " or they would ask: " is that your little red car" "I like that little red car" and so on. some would also not believe its his car of course being Robin masters...
Thanks guys, this was a good read and reminds me of the reason Ferrari ownership was a dream of mine. Even got my kids to watch the episodes with me on DVD - loved it so much that when we were on Oahu one year, we drove to "Robins Nest" and took pictures from the beach side entrance, but.....we did NOT see the beautiful woman needing "swimming lessons" in the ocean lap pool. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi, My name is Nick and I want to thank you because this comment helped me learn that my 308 GTS was the original used in the show. Only in season 1. I own car 28251. The car has been fully restored over the years and the interior has been switched to black. The rims have also been changed. I did not have anything to do with these changes. The steering wheel, shiftier, and pedals are all original. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Congrats! Mine was 1st owned by a Neurosurgeon from Waco Texas. His number was still on the original owners card. Called him up and had a nice chat. Said he wished he never sold it and has owned several other models since then.....
Hey Nick, That is great! Now you should join us and subscribe to Ferrari Chat as the forum has just doubled the value of your car! (well, maybe not doubled, but heck it's got to be worth more now...) Jeff
This is un****ing believable. Do you have any IDEA how big that is??? How did you determine it was used only in season 1? That is interesting to me.
Go here and read posts #9 and #12. I think you have that car http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/308-328/166199-magnum-pi-episode-42-tivo-missed-what-happened-ferrari.html
DR Tommy is the answer to your question in post #8 in the other thread, the episode were Thomas goes to Italy to rescue Katrina and steals the Ferrari there and hits the gate as he is escaping?
I only know of two other owners, one was also in Texas and the other in (Virginia where I bought it from). The Texas owner bought the car in 2005. The Virginian owner bought the car from Texas in 2008. I do not know how many other owners their have been but I would assume a lot. Just by looking at the car you can tell it has had a lot of hands in it over the years.
They began filming in 1979 to air the first season in 1980. During the first season only they used a 79 308. In the later seasons they were 1980s 308s. Every season they would change to the most current car.
Hi Nick, Now, that is cool indeed! When somebody tells you that you've got Magnum's car, well...indeed you have. The next thing to do is to have Tom Selleck dedicate her. Hope Higgins is not reading this thread, or he will ask you to bring "Mister Master's Ferrari" back! Great forum, isn't it? Congrats.
Not really. It is just not that easy or linear. This 308 thing with the show gets really complicated. They used a carbed car through the first two seasons (which includes 81/82 even though the injected cars were readily available) and after a certain point they had more than one on set. By the time the QV appeared they used several depending on the scene. I don't believe they ever used a 80 model. I can tell you with 10000% certainity an 80 model was never used for interior shots (that's easy to rule out). In fact the earliest shows from the third season are a non-80 model and believe it or not, they actually used a 328 for one interior shot years later - not a joke! Of course everyone knows how they use old stock footage and splice it in. That's why you will see an aerial shot of a non QV in a voice-over scene as far out as 1987. At least three carbed chassis numbers are known, yours, 29109 and another I found back in 1988, 28525. Filming began with the car after the injected cars were in production because I am certain that the car in the pilot was passing my house on I-20 heading to California and eventually Hawaii on Dec 29, 1979 and I live in Alabama. That car was brand new from the New Jersey port and it was red/tan (pictures are available while it was still there). I could write a book on the myths and realities of this model and how it was used in that that show but, for some reason, I have only "seen" two in all these years. But you have one involved in the show on some level. That's really cool. How did you come about it and did anyone know before you bought it?
Hi Tommy, Thank you and I am also very excited! I was just reading your post and then I checked my vin and who would have thought it! There are eighty thousand miles on it now. I have been the owner for 3 months now. I only know of two other owners, one was also in Texas and the other in (Virginia where I bought it from). The Texas owner bought the car in 2005. The Virginian owner bought the car from Texas in 2008. I do not know how many other owners their have been but I would assume a lot. Just by looking at the car you can tell it has had a lot of hands in it over the years. My and my dad are currently rebuilding and synchronizing the carburetors. I only know of two other owners, one was also in Texas and the other in (Virginia where I bought it from). The Texas owner bought the car in 2005. The Virginian owner bought the car from Texas in 2008. I do not know how many other owners their have been but I would assume a lot. Just by looking at the car you can tell it has had a lot of hands in it over the years. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
