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Arizona auction sells Ferrari used in ‘Magnum P.I.’

Jason Genegabus
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COURTESY BONHAMS

This 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS is certified by its manufacturer to have been driven by Tom Selleck during filming of “Magnum P.I.” in Hawaii during the show’s 1984-85 season.

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STAR-ADVERTISER / 1988

One of the Ferrari 308 GTS vehicles used on “Magnum P.I.” sits parked on a street in Honolulu in 1988 while film crew members wait for the next shot.

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STAR-ADVERTISER / 1988

Ferrari North America loaned CBS a number of vehicles for use on “Magnum P.I.” during filming in the 1980s. This one was offered for sale in 1988, priced at $100,000. Another Ferrari used on the show up for auction this week is expected to bring in bids as high as $250,000 or more.

One of the original Ferraris driven by actor Tom Selleck during filming of the 1980s filmed-in-Hawaii series “Magnum P.I.” was sold for $181,500 today.

British auction house Bonhams handled the sale of a 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS, one of about 15 cars the company says CBS used on the show while it was in production on Oahu from 1980 through 1988. Three different model years of the car were used (1978, 1980 and 1984), with some designated for use in driving scenes and others during close-up shots. Ferrari North America provided CBS with the vehicles and reclaimed them once they were done with filming to repaint and sell to new owners.

The Ferrari sold today — which was purchased by an unidentified buyer at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz. — is certified to have been driven by Selleck himself during the 1984-85 season of “Magnum P.I.” It boasts a 2,926cc V8 engine and 5-speed manual transmission to go with an upgraded exhaust system (the factory stock exhaust parts are also included in the sale) and reconditioned interior.

After being returned to the manufacturer in 1985, the car was sold to an individual in California. That person sold it to the current owner (who remains anonymous) in 1989 with just 12,800 miles on the odometer, adding less than 25,000 miles to the engine over the next 30-plus years.

Along with a “history file” that includes a letter from Ferrari confirming the vehicle’s provenance, an emergency tool kit and magnetic trouble light that came with the car — in the original bag, no less — were included in the sale along with other extra parts.

More than 100 vehicles were set to hit the auction block in Arizona starting at 11 a.m. local time. The company expected a winning bid for the Ferrari to come in somewhere between $150,000 and $250,000.

3 responses to “Arizona auction sells Ferrari used in ‘Magnum P.I.’”

  1. awahana says:

    This far along, does anyone even remember? or care? Can’t imaging someone buying a used junk for that kinda money.

  2. residenttaxpayer says:

    Why doesn’t Tom Selleck buy it as a reminder of his Magnum days?

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