New videos from the set of Miami Vice ’85 reveal Austin Butler’s Sonny Crockett and Michael B. Jordan’s Ricardo Tubbs driving a white Ferrari Testarossa, the wrong car for the period of the television series recounted in the film by director Joseph Kosinski. And there’s probably a legal reason for that.
During the first two seasons of the 1980s television series, Don Johnson’s detective Sonny Crockett drove a black 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spyder convertible before it was blown up by a Stinger missile during the season 3 premiere. (Signal the gaping Crockett even.)
In the show’s canon, Crockett’s cars were seized from criminals and loaned to him by the Miami-Dade Police Department as part of his secret identity. The department provided Crockett with a white 1986 Ferrari Testarossa in the second episode of season 3.
🚨| Austin Butler and Michael B. Jordan return to the streets of Brooklyn for the filming of “Miami Vice ’85” 🎬🌴
Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs, the city is yours 😎🔥 https://t.co/AWnbL6W400
— Miami Vice ’85 Crave (@MiamiViceCrave) November 8, 2026
The Daytona Spyder seen at the show, however, was a replica built on a Corvette C3 chassis since Ferrari North America refused to provide the show with an authentic model. Ferrari has launched a legal battle against the show and replica manufacturer, McBurnie Coachcraft, citing trademark infringement and brand dilution.
“They ultimately settled the dispute, gaining broad legal protections for their trademarks and even the car’s “shape and profile,” recapped by @CinemaIsLife on
It would appear, then, that Universal is simply avoiding another legal headache by ditching the Miami Vice ’85 Daytona Spyder and opting for the white Testarossa, even though it violates canon.
Miami Vice ’85 was filmed in New York and New Jersey, but will move production to Miami once hurricane season ends. The film is released in theaters, including IMAX, on May 19, 2028.
Jim Vejvoda (he/him) is IGN’s associate. Director of Entertainment Content.
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