A Ferrari 308 GTS driven by actor Tom Selleck, star of the classic 1980s detective show Magnum P.I. has gone under the hammer.
The 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS QV, documented by Ferrari North America as being one of the famous cars driven by Selleck during the 1984 – 1985 shooting season sold for $181,500 (c.£150,000), at Bonhams Scottsdale, Arizona sale.
It is believed that there were about five cars on rotation, destined to be used for one of two distinct purposes: action shots and light action/close-ups - the latter of which were kept in pristine condition. All of the cars used on the show were provided by Ferrari North America. Once a car was no longer in service, Ferrari would take it back, give it a fresh paint job and servicing, and sell it to its "first" owner. Due to the car's condition and low mileage, it’s thought this car was used for the light action/close-up scenes.
Post filming, the warranty book shows that the car was sold as a demo, and was later sold on in 1989 with 12,800 miles on the clock. Since purchasing the 308 in 1989, the owner and seller fastidiously maintained the Ferrari, says Bonhams, with no regard for cost - covering less than 36,000 miles.
Other cars that fared well at the auction included a 1963 Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Competition which became both the most valuable E-Type and most valuable post-1960 Jaguar to ever sell at auction when the Australian GT Championship winner sold for a whopping $7,370,000. One of the most original Factory Lightweights in existence, Bonhams says it was little surprise it reached such a high total.
A former Scuderia Ferrari 1952 Ferrari 340 America Vignale Spider also gathered a large crowd of bidders. The historic competition car eventually sold for $6,380,000 - setting a new world auction record for the model. It was driven in period by noted factory drivers in almost every prominent race: Mille Miglia, 24-Hours of Le Mans and Targa Florio, to name but a few.