Prior to seeing a replica of the 1961 Ferrari GT in a magazine, writer and director John Hughes had initially intended for the car to be a Mercedes. The GT Spyder California replica was created by Modena Design and Development’s Neil Glassmoyer and Mark Goyette.
And the “Ferrari” that crashed through the window and perished? It wasn’t even in motion. A fiberglass shell was specially constructed by Glassmoyer and Goyette with the intention of being demolished for that scenario.
In This Article...
The Ferrari from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off wasn’t as real as you might think.
I’ve never been a big fan of cars. Our family runabout is merely a red object with four wheels and some seats inside; I have no idea what brand it is. Even though I don’t even have a driver’s license, once other males start talking about horsepower and other such topics, I usually find an excuse to break off the conversation. Even so, there are a few movie automobiles that make me salivate despite my usual lack of interest in all things automotive.
A 1970 Dodge Challenger from “Vanishing Point” would be my first choice. Naturally, I wouldn’t turn down a ride in James Bond’s Aston Martin either, even if it was simply to experiment with the ejector seat, missile launchers, and bulletproof screen. As for the stunning Plymouth Fury from “Christine,” I’d be willing to take a chance on her murderous tendencies simply to ride shotgun with her.
Then there is the Ferrari from John Hughes’ iconic 1980s comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” which is about a high school misfit who wants to skip class one last time before graduating. A flawless, incredibly rare 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder serves as the film’s main prop, and we know from the time it appears on screen that it will be destroyed. Like the piano Stan and Ollie are carrying up the flight of stairs in “The Music Box,” it is the comedic counterpart of Chekhov’s gun. A priceless, cherished thing that is introduced in the first act must unquestionably be destroyed by the time the credits appear. One specific query—how—is the source of the tension.
The iconic Ferrari from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off will be auctioned off
A legendary Ferrari from the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off will soon be auctioned off.
One of three replicas created for the 1986 cult blockbuster starring Matthew Broderick was the 250 GT California Spyder.
When the vintage car goes up for sale this month, there should be a lot of interest.
The drop-top 250 GT California was difficult to locate and costly to employ for the movie, especially when considering the required stunts, as Ferrari only produced just over 100 vehicles.
While three fake Modenas were driven throughout the movie, close-up shots were taken with a real Ferrari.
When Ferris’ friend Cameron Frye tries to erase some miles off one of the cars’ odometers in the comedy, one of the cars is even completely ruined while the other is never finished.
This replica is solely powered by a Ford V8 engine, as opposed to an authentic Ferrari 250 GT, which features a V12 engine.
The 1985 convertible, which has been kept in immaculate condition, may fetch up to PS180,000.
A replica that had undergone a 10-year restoration was previously sold at a Mecum Auction back in 2013 for $235,000 (PS180,000).
You might have missed the sale of this fake Ferrari for close to $400,000 if you had dared to blink.
Ferris, the youthful protagonist of the iconic 1980s film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, suggests purchasing a Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder because “It is so choice”—if you have the money, of course. Bueller was correct on this one point, even though you would not want to rely on the advise of a Ferrari-stealing, joyriding truant for much else. A genuine 250 GT California is a priceless vintage car that is worth millions of dollars. This 1985 Modena Spyder California, better known to the world as one of the three Ferrari replicas used in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, is almost as good as the real deal and sold for a more manageable $396,000 on Saturday at the 2020 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction.
According to popular belief, John Hughes intended for his next film to have a Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder as its lead vehicle. The only issue was that even then, a true Ferrari was too pricey. It’s simple to understand why a duplicate was utilized in place of the original vehicle given the rough treatment it would undergo in the movie, including jumps and being thrown backwards out of a suburban Chicago home and into a ravine.
Hughes came across Modena Design, a business established in 1980s California with the goal of creating reproductions of the legendary vehicle (basically a drop-top 250 GT “Tour de France,” one of which we tested). For the movie, three automobiles in various stages of completion were ordered. Only one of them was brought back to Modena Design, where the car’s movie damage was fixed and it was sold several more times, most recently to an American at a Bonhams auction in England in 2010 for over $100,000. That vehicle is currently on the National Historic Vehicle Registry’s list. But that isn’t the vehicle that sold at Barrett-Jackson.
This is really one of the two chassis that had more enigmatic lives after Ferris Bueller finished filming. This car, chassis 001, has recently undergone a full restoration by Modena Design co-founder Neil Glassmoyer, unlike the third car, chassis 003, which went unsold at Mecum’s 2019 Monterey auction with a high bid of $225,000. The car’s exterior was changed and its mechanical parts were upgraded to bring it to this state. We assume that despite being equipped with a coil-over suspension, chrome 16-inch wire spoke wheels, and a 7.0-liter Chevy V-8 engine, this non-Italian Ferrari is still a lot of fun to drive. Along with the car, other memorabilia was offered for sale, including a signed certificate of authenticity from Modena Design.
At Barrett-Jackson, competitive bidding led to a final price that included the buyer’s premium of $396,000. There is no disputing that chassis 001, a pricey cinematic symbol, will go down in history, even though it is unknown exactly which sequences it appeared in for the movie.
The Modena GT Spyder California from 1985
It would have been impossible to send an actual Ferrari 250 GT California flying through a second-story window and into a ravine, as they do in the movie, given the exorbitant price tags. According to The Drive, the movie’s producers instead paid Modena Design to construct three duplicates for their movie. Two were entirely constructed, and the third was virtually nothing more than a shell that was used for the scene where the car is wrecked. Actor Matthew Broderick did not know how to drive a car with a manual transmission, so one was even made specifically with an automatic transmission.
A Ferrari from the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off recently sold for $396,000.
At Barrett-Scottsdale Jackson’s auction last weekend, one of the 250 GT California replicas that appeared in the 1986 smash hit Ferris Bueller’s Day Off just sold for $396,000.
The creators wanted a vehicle they could thrash for the camera because a real $11 million Ferrari wasn’t quite in the budget, even though a real 250 GT was used for the close-up scenes of the movie. They therefore hired Modena Design and Development to construct three replicas, the first of which is this. The final car wasn’t finished in time for filming, according to Hagerty, and another was involved in the infamous odometer rollback scene (below).
This material was downloaded from YouTube. At their website, you might be able to discover the same material in a different format or more details.
Barrett-Jackson claims that Modena Design creator Neil Glassmoyer gave the car a complete body-off restoration. Instead of a Columbo V-12, the vehicle is powered by a 427 cubic inch V-8 with a four-barrel carburetor, which drives the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential and a TKO 500 five-speed manual transmission. The vehicle is equipped with independent suspension, one-of-a-kind QA1 adjustable coilovers, and unique 16-inch chrome wire wheels. Carbon fiber panels have been added to the tub itself to reduce weight.
Other improvements made during the repair included a Bluetooth-enabled Retrosound radio and a 14-speaker audio system supported by two Blaupunkt amplifiers. A ton of memorabilia is included with the car, including as autographed build photos, a 1/2-scale model, and a Modena Design and Development certificate of authenticity.
On January 18, the car was put up for auction at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale event with no reserve. The third Bueller Ferrari that was put up for auction was the last one, and it sold in 2018 for $407,000. We’re a little surprised it sold for less given that it actually appeared in the film.
This information was imported. At their website, you might be able to discover the same material in a different format or more details.
Replicas are stopped
There were just 100 of these 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyders produced at a cost of roughly $300,000. Undoubtedly, Hughes didn’t want to spend so much money on a vehicle for the picture, especially one that would be wrecked and ruined. As a result, the “replicars” Glassmoyer and Goyette created were flawless.
They attached authentic Ferrari insignia to them to give them the appearance of the real thing. The only issue was that they didn’t have Ferrari’s consent to do so. Glassmoyer and Goyette were ultimately sued by Ferrari, and they were forced to halt production of their “replicars.”
“High fives all around to Jeff, Andy, and Kristi! They made every effort to come to a BIG decision.”
What model Ferrari does Ferris Bueller drive?
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, a 1986 coming-of-age film directed by John Hughes, didn’t include Matthew Broderick as its leading man. Hughes had always envisioned the title character in the movie taking a joyride in the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder on his infamous day off. It is so choice, as Ferris put it, and we couldn’t agree more.
Despite the fact that the car depicted in the movie may be among the most luxurious on the road, it was really filmed using a set of three replica cars manufactured by Modena Design in 1985, which is not surprising given what happens to the car in the movie. So what are the value of the replica autos today?
Where is the Ferris Bueller Ferrari?
Any age group should be interested in the new display at the Henry Ford Museum, which will appeal to fans of Ferris Bueller, antique cars, and 1980s films.
“The Ferrari 250GT California from 1961. fewer than 100 were produced, “He claims. “This car had a three-year restoration by my father. It is his passion and his love.”
There may have been fewer than a hundred produced, but only three were built for the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, in which a teenager skips class with his friend and girlfriend to explore Chicago. Since the movie’s producers decided against demolishing a $100,000 vehicle, none of the convertibles seen in the film are authentic Ferraris.
Three models were created for the film; two were utilized in close-up views, while the third, known as the “hero car,” was used in wide shots and a stunt scene.
According to Matt Anderson, the museum’s mobility curator, “there aren’t many pop culture cars at the museum.”
As part of a collaboration between the Henry Ford and the Hagerty Drivers Foundation, a major player in historic and culturally significant automobiles, the car was given to the museum.