A week ago, I mused about strongly held belief that replicas were a bad thing. Character flaws aside, 99 times out of 100, you’re always better off with the real deal. The car in question, a Dodge Viper cleverly disguised as a Maybach Exelero, tested my faith to an extent that I had to admit that sometimes, under very special circumstances, buying a replica just might be acceptable after all.
Just a week later, my philosophy has yet again come under scrutiny. Remember the “Mustinghi”? Well, we have something better in store. We’ve gotten our grubby hands on the actual Ferrari Daytona (sort of) that was driven by Don Johnson in 1980′s phenomenon Miami Vice. Apart from appearing in the show, the car has certain other “attributes” that I found rather interesting. First off, it’s actually not a Ferrari Daytona at all. It’s not even a Ferrari. It’s a cleverly rebuilt Corvette C3.
Why not just use the real thing you might ask? There’s probably several answers. Budget reasons might be one, as the price of a real Daytona was around $500,000 at one point. Moreover, only 165 were made – maybe they couldn’t get their hands on one, who knows.
In any case, the car has quite an interesting history, whether or not you’re a purist. In fact, Vette Magazine published a very thorough piece a few years ago that I heartily recommend.
Take a look at the Ferrari Daytona/Corvette C3 right here on JamesList.
