This ‘Magnum, P.I.’ Ferrari 308 GTS Could Be Yours

The quintessential 1980s sports car had to be modified to fit Tom Selleck, the classic crime show’s 6-foot-4 star.

Collectors will soon have the chance to acquire the era-defining Ferrari 308 GTS from Magnum, P.I.—no explanation to Higgins necessary.

Helmed by the Tom Selleck in his breakout role as Vietnam War veteran and private investigator Thomas Magnum, the Rosso Corsa red supe’s Pininfarina-designed curves scintillated in the Hawaiian sun as it raced around Oahu over all eight seasons, which aired from 1980 to 1988.

During that time, Ferrari produced three variants of the 308, which, in the Italian marque’s nomenclature, refers to a 3.0-liter (rounded up from 2.9) V8. The earliest variant’s engine featured Weber carburetors; the second GTSi got emissions-friendly Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injectors and, subsequently, a slight dip in power from 240 to 205 horsepower; the Quattrovalvole boosted the output back up to 230 hp by putting four valves on each cylinder head. As Hagerty notes, the 308 features a transversely mounted mid-engine layout, which helps keep the car remarkably compact, so much so that it takes up less roadway than today’s hatchbacks.

But to fit Selleck, who stood 6-foot-4, the cars had to be substantially modified by stripping the seats of padding and placing them as rearward as possible. Even with those adjustments, Selleck’s head still towered above the windshield line, but who’d want to cruise Hawaii with the top up, anyway? Perhaps the most iconic feature, at least as the car relates to the show, is the tactilely fulfilling gated shifter, which was featured amid a few revved-up shots in the show’s original intro.

This one is a 1979 with Weber carbs and the first of three different 308 GTS models Ferrari provided to production—it actually appeared in the pilot episode, “Don’t Eat the Snow in Hawaii.” The Crema leather interior features air conditioning and power windows, and the car’s 390mm Cromodora wheels are paired with four-wheel disc brakes. The car comes with documentation that includes letters from Ferrari historian Marcel Massini and F-Register, verifying its television provenance.

While the most pristine examples of this model year are valued at around $143,000, the Magnum, P.I. provenance is likely to move the needle past the going rate when the vehicle crosses the block at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach Auction, which will be held from April 16—18 at the South Florida Fairgrounds.