"It is so choice..."
Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 7:40PM 
"...If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."
Those were the famous words of Ferris Bueller describing his friend's father's 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California. Well, now the actual movie car is up for auction. I think we all remember that heartstopping moment when the Ferrari is sent crashing through a plate glass window and into the ravine below. In fact that car, as well as this one, were both replicas built by the studio specifically for the film (there were 4 replicas total). A faithful recreation on the surface, the car is actually bodied in fiberglass, and propelled by a 4.7L Ford 289 V8 and automatic transmission. The auction's estimate is 40 to 80 thousand pounds, but I just have a feeling the car could sell for far more than that because even though it is not a real Ferrari, this machine is basically the most famous car in cinema (up there with the DeLorean in Back to the Future) and as such is a desirable piece of pop culture history. I hope it goes to the Peterson Museum in LA for their Hollywood cars section! Click here for the link to the full auction item description.
On a side note, the house in which the car was kept in the movie (formerly belonging to real car collector Ben Rose) has also been on the market. Perhaps one lucky fan can own them both!
250 GT California, Ferrari, Ferris Bueller, auction, replica in Miscellaneous
Reader Comments (3)
famous indeed! - I'd probably rank Herbie the VW bug a little higher than this car's celebrity... but the DeLorean is still highest
Suggestion for the future, spread over time: Other really interesting cars featured in films (and I don't mean VW Bugs or campers).
There are GP Bugattis featured in three films that I can think of right off hand: "Isadora", "Bright Young Things" and "I Capture the Castle"
The spectacular Rolls in "The Great Gatsby" - also featured recently in a Bonhams auction.
The huge veteran (1910-1915 or so) Daimler tourer in "Howards End"
The re-bodied Buick (I think) Topper car in "Topper" with Cary Grant.
The wonderful little Lancia cabriolet at the beginning of "The Conformist", one of the all-time great Italian films.
And, of course, the magnificent Isotta Fraschini in "Sunset Boulevard", one of the all-time great American films.
Thiat's just for starters; there must be many others that I can't think of or don't even know about.
Those are pretty obscure movie cars compared to Bueller's Ferrari. I think Etanq's point about Herbie is well taken though. That is a very famous car!