Kurzheck

As a huge fan of this show when I was a kid (and still am), I was doing some research on the now famous Ferrari 308 that came to be commonly known as the "Magnum Ferrari" among enthusiasts, and I came across an interesting bit of info.

As some of you may know, the Ferrari's used in the show had to be specially modified to accommodate Tom Selleck, who stands 6'4" tall. The padding was removed from the seats so he would sit lower in the car, and the seats were bolted as far away from the steering wheel as possible to maximize the leg room. Even with these modifications you can still see that Selleck's head is higher than the top of the front windshield frame. This is why you very rarely saw Magnum drive with the top up.


What you may not know is that the producers originally intended to use a Porsche 928 and asked Porsche to produce one with an extra large sunroof for aerial shots. Due to a strict policy by Porsche of not doing any special specifications at customer requests, the Ferrari 308 GTS was chosen instead and went on to become one of the most iconic cars of all time.

The timing of this show's initial run of course coincides with the internal turmoil of the Porsche management in regards to the phasing out the then 911 SC with the 928 that management was convinced would be their car of the future and that the 911 had come to the end of it's run.


The success of the series made a star of an otherwise average (for Ferrari) model and it became an icon.


It's intriguing to speculate what might have happened to both marques had Porsche accommodated the producers requests and supplied the specified 928.

Big Swole

Point is....I've ALWAYS wanted to own a Ferrari 308 and still hope too someday... It's THE car and body style I've always loved, hence my all time favorite car of all time being the Ferrari 288 GTO due to it's 308 styling.


I've owned a 928....Wonder if I'd have felt the same about that car, had it been on the show.

GT6ixer

Interesting. Never knew that. You would think if they really wanted to use the 928 they could have had the sunroof modified by a third party.

I don't think either Porsche or Ferrari would have been measurably different in any aspect had the 928 been the car star of the show. Although I suspect that 308 prices today may not be as strong.

Also Porsche was never trying to phase out he 911 with the 928. They were hedging against possible emissions and safety backlash in their biggest market, but always wanted the 911 to survive.

Kurzheck

Pretty much everything I ever read on their history stated that the chart on the wall of Dr. Helmuth Bott, in charge of Porsche engineering and development, showed a future for the 928 and the four-cylinder 944, but the 911 timeline stopped dead at 1981. Walking into Bott’s office, Porsche CEO Peter Schultz picked up a black marker and extended the 911’s lifespan right off the chart and down the wall. The decision was made – and the 911 would live on, as what would happen several times in the future.

drooman

In my opinion ...Porsche should have used the larger and removable 944 type design sunroof in the 928. This was great design with the ability to raise the rear or have a huge open air feeling when removed.

The two main complaints about the sliding roof are reduced headroom for tall drivers and the “mail slot” opening allowed by a sliding sunroof on a small roof panel. As a 6’4” driver myself I can say that the 328 GTB, just like a hard roof 928, has plenty of headroom.

Legroom...not so much.

V2Rocket

...and then beyond, across all the other walls of the office, and connecting back to the other side of the chart...immortality unlocked

bureau13

Is there a source for this rumor? I have to question it, simply because Porsche seems to do special requests all the time. Paint to sample? No problem. Those weird rear fender flares pre-GTS? Whatever floats your boat. If you have the money, they seem willing to play. I can't imagine this being the one request they'd say no to.

bronto

I think a similar story is here in the 928 forum already, except that the problem was that the show didn't just want a larger sunroof, they wanted a convertible because then both passengers could be seen easily. I'm sure Selleck's height was a factor as well, but it makes more sense that no 928 convertibles were made than that they were unwilling to modify a sunroof.

dpower$

Mr. Selleck purchased a 928 for himself, details of the FULL optioned car have been posted here before. He also purchased 928's for his 2 main costars Rick and AJ so he must have been impressed

Randy V

Cool story, bro.

A search may reveal it's been told 42 times here.

GT6ixer

Randy I think you've been around here so long that you forget that most of us "newbs" haven't read every post ever entered. If the OP hadn't posted this I would have not ever thought to randomly search for 928 Magnum PI trivia. Take a chill pill bra. 😎

Ad0911

I once was offered a ride in a 308. It was ok but not nearly as thrilling as expected. It did not impress me like my 928.

Imo000

Wolfman928

I've had a drive in a 328 GTS, back in 2010, similar to the 308 GTS just more advanced and refined, I like the manual gate-shifter, compact feel, open top, interesting style interior, rumbling sound, good performance and excellent road handling not to mention the exceptional build quality, drove a 308 GTS just a few years ago, even more raw than the 328 but with slightly less performance, still good considering the car originally launched in 1975.
,
any person taller than 6'1" will rather drive without the top because of limited headroom,

the Ferrari is way different from the 928, should not be compared, the 928 is more of a comfortable daily drive in my opinion.

95carrera

I spent alot of time driving the same model Ferrari 308. I'm 6ft and the car was comfortable. The 355 Ferrari I drove after that was uncomfortable as the seat backs do not recline far due to convertible top mechanism.

The 308's are appreciating. For years you could buy a nice one in the 40's. No better shifting experience exists and that sound from the exhaust! Just an awesome car.