There is a famous scene in the iconic 1986 movie Ferris Bueller’s day off when his father’s prized 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder accidentally crashes through a garage window and falls into the woods below.
Photo by CBS via Getty Images
That same car recently sold at auction for $337,000, which seems like a bargain considering a 1961 California Spyder sells for millions.
But here’s the catch: it wasn’t a Ferrari at all, but rather a 1985 ‘replicar’ designed by Modena Design and Development.
The crash car was one of three fake Ferraris built for the film – albeit the most famous. Although the red sports car looks a lot like the original California Spyder, it doesn’t drive. In addition, the car is a kind of lemon – it was destroyed in the film and later rebuilt for sale. According to Motorcycle trendthe car has had several owners.
Related: Ferrari unveils its first four-door model. Just don’t call it this one thing.
The story of Ferris Bueller replicars
As the Hollywood legend has it, Ferris Bueller director John Hughes wanted the 1961 Ferrari to be one of the stars of the film. But crashing a classic car out of a window was just too expensive – even by movie studio standards.
Hughes discovered Modena Design and Research, a new company building Ferrari replicas. He ordered a total of three fake Ferraris for the film. But the Ferraris’ designs were so accurate that Ferrari sued Modena Design and received a cease and desist order. The company went bankrupt in 1989.
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From 1985 to 1989 Modena made 50 Modena Spyders and there are only 38 left.
Watch the car crash scene from the movie below.
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