There are only a handful of supercars that are instantly recognisable even to people who are not dedicated petrolheads. At the very top of that list sits the Ferrari Testarossa, a true symbol of the 1980s and an automotive icon forever linked to one of television’s most legendary series: Miami Vice.
The hugely successful show, beloved not only in the United States but internationally, captured the extravagant, glamorous, and often hedonistic atmosphere of 1980s Florida, while also exploring the darker underworld of crime beneath the neon lights. The Ferrari Testarossa became the perfect automotive symbol for that world—but its presence in the series actually came from a rather famous controversy involving Ferrari itself and Enzo Ferrari personally.
In the early seasons, detectives Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs fought crime across Miami behind the wheel of what appeared to be a Ferrari Daytona Spider. In reality, however, it was a replica built on a Chevrolet Corvette platform.
When Enzo Ferrari reportedly became aware of this, he was said to be far from pleased. According to the story, Ferrari demanded that the production team remove the fake car—something that ultimately happened in dramatic fashion when it was blown up in an episode—and replace it with a genuine Ferrari Testarossa supplied directly by the Italian manufacturer.
The result was automotive television history: a white Ferrari Testarossa with single-lug wheels and a single driver-side mirror, a configuration that instantly became legendary.
Now, Lewis Hamilton has chosen to pay tribute to that unforgettable era with a video clearly inspired by the world of Miami Vice—although with a few creative liberties of his own, particularly when it comes to the soundtrack.
Lewis Hamilton’s Miami tribute video
Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to this kind of cinematic automotive tribute.
During the Japanese Grand Prix weekend in Tokyo, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion was already seen driving a Ferrari F40 through the city’s highways at night, embracing another iconic chapter of Ferrari history.
After arriving in Miami for the following Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton decided to build on that concept—but this time using the Ferrari model most deeply associated with the Vice City aesthetic.
The video opens with Lewis Hamilton at the controls of a Wellcraft 38 KV Scarab, the same type of speedboat famously piloted by Don Johnson in the role of Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice.
It's giving GTA and we love to see pic.twitter.com/9O89VS0O01
— LH44(A) (@LH44Fanpage8) May 8, 2026
After stepping ashore, the Ferrari driver takes the wheel of a white Ferrari Testarossa. This particular example is a later version than the original TV car, as shown by its twin mirrors and five-bolt wheels rather than the more iconic single-mirror, single-nut specification.
Dressed entirely in white from head to toe, Lewis Hamilton then launches into a sequence of drifting runs through the streets of Miami, surrounded by pastel colour tones deliberately chosen to recreate the unmistakable visual identity of the original television series.
One major departure from classic Miami Vice style, however, comes from the soundtrack. Instead of the synth-heavy pop sound that defined the original show, Lewis Hamilton opted for a harder-edged gangsta rap track from N.W.A., giving the tribute a distinctly modern reinterpretation of the iconic 1980s atmosphere.
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