It’s a movie about a high-school kid who takes a day off from school. Today, 40 years after its release, the John Hughes classic still has a hold on the collective imagination. So does the red Ferrari that was central to the story. Here are some fun facts you might not have known about the star car in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off:
The Alfa Was Too Ratty
If only Cameron’s car hadn’t been such a POS. Early in the film, we see Cameron (Alan Ruck) sitting in his own car, a 1982 Alfa Romeo Alfetta, debating whether to go pick up Ferris (Matthew Broderick). When it’s time for them to collect Ferris’s girlfriend, Sloane (Mia Sara), after springing her from school, Ferris argues the Alfetta wouldn’t be convincing as something Sloane’s dad would drive. He browbeats Cameron into using the Ferrari instead (although there are also a vintage MG and Mercedes in the garage), and they’re off and running.
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That Ferrari Was Supposed to Be a Porsche
Director John Hughes also wrote the screenplay, and in an earlier version, Cameron’s dad’s car was a black Porsche. Hughes later changed it to a Mercedes-AMG. It was producer Tom Jacobson who suggested a Ferrari 250 GT California Spider instead, since it could be built as a kit car (like the Ferrari Daytona in Miami Vice).
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Multiple Cars Were Used
Mark Goyette and Neil Glassmoyer were the fabricators (later naming their firm Modena Design and Development), and most accounts say they built three cars for the film. The hero car, used for most driving scenes, was leased to the production. A stunt car with a reinforced frame was used for the parking attendant jump scene. And a shell car with no running gear is the one that went out the window.
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They Also Used a Real California Spider
Besides the three constructed cars, the filmmakers also rented a real California Spider, which was used in the close-ups where we first see the car parked in the garage, and Ferris starts mooning over it.
The Personalized Plates Are Self-Referential
The Ferrari’s plate, NRVOUS, seems more appropriate for Cameron than for his dad, but a couple of the other plates reference previous Hughes films. Ferris’s dad’s Audi has MMOM, for Mr. Mom, while Ferris’s mom’s Town & Country wagon has VCTN, for National Lampoon’s Vacation, both of which Hughes wrote. Principal Ed Rooney’s K-car’s plate is 4FBDO, presumably for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
1985 Modena Spider California, sold by Bonhams for $313,000 in 2023.
Originally, the Car Was Supposed to Crash into a Tree Stump
The early screenplay had the car launching out of the garage into a tree stump; there was also an idea to have it crash into Lake Michigan. But when scouting for locations, the team found the midcentury modern Highland Park, Illinois, house with a section that cantilevered over a ravine, and John Hughes immediately liked that better.
The House Is Also Famous
The house was built in 1953 for Ben Rose, a textile designer, by modernist architect James Speyer. The cantilevered section, referred to as the Pavilion, was added in 1974 by architect David Haid. When the filmmakers approached Rose about using the Pavilion for the movie, they knew the modest rental fee wasn’t likely to sway the owner. Instead, he agreed because he’d enjoyed the Porsche 928 plunge into Lake Michigan in Risky Business, and he thought this would be fun. When architect Haid found out about it, he was not so charmed, fearing that there might be ancillary damage to the other windows in the glass-walled structure, and that replacements wouldn’t exactly match the originals. He ended up getting paid to oversee the stunt and make sure the house emerged unharmed.
This Wasn’t the First 250 GT California Spider at the House
Homeowner Rose asked what kind of car the filmmakers planned to use for the stunt. When they replied that it was a replica of a 250 GT California Spider, Rose replied, “I used to own one of those.” At the time of filming, he had several vintage Ferrari racing cars.
