A wise man once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”

Fast indeed. It’s been 30 years since Ferris Bueller’s Day Off premiered, becoming the stuff of cinematic legend and giving director John Hughes a solid seat at the table of filmmakers to whom car enthusiasts should take heed. Given the anniversary and the movie’s spot in our all-time list of favorites… not to mention an affinity for using the word “choice” as an adjective, we decided it warranted a spot in our inaugural Choice Gear Automotive Themed Gift Guides series.

The key here is automotive themed. If you want a Red Wings jersey like Cameron Fry’s, or a fringe-laden white leather jacket like Sloane Peterson’s, or a ‘Save Ferrist’ T-shirt even… then go somewhere else or hit up Google. If, however, you want a deeper dive on the automotive stars of the movie then you’ve found the right place. Be forewarned though, our own revisionist history of the movie ignores the presence of the two Chrysler K-cars driven by Ferris’ mom and Principal Rooney. Sorry.

 

 

1:8 Scale Ferrari 250 GT California
If you’re going to start somewhere in any discussion about Ferris Bueller and cars, then you have to start with the Ferrari 250 GT California. As the filmmaker, John Hughes could have gone with the more obvious supercars and exotica of the day. Cars like the Lamborghini Countach in Cannonball Run looked more space-age, but he went instead with the then 20 plus year old Ferrari 250 GT California like this stunningly large and exceedingly detailed 1:8 scale representation from Amalgam that’ll set you back a cool $10K plus.

Okay, nerds will point out to us that Cameron’s dad’s car was a 1961. This model is a 1960. We suspect that won’t matter though and you’ll still be mighty impressed. Why? It’s so choice. If you have the means, we highly recommend picking one up. MORE / BUY

 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off T-Shirt
Officially unofficial is this T-shirt design we’ve found over at TeePublic. The site is known for its on-demand designs created by independent designers who’ve uploaded their work, which is perfect for finding unique pop culture inspired designs like this one. In this case, we’ve got a stylized interpretation of the moment when the Ferrari meets its fate, falling backwards through the shattered glass of the Fry garage mahal.
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1:18 Scale Alfa Romeo Alfetta
Perhaps the most obscure car reference from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was Cameron Fry’s “piece of shit” that Ferris had to be jealous of. The car doesn’t appear much at all, and mostly obscured… so we’ll forgive you if you didn’t notice it was an Alfa Romeo Alfetta sedan.

That’s right. It’s the more boxy “berlina” (4-door in Alfa speak), sharing a platform with the much more sultry GTV and GTV-6. This 1:18 scale version from Laudo Racing Models is white like Cameron’s car, though the Alfa in the movie was a post facelift specimen with slightly different detail work such as flush door handles. Forgive us on the slightly incorrect application, as 1970s Alfetta sedan offerings aren’t exactly numerous. MORE / BUY

 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Movie Film Cinema A3 Poster
For the nerdier FBDO fans amongst us comes this period correct cinema poster. Most materials promoting the movie at the time were actual photos of star Matthew Broderick leaning back and looking leisurely in various ways, but this more rare artwork depicts the film’s main characters breezing through Chicago traffic in the Ferrari. In true Ferris Bueller fashion, all the traffic is going the other way.

Given the Ferrari and the obscurity of the work, we think it’s probably the coolest of the original film art. Whatever, this particular version is a reprint by OMG Printing. MORE / BUY

 

 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ‘Lock The Garage’ Stainless Steel Travel Mug
Did you know Paramount Pictures still sells official Ferris Bueller merchandise? It was news to us too, but they do and this stylized stainless coffee mug is part of that effort. In addition to the depiction of the Ferrari, the mug quotes Cameron and Ferris. ““It is his love.  It is his passion.”  

“It is his fault he didn’t lock the garage door.”
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Ferrari 1959-65 Steering Wheel
Sticking with the official merchandise theme just a bit longer is this vintage Nardi wooden steering wheel from Ferrari themselves. The piece is representative of what Maranello used in their cars from 1959-1965, so it’s effectively spot on to what Cameron Fry’s dad would have had in his 1960 Ferrari 250 GT California. MORE / BUY

 

 

 

 

1:43 Audi 5000
In order to find a scale model of the Audi 5000 driven by Ferris’ dad, one needs to think about the period differences. Search “Audi 5000” and you won’t find much.

Back in the day, Audi of America didn’t use the same nomenclature as Europe. What was the “5000” here, was the “200” in Europe. In as much, you’ll need to know that to European manufacturers such as NOREV, Mr. Bueller may as well have been driving an Audi 200. Whatever you call it really doesn’t matter, because we’ve got a link to the closest thing you’ll get to a miniaturized version here. MORE / BUY

 

Life Moves Pretty Fast Poster
From the independent design fed Etsy platform comes this Ferris Bueller themed poster. A frontal shot of the Ferrari 250 GT California sets the tone, and that’s accented by the film quote by Ferris.

“Live moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Since it’s Etsy, that means you can get it in various sizes and configurations. MORE / BUY

 

 

Genuine Ferrari Classic Brown Leather Key Ring
You never really get a good look at the Ferrari’s key chain in the movie, but we suspect Mr. Fry would have gone with some sort of tasteful leather fob on which to clasp his keys. This classic design keychain from Ferrari features the timeless prancing horse logo embedded into saddle colored leather that would look right at home in the cabin of the car.
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Hot Wheels Pontiac Fiero and Ferrari 250 GT California
On the opposite end of the spectrum from five figure 1:8 scale models must be the ubiquitous Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars. Fortunately for Bueller fans, both the Fry Ferrari and the Fiero owned by Ferris’ sister Jeannie Bueller have both been recreated in a small form that you won’t mind sharing with your kids or stuffing in a stocking. MORE / BUY (Ferrari), MORE / BUY (Fiero)

 

Desired Mileage Poster
If you prefer to be a bit more subtle about your Ferris Bueller fandom, perhaps consider this simple graphic poster from bdi-design via RedBubble. There’s no Ferrari picture, no graphic interpretations of movie characters. All there is in this design is a simple odometer bearing the mileage count on the Ferrari.

That’s the count. That’s what it should be, and unfortunately rolling back the mileage just isn’t that simple after valets take it for a joy ride. The print depicts a bit of an inside joke, and something only really the car enthusiasts amongst the FBDO fans will notice. MORE / BUY