http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC5ztHd10rM i confess...they're much, much cooler than i expected. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=220701 incredibly solid, rust free body, nice interior, everything works... $38.5K USD...winter price, unparalleled value.
i swear to God Eric, that's exactly what i used to think...exactly that... and that's exactly what has been the most surprising thing about this car. it feels like it has at least the same power-to-weight and lightness of feel. they day we shot that footage we had a Euro 308 GTSi out as well... and although it has a really good, strong motor, it felt plain clumsy by comparison. a good 365/400/400i just feels so solid and instills so much confidence. in the last sequence, i babied it around the corner to create some space in front of me... but once i stepped on it...i just caught the guy so fast i had to back off before the top of the hill. since this motor is still 'new', i haven't pushed it yet...5000rpm's max...it's gonna be a monster.
I've only driven an '82 5 speed and I didn't think that it was as usable or tossable as the 365. Wasn't my car, so I didn't push it the way I do mine. My wife and I were playing around a bit with a local 328 owner and he still claims he could not keep up with me when I punched it in the big Fiat. I love driving the car, the longer you spend with it, the more you know that it will keep pushing and pushing. I put about 50 miles on the GTS today with the top down, it was fun, but it is still such a different thrill to have the V12 start sucking gas and making glorious noises that causes the locals with their Honda's with fart can exhausts to hang their head in shame...
I had the interior totaly refinished, stripped and dyed for $1100.00. This included the replacement of leather on the drivers seat bolster. The interior looks great and is now very soft and plyable. I purchased a set of Gotti 17" wheels for $800.00 and will add about $700 for tires. The paint work would add another $2000.00, if we did not have our staff do it. So for a total cost of approx 4 grand, its a very nice looking 400i. While we never intend to drive with the top up, it could stand to be replaced at some time, no holes or worn spots just a bit faded. My philosopy with all my cars is to maintain them to the best degree possible, drive them 'till they break, then fix them. With the other cars we have I can't imagine drving the 400i more than a couple of thousand miles per year. That said the drive train should last my lifetime. Then my widow can worry about it!!!!!! Howard Musolf 1982400i Cabriolet Maserati Spider 2 many brass era cars
Just doing hoses and belts, fresh coolant, packing wheel bearings, just for reliability issues. Included new battery, filters and fluid changes. Also included spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor. These i consider consumables and not part of a restoration project. Howard Musolf 1982 400i Cabriolet Maserati Spider 2 many brass era cars
I dont know there really could be much difference, I cant figure why there would be, same chassis suspension etc. Brettski is correct with the figures without doubt. If you buy any 365, 400, 400i or 412 for peanuts, which you can, you will spend a lot more very soon, definitely worth it though. The exact cost in Europe to take a classic V12 Ferrari and do everything to new level is £85000.00 approx $150 000.00 (still a bargain considering the new price was the equivelent of £300 000.00! the price of a Castle!) this figure is ok when your selling it again ie 250 swb for a few million but doesnt make economical sense with the 400. I am not interested in the economics which is fine but if you are just dont bother. looking at that car for $38000.00 from the detail on the site would represent the most car for money on the planet. Regards Alastair
In the manual for the 400GT its dry weight is 1900 Kilos, cant imagine the weight was massively different from 365 as the only main difference was enlarged engine. All fun Regards Alastair
any idea what makes the 310 kg (680 lb) difference between 365 vs 412 - cannot think where that would come from other than the ABS and the extra leather ?
there is a nice 400i with 60k miles on ebay right now, represented as running fine and in good shape mechanically...interior is presentable but the original leather has some flaws as expected, body looks to be straight and the paint looks good in the photos... looks to be a reasonable driver to enjoy now and restore at will! I already have too many cars or Id consider this!!
The 365 GT4 2+2 owners manual says; Curb weight (with oil and fuel, spare wheel, tool kit and accessories) kg 1790. Well actually the english part says 3940 lbs.
What is your source for this data and are you sure that they are all consistent in whether they all are wet or dry weights? It just seems hard to believe that a car with pretty much the same drivetrain and chassis configuration could pork up by nearly 700 pounds. That is a lot of sound deadening insulation, or electronics or whatever.
Hmm, my 400i automatic with full tanks and me(170#then) weighed 2320# on the front axle and 2260# at the rear. My public school education has me coming up with 4580# Deducting for fuel, driver and spare tire etc. still leaves ~4200# or about the same as my '71 Buick Riviera.
I think that it is the same as Alex's car (see earlier post in this thread) or you can go direct to the website of Forza Motorsports in Gaylordsville, CT. They have an auction for the car on eBay as well with the BIN price of $16,500, same as on their website. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-400i-1984-Ferrari-400i-Well-cared-for-example_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2eab5163a5QQitemZ200442733477QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks http://www.forzamotorsports.com/1984ferrari400i/default.htm The car has a well known high oil consumption problem attributed in the ads to worn valve guides on the passenger side cylinder head. While the ad states that fixing that problem on that one head, if that is limited to just that, would cost $3-5K, the reality is that the other head most likely needs an overhaul as well at a minimum.
The weights of these cars seems to vary quite a bit apparently depending on how they measure the car. My 400i owners manual lists the curb weight as 1,894 kg or 4,167 lbs but it doesn't define what it means by curb weight. Presumably it is full of oil (19.6 quarts), coolant and other fluids and some amount of gasoline (up to 31.7 gallons or 120 litres) but not a driver or passengers, but it isn't described. The difference between a full fuel tank and an empty one is about 190 lbs at 6 lbs./gal. The Ferrari Owner's Site for my car lists the Kerb Weight as 1,700 kg., approx. 3,748 lbs. The Car & Driver road test of a 400i 5 speed listed the curb weight as 4,350 lbs. The R&T road test of the 412 listed the curb weight as 3,980 lbs. and a test weight of 4,130 lbs.
i looked at the forza car...too much work needed. i'm in the process of doing engine work on my 308 and i don't relish a second engine project. the weight of these cars is surprisingly high. a testarossa weighs in at ~3350 for a euro car. 365/400s are not larger, and small compared to american cars of the era, so it's surprising they weigh so much. i figured they came in around 3000-3500 lbs.