At least he owned property in Nevada. I remember the car. I did most of the 400 and 412 work at WCF. There were 2 dealers that were responsible for most of the 400/412 that came here and we were one of them.
Brian, perhaps a dumb question, but do you mind describing what the process was like back in the day to order a 400/412 through a Ferrari dealer? Was it as easy as going in and writing a check at the Ferrari dealer and they would do the steps to get it federalized and (if in CA) CA BAR legal? As I understand it, my 86 412 (also a 5 speed manual, serial 63321) was purchased by the original owner directly in Maranello (I understand he had ties to Ferrari as a long time owner at the time) and it was federalized and CA-BAR'd by Larry Englehart at Ferrari Technologies (I presume as an independent grey market conversion). Not sure if a Ferrari dealer may have been involved with my car. Very curious to learn what the process was like back in the day - thanks in advance! Cheers! Ruben
I have seen photos of these covers in the past, on Lancia and large Fiat sedan models. Start there. I hope that this is of help to someone. Happy Holidays to all. Jq.
We received an award for selling more BBi's than any other dealer world wide and we sold several 288's and many 400's. Yes it was almost that easy for the few dealers who wanted to be bothered. We had the right to buy directly from Ferrari Spa any model that was not offered by FNA. You paid us, we bought the car direct and arranged transport and all importation fees, bonds etc. As soon as the car cleared customs we sent direct to a conversion facility and when they were done you got the car. It took a while but was easy for the buyer. It was fully CA legal and you got all the docs required. What few knew was that the cars did come with a warranty but outside of North America the factory warranty was for parts only and the selling dealers were responsible for supplying the labor. US law does not allow that arrangement. Manufacturers cannot force that arrangement upon their franchises. We could and did get parts for warranty repairs but the owners were responsible for labor.
Very cool - any idea on the % markup over RoW suggested retail price? I presume that the conversions were not cheap and the trouble to go through the process would have to have been handsomely rewarded. As always, thanks for the insight and happy holidays! Cheers! Ruben
Since federalization charges were whatever the market would bear this may mean nothing...but my 1984 car was delivered to the owner and ready to go for right around $84,000 when it was new.