Some interesting notes: While at a local car show in Camarillo, CA, a dealer brought an assortment of high end cars, including an 83 400i, dark blue with a tan interior, average paint, dash that was torn, sunroof, and chromed factory wheels, and was asking $30k for. After some discussion, he mentioned that he would "not take any less than $25k for it". In the current (August 21, 2006) issue of Autoweek, Keith Martin's "Market" column mentions the July 8 Christie's auction result of a 1978 Ferrari 400i (was a 400i even offered in '78?), white with tan interior, sold for $27,119. He calls it "The ultimate undesirable Ferrari in so many ways: wrong model, wrong color, automatic transmission, yet it got nearly double the expected price." In the same issue, in the classifieds section, there is an 83 400i listed, blue/tan with 40k miles, automatic, for $45k obo in Indiana. Is this an upward trend?
400 prices are indeed on the rise. You'll see them at $40k in no time (mark my words) 400's were avail as early as 1976
I track all of the 400's in the US. If you watch FML and the other publications where high-end, top notch condition, 400's are sold you can see the upward trend already. According to my figures 400's are up over 15% just this year. I know of 3 400i autos that have sold in the US this year for over $30k. Keep them 100% original, do the maint, and hang on to them. I only sold mine because I had a single mirror, single bolt wheel TR on the line for $43k. Somebody beat me to it. <sigh> You'll see. there will be a lot of guys eating some serious crow in a few years when it comes to 400 pricing.
Any idea what mine might bring @ auction? Or at least,if I sell it next year what do you think I could get for it? Being that it's the first one, I would think it would command some kind of premium. The only thing not original is the paint.
Dave: But weren't the early ones carburated, and therefore NOT 400i's, but just 400s? I thought the "i" model came out around 79-80.
Interesting update: That $45,000 83 400i is also on the FCA website in the classified section for only $23,000.
Well...I'm hoping that when I'm ready to pull the trigger on a 400i, that I can get a 5-speed with black interior for ~$30k. $35k tops....
So true! The guy in California who sold me my 400i bought it for $72K in 1988 and told me that he turned down an offer of $110K for it at the peak of Ferrari prices in 1990. During the 10 years that he owned it, he put only 4,000 miles on it and I bought it for $28K in 1998 with 22K miles. John
Dave, I believe the 400i was introduced in 1979 - 38 examples were made - but they probably didn't make it to the US until 1980. Aidan 1980 400i c/n 31243
Hi Aidan, how is she doing? I'm sure you're right, I just can't prove it. My notes show serial #29557 as the first US injected car. Sorry to say that I don't know for sure what year it was titled. I think 1980 but don't know for sure. The 3 cars that I don't have the model year on are #29557, #29867, & #30271. All were injected cars. #30561 is a 1980 injected car. So the bottom line is even with as much info as I have on US 400's I can't be certain that there ever was a 1979 injected US car.
Ultimately, as you know, there was NEVER a US injected car - of any US 400 for that matter. So the real question is has anyone ever imported a 1979 Euro injected car? Either in 1979 or later in the 80s or 90s? If so, is it still here? Maybe a question we still can't answer, but a slight difference....
You are, of course, correct. What I should have said is... "Of the 400's in the US my notes show serial #29557 as the first of the injected cars in this country." I STILL don't know if that serial # is a 1979 or a 1980.
Here is my information on 400i production in 1979: Production during 1979: 83 autos, 33 5 speeds = 116 total (source: Ferrarisima #3 original series). The first 400i may be under a bit of uncertainty as Ferrari Market Letter showed it as #27075 while Cavallino (#138 Guida) shows it as #27978. Both sources agree that the last 400i was #55523 produced in February, 1985. It was black with a tan interior and had dual a/c, no info on transmission type. It was one of 14 400i cars produced in 1985 before the changeover to the 412. As noted elsewhere, none of the 400/400i/412 series cars were ever produced by the factory for the U.S. Every one had to be converted by an authorized conversion shop in order to receive EPA and DOT waivers. Now, just to show one of the interesting aspects of Ferrari production sequences and serial numbers, the last 400 produced is shown as either #29051 (FML) or as #28261 (Cavallino). Whichever is true is interesting because both of those numbers are later than the number for the first 400i produced. You can just see it now: "Hey Luigi, what should I do with these 6 sidedraft Weber carburetors that I just found?" "Why not install them on that 400 (i) instead of the Bosch fuel injection?" "Thatsa good idea". John
John I got my figure for production from the 400 register. My Prunet book "Ferrari Road Cars" (IIRC) is back in the UK, so no other sources of information available right now. Do you fancy getting together sometime as we are both CT 400 owners? Aidan
