Life with the 412 AND 400i...Day one

OK so the other piece of the puzzle- my pristine 1988 412 in Argento Nurburgring with red interior arrived today. As is typical with all my car deliveries it was an absolutely abyssmal day- cold and rainy with deep puddles of salt and grit...Not Ferrari weather.

The car came off the truck unscathed but running a bit rough...So it was time for a quick "Italian Tuneup"- got her out of local traffic and onto the road for a few minutes- took forever for the car to come up to temp but finally we had some heat and she was running on 12...

The difference between my 1983 400i and this particular 88 412 are fairly large in many areas. Obviously driving position is similar- the seats adjust a bit more on the 412 and the wheel seems to sit just a tad higher. The 412 has a deep maroon interior that is remarkable- original Connolly leather and still glove soft and smooth and fragrant- the 400i was completely reskinned 2 years ago- yet eh 412 leather looks nicer and newer- go figure.

The 328 era switches look so much more refined and modern- while the Series II switchgear REALLY looks and feels vintage- not in a bad way, but the 412 just feels very contemporary while the 400i feels very classic.


Power- Everyone wants to know- what is it like driving a really STRONG 400i with a rebuilt engine, trannny and clutch vs a dead stock 412 with a "Slushbox"?? Honestly... the 412 is FANTASTIC fun... yes I love a manual tranny and the 400i feels like a hotrod, but the 412 auto puts the power down so seamlessly and so endlessly- it's unlike anything you've ever driven with an auto- NOT like a Jag which has such a narrow torque bandwidth and NOTHING like an American car that produces lots of low end torque but little upper end torque-This thing is a locomotive and it is ridiculously enthralling to put your foot to the floor and feel the thing come to life.

We jumped out of the 412 into the 400i and right away you could feel this car was more on the edge- more hair trigger- my gearbox is perfect on the 400i and shifts are effortless. Such totally different driving experiences really- the 412 so quiet and refined and the 400i so Daytona-like and brash. (MOstly due to the very loud Stebor vs the quieter and classier Stainless Ansa system)

Driving the cars you really can feel the difference a fairly involved suspension rebuild makes- while the 412 is in as pristine condition as any example on the planet- the rebuilt front end of the 400i transform the car- the 412 is a bit vague and wallowy- the 400i laser sharp. Remarkably the 400i has a much smoother refined ride- i think that is entirely due to the brand new TRX's on the 400i, vs older rubber on the 412- The 412 TRX tires show FAR less wear than the 400is, just older, harder rubber.

I've had the 400i for two weeks and have so far fixed any number of odd leaks and rattles, sorted the sound system, power antenna dilemna, fuse and relay board nightmares and a few other things. My passenger window is croaked and after refinishing my power mirrors they don't work. I have some dented trim but cannot figure out how to get it off, But I was able to find a replacement glove box flashlight and got that hooked up- only took 6 hours. So far so good.

The 412 is going to need tires for sure and probably I'll spend the dough and rebush the entire car- but cosmetically shes as perfect as a brand new car.

I'm tickled to death that I have both of these in the stable, and swapping them back and forth is going to be a blast. More and better photos after Winter releases her Icy grip on us here in the Northeast.
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Thanks guys- Gotta say if you have a 400 - you should get some seat time in a 412- really a wonderful car.

Spent what felt like an eternity trying to figure out the ridiculously expensive sound system installed in this car- Finally figured out how to force a code into the flip-face Kenwood Excelon receiver and Voila- it sprang into life- A little out of date but 10 cd changer- JBL speakers and high power amp under the spare- very nice- kind of an unexpected bonus cause I did not even notice if it had a radio at all when I bought it!

Found the cause for the wallowing- front sway bar bushings are both worn- I'll have those changed by next week- rest of the suspension looks rock solid and frankly- good as new. The hard ride is something I have to investigate- Either the tires or the accumulators- have not really checked into them yet so that's next on the list- cause the ride of the 400i is just incredible - and I want THAT ride quality on the 412 too.

Having a 400 makes me appreciate the "modernity" of the 412 even more- and having a cushy 412 makes me appreciate the vintage-feeling 400i even more... Just having all the fans working, all the windows working and BRIGHT headlights is a revelation.

We'll see how we all get along as I put some miles on these over the next 6-8 months.

 

Which one is the date code on the Coker-Made reissues??

 

I have nothing with "DOT" followed by a code on my tires- Perhaps they are flipped around- I'll have to pull one-

The Spare is dated 2005.

 

OK Mystery solved-

Tires made in 1997- FOURTEEN YEAR OLD TIRES- and honestly- they look great- they look like they're 1 or 2 years old.

I think the tires are the cause of all of my handling and ride issues- Cause really everything looks very, very fresh on this car- Even those front sway bar bushings, on second glance really look OK-

Will investigate new tires or new wheel/tire sets and I think we'll be in good shape.

 

Yeah I already replaced it with the BMW unit for $26- As I take stuff apart when i find a peice that is common to something lse I replace it just cause it looks fresher- Somehow power no longer flows to the switch and fuses and relays are OK- No big deal I buttoned it back up for now- when I have some more patience I'll track it down.

 

Had both of the cars out today- Still a bit messy here in new England but no salt on the roads.

Don't they look nice together?? For sure the 400i looks meaner and racier with it's deep dish wheels, black beltline and trim tail- the 412 looks elegant and smooth- with it's body colored bumpers and fatter, more Euro tail. White on a 400i is seemingly not anybody's first choice- yet it does make the car look very low and very long - in a good way-

Seems as Ferraris get newer they get smoother and quieter- my 355 feels like a spaceship by comparison- If I had a 458 in the garage it would feel like a science fiction movie prop.

Got almost all of the little annoying stuff fixed so far- Windows work (Hooray!!) - took them apart on both cars- cleaned everything, lubed everything- new cables- took great pains to level them to the car perfectly and added the dual relay mod for each side- Window nirvana! Strongly recommend the dual relay mod and cleaning and aligning your windows- works wonders.

Got some better looks lenses coming for the 400i and new wheels and tires for the 412- But we're looking and feeling pretty good. Big box of goodies from Eurospares to replace the couple of trim pieces that were dinged and the missing tranny inspection plate on the 400i. New interior door rubber on both cars- A little tough to slam the doors hard enough but NO wind noise whatsoever.

The 412 continues to impress- Just seamless endless power and grunt- I was sort of making the point that the stock auto is pretty good- who would need a shift kit- I took it to my tranny guy to have him do a basic service- He dropped the pan and showed me that the tranny had been completely rebuilt with a Corvette shift kit - My guy said it's the same thing he installs on 80s vettes all the time and it's "Bulletproof"- I guess that's why this car feel so strong and downshift instantly- So if you have investigated a shift kit- DO IT- remarkable how good the car is when the tranny reacts to your every whim. That said The car feels NOTHING like my 400i 5 speed- It's still smooth and quiet and the 400i is fast and aggressive..

Got to admit- people are BLOWN AWAY by these cars- The red interior of the silver car draws a crowd wherever it goes- And of course pop the hood on either car and that masterpeice of an engine makes jaws drop. The only negative words were from the Fat kid who works at my local autoparts store- when I said the fuses I was buying are for a Ferrari 400i he said, "Oh those K car looking things? I see them on ebay all the time for $10 grand." But I guess that's the way $6.35 an hour clerks look at things...

I am so glad that I bought the RIGHT cars. I honestly think the 412 is the finest one in existence- I know some of you have amazingly clean cars (So no offense)- but really, when I have a chance to show this car to some of you in person I think you'll agree this is among the best examples of this car on the road- Coker confirmed for me that my tires are NOT FROM 1997... They are from 1987...ORIGINAL TIRES! And honestly they look brand new. (And as hard as diamonds) I guess that's how you do 18,000 miles in 24 years- you drive to car shows and then back home.

The 400i was a very well used car that was in very presentable condition- and then got a fairly complete rebuild from nose to tail- Not a concours job but A- cosmetically , A+++++ mechanically. Perfect clutch, strong synchros- the 5 speed is slick and smooth and quiet, engine fires first turn and just PURRS even when cold. Damn I was SO CLOSE to buying 5 other cars, and feel lucky to have made the right decisions. Did not intend to buy two, but you know how things happen sometimes...

More reports as we get some miles under our belts.

 

OOps here are some pics...
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Thanks Neil-

Aidan came by in his Nero Series I and the car looks FABULOUS in darker colors. I saw a couple of black 400s in my searches and black is tough- unless it is absolutely perfect it kind of ruins the lines of the car- Find a good one!

DEfinitely eyes wide open on buying one of these- But if you've lived with a TR these are SIMPLE...