UK 400A sold at Classic car show auction

While at the Classic Car show at the NEC last week I had a quick look over parts of this car.

The auction house were charging £5 a head to get into the viewing area (I understand why as it keeps all the cheapskates and tyre kickers out - which is exactly why I didn't pay to go in !)

Luckily the car was on the perimeter of the stand with its cute rear poking out so I could have a look at the rear and down the sides and it looked pretty good but by no means perfect. I seemed to show the usual dodgy areas like a cruddy edge on the boot lid etc but wasn't half bad really.

Personally I think silver cars look a bit bland (sorry if I've offended anyone - I love all 400's of any colour) and this had fairly mediocre, lifeless paint which didn't help.

Boot was open so I sneakily lifted the false floor covering the spare wheel and there was no tool kit or jack but that was probably to stop people like me nicking it (I wouldn't have but I look the dodgy type so wouldn't blame them for thinking I might).

I'm trying to get my head around the price considering it was left hand drive but being sold in the UK - the market is probably bigger for left hand drive cars due to wider market appeal but not necessarily when sold in the UK.

Puzzled. Need beer !

 

Nice photos and agree need beer, what a gorgeous looking shape the 400 is.
Always fun to see how wrong (understandably with all the numbers etc) advertisers get the spec wrong.
Its not a 400GT nor a 400i GT or even a 400GTi its a 400i whatever its a nice looking car.
Regards
Alastair

 

Thanks Alastair - for reminding us that whatever the merits of this particular one the 400 is still a beautiful car. All on this section of the forum should endorse that!

To return to Rob's point about values, obviously I have some (known and declared) interest in this discussion. Only factual comment I would add is that the 400 manual you mentioned was sold at auction to Forza 288 who - as I recall - did a quite a bit of work to bring the car up to scratch and then sold it for a value reflecting that to their client. I met the buyer at Wilton House this year - he seemed very happy and the car looked lovely....

 

Hello Nick, Rob
The 400 manual wheres that? any detail? love to know as theres only three UK right hand drive on the planet out of the 21 produced that I have ever heard of.
Regards
Alastair

 

Hi Rob,

The Forza 400 manual was posted for sale @ £25k+ (I have the web page saved down) although I don't know what the actual sale price was (it went quickly).

Have less visibility on the Kent High Performance 400 autos - there were two for sale until recently, a blue one @ £20k (which has gone) and a black one originally @ £20 now reduced to £18k ...not sure which one you're referring to...

 

Hi Alastair,

Sorry, was replying to Rob's post when yours went in...

As far as I know there were 28 (maybe 29) RHD manual 400s imported to the UK of which a rough estimate is of 10-15 still on the road.
The 400 manual I was describing in previous posts is now on the south coast.
There is another that I know of maintained by QV who also maintain mine.
Jonathan Tremlett I think knows of some others.

Paul Dubois of the F400 Club may be able to cast some light on this matter...

 

I am guessing but by all accounts there could be only three UK rhd 400GTs in existence including mine. Not that I will ever sell it. (unless someone offers me a bevy of beuties and a few million dollars)

 

Alastair - sorry one reflection...maybe you are referring to 400 manuals vs 400i manuals.
The car I mentioned is a carb 400 manual.
The numbers I am quoting also include 400i manuals as well.
Hope that clarifies.

 

Again we crossed - yes the car sold by Forza must be another one of the three.

 

No probs Nick
I am pretty sure the number was 21 UK RHD cars of the 147 400GTs built by that I mean 147 Carbueretted manuals to clarify.
In the lat 10 years I have only come accross 2 other 400GT manual RHDs but would be good to know where the rest are if any. Is yours a 400GT?
Regards
Alastair

 

Thanks Alastair.
My car is an injection model - 400i manual.
In terms of carb 400GT manual RHDs, I've seen two in the last two years -
- one is a silver car that is like my car maintained by QV and has appeared at some Brooklands events,
- the other is the dark blue car that Rob mentioned on this thread and was refurbished / sold by Forza, which I saw at Wilton House this year...
...and then there's yours...
Best, Nick

 

RHD 400GT : 27
RHD 400i : 28

I know Alastair's car, Tassie's one in Australia, the Silver one maintained by QV, and the 27th and the last living in France owned by british living in Normandy.

I could have others with pictures but without VIN...

 

About the silver one sold at auction.
The Vin is uncorrect.
It is a 400ia and not a 400 Auto.
It s written 400i and there isn't any carb in the engine bay...

this is this car : http://www.autoscout24.eu/Details.aspx?id=208956620&cd=634856344070000000

Italian collection, italian papers

 

I drove the Blue one late 2011 before buying my car. At that time it had just been bought by a guy to sell on (he bought and sold a few Ferrari's and owned a couple including a mint Daytona - turned out it was the one Top gear used in one of their daft "dash across Europe" challenges). The 400i was good, just not right for me but he was was a very nice guy who was proud of his Daytona (rightly so !).

Interestingly this 400i had been owned by Mohammed Al Fayed for 20 years and in that time had done just 1200 miles, I suppose those were mainly for MoT purposes and keeping it in decent driving condition. I think the guy wanted £18,995 but would have sold to me for £17,000.

I assume The Ferrari Centre in Kent bought it (probably for less than £17,000), did some of the minor jobs required and marked it up for sale @ £19,995

Coincidentally he also viewed my car the day before I bought it but bid the seller £500.00 less than he was asking so I sneaked in at the last minute and bought it on the spot, giving the guy a cash deposit subject to it passing a new MoT on the day of collection. The car had a current MoT (it had covered 80 miles in 8 months) with 4 months left but spending £45.00 on a new MoT is the best insurance you can have that the cars decent. We took the car to the testing station together and it flew through with just one advisory.

Losing a really good, totally rust free 35,000 mile car for £500.00 seemed crazy to me but was probably the difference between someone buying to sell on and someone buying to keep.

 

@Nick : the dark blue 400 you have seen at Wilton House is a 400i : #36805

@Russel : I m scared i haven't saved the ad of the blue one at Ferrari Centre and seem to have disapparead. Hadn't understood and seen that It was the ex. Al Fayed car : #29351

Has anybody saved this ad with pictures ?

 

Can't remember where I saw the original ad prior to Kent buying the car but I have my own pix which were taken when we test drove it. On my iPhone at the moment but will dig the pix out and send from my pc when next have time.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170946586298?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

no affiliation and no interest

 

Hello

Does anybody have a clear picture of the VIN of #26653 ?

 

Had anybody seen by his eyes and maybe pictured the VIN plate of the Silver on Black Leather 400i Automatic sold at Silverstone Auctions, wrongly named #26653 as this VIN is a carbs VIN and already used by a 308.
??

 

Yep, I attended the auction, and aware of the anomaly I checked the steeering column, and it was indeed stamped 26653, strangely enough.