1981 400i Auto Chassis 30173 on Ebay

no maintenance records, expected price: $50,000.
I passed.

 

What's with the speedo? It doesn't go anywhere near high enough.

 

Laws in the US for 1980-1982 thereabouts required a speedo with max 85mph. Not really sure why, seems really silly. My 81 Lancia had an 85 mph speedo, same as the 82 Toyota Celica which was my first car. By 1983, the speedos were "normal" again.

This is the first time I've seen this on a federalized Euro Ferrari though.....

 

True, a first for me as well. Not only that, the misalignment of the two left numbers are classic clues about odometer rollback. That, along with the fact that the factory odometer was replaced during federalization, makes two reasons to be suspicious of any mileage claims without a solid paper trail of service records.

 

That's good info.!

+1, I thought the same thing. With the second speedo showing 37+K mi.'s (regardless of rollback), it's still the second speedo…& an 80 mph one at that
Paper trail please!

 

The VIN is shown as F101CL30173. This is not a standard 17 digit VIN. Is this correct? Car did not sell on ebay but is still for sale by the dealer.

 

The 85 MPH speedos were a result of the 55MPH maximum national speed limit. The reason they limited the speedometers to 85 is because 55 would be way past the half way point and people would think they were going fast because 55 was so close to the max speed on the speedometer, as opposed to 55 on a 120 speedometer.

 

But 55 was law for quite a few years before they did the 85 mph speedo. My 79 Alfa (and all earlier ones even after the 55 law) had normal speedometers in them. The 79 Lancia Beta also.....swapping a 79 cluster into an 81/82 car is quite common

Not only that but the speed limit wasn't raised until 1987 or so.....and this 85 thing only lasted 2-3 years.

 

Well, I figured I'd look it up. Now we know. Interesting...

"On September 1, 1979, in a regulation that also regulated speedometer and odometer accuracy, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) required speedometers to have special emphasis on the number 55 and a maximum speed of 85 mph (135 km/h). However, on October 22, 1981, NHTSA proposed eliminating speedometer and odometer rules because they were "unlikely to yield significant safety benefits" and "[a] highlighted '55' on a speedometer scale adds little to the information provided to the driver by a roadside speed limit sign."

 

400s were late to add the 17 digit VINs. I get a letter from Oregon DMV every now and then asking for a 17 digit VIN on my 1982. I send them a photo of the 11 digit one and they leave me alone until the next time their computer thinks it has found an error.

I suspect it is related to the 400s of my car's era not being intended for sale in the US.

 

Dealer is asking 59750 - no service records. It looks good but that seems high for a car with no documented history.

 

.....and missing tools and books.

 

I bid on this car and have spoken with the dealer. I know price-wise we are a lot closer to $40k than the $57k BIN. It looks like a very nice car. The odometer comments concern me...has anyone actually looked at the car or was anyone familiar with it previously? Told it was from a CA dealer.
As owners, you would like the prices to climb, and I have seen some quick flip increases...412i at Gullwing came from F40 in Portland CT...different Wayne...what are you thinking this car is worth?
Thanks.

 

Anyone near Houston that would be able to check this car out? I am working on the price, got pretty close to where I want to be, and Mitch Barnes has been helpful in trying to make sure I don't use the same learning path he did! Not yet being intimately familiar with little things to look for, I would fall in love with the car and miss the important stuff.

 

Good morning,

Listed with Automotive Restorations in CT, see https://www.automotiverestorations.com/1981-ferrari-400i.

Pascal

 

This is one of the two 400i's owned by Donald Osborne. His other 400i was displayed at the Audrain Museum in the fall of 2020. There is also a good article he wrote on the comparison between his two 400's, automatic vs 5 speed. Little did I know when I saw his car at the Audrain that I would be owning one just two weeks later.

 

And now listed on Bring-a-Trailer, see https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1981-ferrari-400-2/.

 

At Amelia this past Sunday with Donald… Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Admin - please merge with original thread on 30173.

 

Anyone have any background on this 400i.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1981-ferrari-400-4/#comments-anchor

I am interested in it. Thanks


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i know the seller well - i have seen the car live, its immaculate.