Hello Everyone . I thought you all may like to know that 400i Chassis number 30895 has made its way down to Sydney Australia - and finally to me. There was some discussion on this Forum in 2015 when it appeared for sale in the USA after being imported in 2009 from the UK. It was then shipped to Sydney and the last owner spent quite a bit of $$ tidying her up but fell out of love and replaced her with a more modern Ferrari Anyway this is my first Ferrari - I have quite a few 1960/70's sports cars like a Aston DB6 , Jag E-Type , Maserati QP1 and Mexico , Triumphs and Jensens so this is a welcome addition to my addiction/nightmare . Being an ex British car it does have some rust issues but nothing too serious and they are being fixed now . Mechanically she has recently has all the suspension renewed and engine sorted so I am looking forward to some good motoring later this year . First serious outing will be the AutoItalia meet in Canberra during April. If anyone has any early history on this car I would welcome it . Thanks Steve Image Unavailable, Please Login
Congratulation Steve She looks lovely in Bruno Acajou. This is the designers color choice - Pininfarina was convinced that Bruno Acajou was the best color for the 400 and it was delivered upon request. Arvid
Congrats Steve! Supplied new by HR Owen Ltd of London, it was first registered in the UK on 4 July 1980. It is still in its original colours of BRUNO ACAJOU with BEIGE VM 3218 leather (and it looks like TESTA DI MORO VM 890 stripes). It was featured in What Car? Magazine February 1982, subject to a twin test against a Porsche 928. I should have more information, I'll send you a PM later today. . David Image Unavailable, Please Login
Is this car the same color as Freddy Heineken's 400? It looks very elegant in that shade. Congrats and welcome aboard, Steve!
Thanks David for the magazine info I have had her up on the hoist and she appears to be mainly rust free although there are some bubbles in the bottoms of the doors - nothing too catastrophic - but I have the car in the shop now having it addressed. For those who wanted a picture of the interior and the engine , here they are Thanks Steve Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Welcome to the asylum, Steve! I'll phone your GP and get him to up your medication. The Series 1 interior is so much nicer, with the old school levers and switches, don't you think? BTW, I've had mine 6 months now, and so far have only driven it to the mechanics! It's getting a few things tidied up, like yours.
I actually always liked the S2 interior a bit better aesthetically. Never warmed to the wood panel. But with the GTC/4 silver panel, I love it.
Each to his own. I feel the same about the 308/328 - went from nice chrome switches to cheap plastic buttons.
Just a quick update . The rust issues are gone and the paint immaculate ,courtesy of Sam Movizio's company , Curran's and Auto Salon e'elegance . Drove it home from the pant shop and she boiled over ..... bummer . Simple initial fix - the electric fan fuse had blown , but the following day it blew again ! . This time I caught it before she did any damage. Basically with the air conditioning running ( been very hot here lately ) the old electric fans are simply drawing too many amps. Plus I see someone has tried to solve this before with putting in a bigger relay - 40 amps ILO the correct 25 amp unit I tossed and turned as how to solve properly this without changing the fans but in the end I gave in and fitted a pair of SPAL 12 inch curved blade fans to the front of the radiator ( removing the factory ones) and left the rear ducted fan in place. I put a new correct 25 amp relay in her and now the car is faultless. Now , cool as a cucumber , and as each fan only draw 6 amps , I can have the air con on without worrying . I used reasonably expensive Italian SPAL fans to make sure i did the conversion justice . Made my own mounts in 10 minutes by using some left over Ikea brackets ! Anyway , you can't see the conversion unless you get down on your hands and knees and peer through the front grill . They are not visible from the engine bay. For anyone going to the Auto Italia show in Canberra this weekend I will have her there on show. Next issue is to figure out why the drivers seat is so uncomfortable . I see people saying they are wonderful ... not mine . Perhaps I am just too big ? The sides of the back dig into me . Oh and stop the air con cycling in and out. I can hear a relay or thermostat in the console clicking in and out after about 60 seconds of blowing cold air ... then I get non AC air for a while and then CLICK , back to normal .... Its nice and clod whilst it lasts and the defect is more annoying than an issue , but perfection is still a little ways off yet . ! Steve
G'day Steve,great to see you've got your probs sorted. I can(and have)driven my 365 for many hours on end. One trip was a return to Melbourne from Bris....comfortable as an armchair...I'm 6'4" and proportionate.
So why are the sides of the seat back digging into my shoulder blades so badly ? - and I think the front of the seat squib is somewhat raised causing my legs issues. Me thinks the tools need to come out before next weekend . Full teardown and figure out whats going on .......
Well done, Steve My 400i blew the top hose bringing it home - have a read of my thread (New 400i coming). The A/C will cycle in and out for many reasons, but might be worth putting the gauges on the system. Have seat in the passenger side and see how it feels - the driver's seat might need a re-do.
Hello Steve How are you? Well done. I spotted your car sitting in the window of the dealer before Christmas. Congratulations. To answer the seat problem, the foams are more than likely broken in the areas it's affecting you. You could bring it by my place and give me a look. It will only take a few minutes to diagnose. PM me and I'll let you know where I am if your interested. Jim
OK...my seat backs(since the last time I drove my 365)have been rebuilt as they,literally,fell apart,the foam that is. I had the fronts re-leathered and the seat backs rebuilt at the same time. Prior to that were the long distance drives. Bris to Canberra,several GG jaunts(well documented here on Aussie GG thread) and the big trip to Melbourne and return(driven by Moretti),as I was crook,(and subsequently Tasmania) about 5 years ago by 3 Fchat members. These things are supreme long distance tourer's and hold their own in the tight stuff as well. I'm sure you'll find someone down there to sort your issues .
I suspect then that they have already been rebuilt and had harder than normal padding put in the sides. I have come across this with other classic cars I own and have had to replace the foams with standard material. Hopefully there will be another similar car at Canberra this weekend that I can check out and compare and decide if the seats need renovating or I need renovating ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
