FS: One of only three 456 GT Cabriolets made

Looks fabulous!

 

Just what does this mean: "This 456 Cabriolet needs nothing and will pass any rational pre–purchase inspection you may desire"?

 

How touching!

 

Neat car, the saloon one looks good as well.

 

although it is rare, but 129,000 is quite a large amount for this car imo

 

it's beautiful, i always loved the 456 now I love it even more.

 

If only it was a 456M gt conversion and had no issues...

 

I read on the description that Straman did the conversion, anyone know what structural modifications were made to accomodate the loss of the "load bearing" roof?

just curious if this is a "saw the top off and make it pretty" or a real "redesign the structure including adding additional braces to make the car safe AND pretty" kinda things.

James in Denver

 

I guess I'm the only nay sayer in the crowd.

 

IMO this is a very, very successfull conversion and it probably does not even have a problem with the windows.......
The asking price is the only thing I do not like about it !

 

I saw one of these listed for about $85k or so maybe a year ago. I think its a darn sharp car. Wish I'd had the cash to snag it back then.

 

If they were smart they made the top to seal around the windows instead of fixing them!

 

I love the car, only thing that concerns me is how the car would hold up in a crash... I suspect it might not be pretty...

 

Interesting. Which looks more "Ferrari": the 456 cab or the Mondi cab on the same site?
http://www.ferraris-online.com/pages/carintro.php?reqcardir=FE-MONDIALT-87429


I am intrigued by the 456 cab but it sort of looks like a Volvo S40 cab with the top down.

 

I am intrigued by the 456 cab but it sort of looks like a Volvo S40 cab with the top down.[/QUOTE]

I guarantee it doesn't sound/drive/feel like one

 

Straman is obviously a very well known name in the conversion business, having done alot of different makes of cars and models of Ferrari, including 275, 365, 400, TR's and the 3 456's.

So one would presume that the additional work to strengthen the chassis is very comprehensive, although I have yet to see any pictures and have anyone specifically comment on this. (IIRC WilliamH was going to look at the underside of the slut mobile and compare to his other TR, but I don't think I saw the outcome)

I understand from here in the UK that Straman is no longer in business, but was Mike Sheehan ever a partner in the conversion business and would he therefore be able to comment specifically on the chassis strengthening work undertaken ?

 

I really really like the car! It looks very nice! It probably cost the original owner about $50k for the conversion, PLUS the cost of the car. He probably spent close to $300k for that car!

 

I spent some time working on one of them. The strengthening was not enough. The car was rubber. The top mechanisim was Rube Goldberg to the max. It was actually kind of comical.

 

Sorry Brian - two Fchatters separated by a language !

When you say you worked on one - was that one of Straman's 456's ?

And I presume you feel the strengthening was totally inadequate ?

The top mechanism is obviously the powered convertible roof - however I am afraid I have no idea who Rude Goldberg is !! - but I guess from your comical quote - that the workings of this where not good ?

Long story short having worked on one - I presume you wouldn't recommend buying one ?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Kevan

 

It was a Straman. Strengthening a coupe after the fact to become a convertible is never easy and I felt it to be rather flexable.

Rube Goldburg was a comic strip character who built the most elaborate contraptions imagineable to perform simple functions. The top mechanisim was rather Rubesque. It had small cables and tabs all acting to get all the flaps and pieces in the correct position at the correct times for it all to work and some of it was just badly done and fragile. Part of that was what I was fixing. I thought overall that part was bad engineering and in real world use, doomed to fail.

After reviewing the pictures it is bringing it all back. When you closed the door the entire structure behind the door shook. It was very poorly supported. You could see that entire area flex inward and remember several of us looking at it and comments about the door being poorly attached and tenuously latched. Thinking that was all that protected you was sobering. I remember thinking a strut behind the seats tying those 2 together much like an engine compartment strut between suspension towers was needed at minimum.

 

I expressed initial interest to Mike Sheehan in the car, but the cost to bring to the UK was too much - Mike I have to say was a pleasure to deal with.

Now advised that car has been sold for full asking price of $129,500.

 

I took a close look at the supercharged blue Straman 456 cabriolet about 8 years ago at the historics in Monterey. The top mechanism was not functioning and the many pieces looked very unfinished. From 20 feet it looked nice with the top down but up close or with the top up, it was all wrong. I was told it was over $400k to produce the car in 1998 or so. I did like the Straman Mercedes 560 SEC. He built quite a few of them and really put enough time and money into engineering the top and structure. Maybe he sold 50 of these total. The company who built the 550 spyder (coachbuilt) could probably build a nice 456 spyder for $150k (including the low mileage 456m donor).

 

That supercharged car is for sale in my area. I've seen it in person and on the highway. Great looking TdF Blue, but they are asking a fortune for it as they do for all their cars. Although, if it did take $400K to produce it, they are asking less than half that amount for it now...

 

For those who haven't seen the supercharged car :-

http://www.exoticperformanceplus.com/autoForSale.php?auto=14
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