Ferrari 400i

Does anyone here drive a 400i? How do you like it?

 

I have the original one in the series, and its a great GT car. Search the archives, there are some good posts about these cars.

 

4re - Does the 400i have a Columbo V-12?

 

I don't think so, this was a new generation of engines...

 

Sorry, Colombo not Columbo. Just got corrected on another thread,

 

Eric,

I thought the block was basically the same design. My understanding was the 400 & 412 were the last of the Colombo family. If this is not the case, I've learned something new.

Art S.

 

You may be right, but I always though the 365 single cam was the last in the line. I'm 8000 miles from my reference books and my memory isn't what it used to be...

 

Just put my 365 GT4 2+2 on Ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4540946484
If anybody is interested.

 

Nice car and a fair buy it now too!

I would probably replace those original fuel lines ASAP though!

Birdman

 

I played around with the idea of buying one a couple of years ago but once I got a good look under the hood I just walked off. It's like a rat's nest under there. It's no place for a shade tree mechanic like myself. I'll just stick with my simple little 308.

 

The 365's are the simpliest of the series as long as you know how to tune carbs. Take your time, these things aren't that complicated. I love my 365, its been the best car I've ever owned...

 

And if you don't like tuning carbs, the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection on the 400i and 412 is pretty simple. Its the same FI as on many early 80's Mercedes and BMWs (times 2) and my local gas station friend can tune it for emissions in about 5 minutes.

The 365s have the advantage of fewer solenoid operated switches for hood, trunk and gas cap, so less to go wrong there. Very strong drivetrain. Lots of fun to drive.

John

 

I used to be a huge BMW M5 fan, (partly still am) but since the Ferrari "sickness" caught me I have found myself dreaming of an 400i. This due to many reasons.

Here In finland its really rare (like 1, maybe), doesn't draw a crowd like a 360 or alike, have V12 and fairly cheap to buy. (over 25 year old cars import tax is close to zero here in Finland, otherwise really high) a '99 M5 is double the price of an 79-80 400i ...

For the moment I'm not doing more than dreaming, but the dream consist of getting an OK condition 400i and modernize it a bit. basically I would leave most stock and original, but have all the modern "gizmos" put in, like CD player, central locking etc. i laso happen to think that the 355 orig. wheels would look great on it. Is it at all possible to get those wheels fitted, or should it remain as an dream only ?

Anyways, if this dream would come true, it would be a everyday roundabout car in the summers, are the 400i up to it ? Even if I'm not the master mechaninc compared to many of you guys, i know something about bits'n'pieces and like to fiddle around with technical parts and this seems like a car one can still fiddle with ?

someday, someday definately !

I attach a photshop of how my dream look like...
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Here is a photo of my 412GT - not sure if the wheels are 355 or 456 as the previous owner put them on the car
Mike
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Looks great !! I think the wheels look like they could have been there as stock.

Does anyone know if the Scuderia badge ever was available as an option to the 400/412 ?

 

Nicke,

I actually prefer the look of the stock 412 wheels as the angular lines on the original wheels more closely reflect the styling of the car and give a more balanced look. The later wheels are acceptable but the main reason for having them is to get away from having to use the original TRX tyres ( hard to get & expesive )

Don't think the Scuderia shields were a factory option on the 412 - I've got original sales brochures & magazines from the era and no car shown has them.

Mike

 

Always loved the 400/412. I think the shape is awesome. Love the 355 wheels on the 412, never seen that before but it looks good.

Micheal - those wheels look like 512TR wheels to me.

 

I've worked on and driven a bunch of 400GT type cars and have a few opinions to share.

Nice cushy and strong GT, great for eating miles on the interstates but can be very expensive to service.

The cars suck with the GM 400 automatic trans - ruins the whole character of the car - 5 speed is the only way to go IMO. I would love to put a Borg WarnerT5 or Tremec in a 400 type.

Engine must come out and be partially disassembled to service the water pump due to it's being chain driven from inside the engine - expensive.

Engine removal difficult due to torque-tube type drive-shaft and rigidly mounted differential housing.

Valve adjustments are often ignored due to difficulty getting in there and oil leaks can be a problem due to the way the cam covers interface with the timing chain case.

ANY wheels are better than those metric wheels.

I like the 5 speed cars but the low purchase price can fool you. Make sure you look at service records before buying.

Wil de Groot

 

I might get some flack for this, but the 365 is the best of the series.

Less electronics
Non metric knock off rims
All were 5 speeds

Yes, you need someone that knows how to work the carbs and some of the maintenance is time consuming, but they are very good long distance GT cars.

My wife and I took our 365 on our honeymoon. 650 miles there, 2 days on the track, washed and shown in concours, 650 miles home. No problems and we were both comfortable.

 

Which one? The New Old Fart Concours?

Dale

 

FCA Hilton Head Island 2003.

 

lol, does SG have a sister? Prancing Horse fever required.

 

2. Both happily married with grandkids...

Sorry.

 

I possess a 1978 ferrari 400auto which is in fact a 400GT with a GM auto trans. The V12 is of course a Gioacchino Colombo derived one. My car has 6 double webers and he was given for 340hp. I can write that since I mounted an electronic ignition on my car, 2 months ago (see my add), I discovered its fantastic personality. The V12 is magic and when you have tried one,youi don't think anymore about a V8 and God knows how much I have dreamed on a 308. When I bought my 400 one year ago, the ex owner sold it to me for a very fair price (13000 euros). The car looked great but the engine was running badly and he probably got rid of it for this reason, among others. He probably lost time and money to try to fix it, as I did myself. I found the solution : 2 electronic ignition modules and it runs like a new with a very reasonable gas consumption.
I love it and I am happy.

 

That 412 with those wheels looks AWESOME...!!!


Can someone photochop these wheels black...? Email me for the hi-res picture... [email protected]
Image Unavailable, Please Login