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So I plead guilty to emotion over logic, fortunately my wife understands my weaknesses (and she prefers cars to mistresses).

The 400i twin turbo recently posted on ebay - Ferrari 400i | eBay was delivered late last week.

Some background, I am a car guy and have soft soft spot for modified cars. I love to wrench on all my cars and am fortunate to have the location and interest to do so. My first Ferrari was a Bob Norwood modified 288 GTO replica based off a 308 with twin turbo, water to air intercooler, correct engine orientation, body, Motec 800, well over 600bhp etc...very interesting car that gave me fond memories for the wicked way the turbo boost can come on brutally and lack of driveability. That was several years ago, but still have a love for the unusual...Now to the 400i...

I have 400iA which I bought as a project and for the styling - very discreet and love old school look. I have considered using as a DD but it has left me underwhelmed from a performance standpoint (my other F-car being a little more edgy). So the 400i tt came along....

General impressions:
Car is in good condition. My fastidious nature would not put it a pristine category (yet) and I have already created a list of things to do. For clarity I am not one to fix my cars and store in air conditioned garages, I drive them hard, but I like them to be "right"...perished door seals bother me, poorly dyed seat won't do and paint blemished are to be corrected. With that, the Twin Turbo conversion is very well done and certainly a lot of money has been spent to modify this car.

Driving Impressions:
The car drives like a normal automatic, idles quietly and isn't too different from my other 400i if only for the different tone. Off the line, when feathering the throttle it's really smooth though gears are held a little longer (I had the shop who did all the work adjust the shifting for city use), and under normal load feels and drives like a 400i. The steering is pretty similar (ie not the greatest of feel) and handling is relaxed (...in comparison to my 360CS it's outright boat like). The front suspension bushings look "ok" but have a spare set so it will plan to replace those in the hopes things will tighten things up somewhat. It feels goos driving on the highway and get positive looks from car people.

Now for the party trick; should you be incline to scare a Prius driving weenie, you can apply the throttle just so and wastegate will release a loud whoosh as you pass him, if a BMW M3 tailgates on the highway because everyone know M3 drivers are the Bomb, apply throttle count to 2 and look in the mirror as it becomes smaller in the mirror. If you like to scare yourself bury the throttle when doing 20 mph and next thing you know you will be sideways thinking about those metric rims and better tires...

Conclusion:
It's not as refined and together as my 456 MGT was, is not as sharp as my 360CS (...comparison would be a stretch), it's ponderous, doesn't handle for sh*t by today's standards, but exudes old school elegance with a roller coaster ride hidden under the throttle whenever you need that adrenaline rush...It's the only car that I have bought (recently) that neither of my 12 and 15 yo daughters have not dissed (comfortable seat, not loud, even Daft Punk likes it). Also it brings me back to my first time I saw a 400 parked in front of the Louvre in Paris as a kid, it was silver, it was cool, had to have one...that timewarp is worth the entry price!

...As it stated on a prior thread, cars are like a box of chocolate, this one is a truffle with dark chocolate layer, not too sweet but pleasant enough to savor in good company until you bite through the crust and your senses are slammed as you realize that some loony has put a Jalapeno center leaving you breathless, burning and thinking WTF....

Glad I have Zantac around the house LOL!!
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Nice writeup! Good luck with it and keep posting your impressions as you bring it up to snuff. I suspect that the bushings will help but it will always be a GT a opposed to razor sharp.

Regards,

Art S.

 

Congratulations! It sounds like a lot of fun. Drive it often & enjoy.

Cheers Al

 

Thanks for the write up. Sounds like a lot of fun!

 

Great post, glad you are happy.
Are joyrides available?

 

Glad you got the car and you like modded cars. Based on your driving impression I wonder if the shocks aren't a little weak. While clearly not a mid engined sports car I consider my cars ride as very well controlled and not floaty or boat like in the least.

 

...sure whenever you are in town!

 

..I was making a tongue & cheek comparison (somewhat unfair) with my CS which is extremely taught. This 400i rides like my other 400i, both are large and heavy cars which is why I called it relaxed, certainly not a canyon carver...but that has its own charm!

 

I hear what you're saying. My car with me in it and a mostly full gas tank weighs 4150!

 

Cool Beans

Sounds like 2 tons of fun

 

What's great is that it sounds like the turbo, EFI, ignition, and tranny are debugged and getting along well together. To buy a turnkey car of this kind is a piece of good luck.

 

Wow I second the above comment; I had been fully expecting to hear about a half-to-completion job someone no longer had the time or money to pursue.

Great buy!

 

How are the brakes? Able to rein in all those horses?

 

Brakes are stock - so adequate - I don't plan to do any track time and the horses are really only for show... So far the biggest issue IMHO are the tires, rubber is old and hard so easy to lock up. Need to find an alternative to the old TRX technology but really like the current rim style...so looking for options, suggestions are welcomed! HRE used to make a style that was similar to the 288GTO wheels that might work, but can't seem to find them. Don't want a modern look and probably will consider going to 16" only to get the right tire.

 

Yes I too am happily surprised. Car starts right up cold or hot. Idles at 900 rpm with some occasional lumping but since the car hasn't been driven regularly in over 9 months (owner passed away in May '13). Certainly there is always room for additional improvements and I expect to find some bugs but overall quite well done. One mod that come to mind is heat shielding the intake air, not much point running it through and intercooler if you are going to have is reheated by the engine and cold air intake as it is currently right over the exhaust - ok when on highway, less so around town. This would require cutting up the hood but I think it could be like done tastefully using the same style as the current grill, is bit like the 308...

 

Ted Rutland sells 16"QV wheels that'll fit the 400. Our 180TR rims are a shave over 7", some have up'd it to the 8" but have not reported back here of possible clearance issues & offset spacer dimensions.

 

My '83 came with the 16" "QV" wheels. Only the true believers know they're not original equipment.

I remember another feature of your car was an upgrade to the AC vents. What does that include? Photos would be great.
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They look OEM and really nice. I presume the modern rubber improves sharpness and ride?

I think the A/C vents are the same, the compressor, condenser were replaced with a modern high efficiency system, can't tell the difference at this time since it's been quite cold the last few days but apparently the PO would go to Vegas regularly and asked the system be upgraded.

 

Are they 8" all around? Any clearance issues?

 

I have superformance 16x 8 wheels with 12mm spacers and they fit just fine.

 

No clearance problems, and all four are the same width, but I don't know the measurement.

 

As an old owner of the Mother of this car (365GT 2+2) I've always admired the 400's.
Can you post pics of the engine and mods?

 

sorry to butt in but wonder if my Gotti's will work - not a wheel expert by any means but if the QV replicas wheels work then these should too?

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/ferrari-parts-collectibles/434099-16-gotti-55cs-308-gt4-mondial.html

PM me if interested.

 

What size tires (width/profile) did you fit?

 

Nice looking wheels, but I think I will try to stay with the stock look.
THX