Go to Tom Yang and there reach out to BrianP, Zac, mdempsy and Dogdish (Billy) they are the kings of queens and have huge ownership, driving and wenching experiences with these cars M
I bought mine in '88. I was actively looking for a Dino, when I ran across a 365GT for sale and I immediately changed directions. I know that if I had bought a Dino, I would have been feeling like I was missing out on the V12 experience, and it is a great experience. It's a great car for weekend getaways. The trunk is huge, and having the extra seats comes in handy if you like to enjoy your ride with others. I've run mine several times at the Virginia City Hillclimb and turned respectable times, so it definitely can handle being pushed hard. But it is a very heavy car and the clutch is pretty heavy compared to just about any other car except for '60's Ferrari's. For some reason, people that don't know anything about Ferrari's look at it and ask if it's a Jaguar. I don't know what's up with that! But it stands out just about anywhere I go and the sound turns heads about 1/2 a block before I get to my stop. I guess, since I've kept it for 23 years, you could say I'm pretty happy with it.
I've owned mine since 1993. I agree with everything Drew says-- it's an especially good car for long trips. I've taken mine on several such trips, and always had a blast. The sound is fantastic, and the car really handles quite well for such a big car. Over the years, the car has been quite reliable and relatively inexpensive to maintain. I finally had to rebuild the engine last year, and even that wasn't all that bad by Ferrari standards. The major drawback is that the turning radius is enormous. And the gas mileage is terrible-- on a long trip, you might be able to get as much as 14-15 mpg, but figure on around 7-8 mpg in town. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to spend some time driving a Daytona. The thing that really surprised me was how similar the driving experience was to my 365GT. Once you got past the heavy steering at low speeds, they felt remarkably similar. Of course the Daytona is faster, but in normal driving it's not all that noticeable. I'm sure on the track the difference would be more apparent.
The 365 GT 2+2 was described by Karl Ludvigsen in his original November 1968 road test for Sports Car Graphic magazine as "The Magnificent GT". That was certainly true then, and I believe it remains true today - even though the model is 40+ years old. It is NOT a sports car in the sense of a Lusso, 275 GTB, Daytona, or even a 330/365 GTC. It is a GT TOURING car with enough room to be practical for long trips, but also with the magnificent characteristics of the classic V-12 Ferrari experience. In styling, it looks almost exactly like the very rare 500 Superfast - but stretched to make room for the back seat which is practical for modest size adults for shorter trips or for smaller children on longer trips. It was lavishly equipped for its day in 1967 with PS, PB, PW, A/C, self-leveling rear suspension, dual right/left side heaters, rear defogger, 4 discs, 5 speed, flow through ventilation, full instrumentation, separate fresh air intake to the upper dash, tilt adjustment for the steering wheel (not on the fly), 3 point belts in the rear on many examples, and many little touches consistent with luxury cars of the day. It is NOT violent off the line, it is too heavy, but contemporary road tests rated it at about 7.5 seconds 0-60 which was a good number in 1967 and completely satisfactory today. More importantly, it is like a freight train higher up. The 365 has a LOT of torque which makes the 80 to 90, 90 to 100, 100 to 110, 110 to 120, etc. all sparkle. It never seems to stop pulling, and never feels strained. I have seen 130 in ours and it was still pulling hard toward its top of just over 150. We have driven ours as much as 1,700 miles in a week in complete comfort, an experience matched several times over by other well known owners with their Queens. We have driven ours over 13,000 miles and hope to do many more miles in the future. To many of the owners of 365 GT 2+2's it is the best of both worlds - the beauty and the wonderful performance and sounds of the classic V-12 Ferrari models, but practical as well to drive with A/C and a big trunk - plus the ability to take more than 2 people. It is equally at home at 120 mph on a deserted freeway or bumbling along at 25 mph on a 90 degree day in a traffic jam with the A/C cranked up to full blast. It is the Ferrari model I always wanted and a small inheritance in 2004 made it possible for me to have one. If I had unlimited funds, I would own two - one to perfect to try for Platinum awards at shows, and one to drive every day in decent weather. Regards, Jim Walker 365 GT 2+2 #12451 in brilliant Giallo Fly
Can only agree with the previous comments. Put aside a reasonable amount of money for regular service and improvements and get it out and use it as much as possible! Tom Yang's site has a lot of useful information on it as well. Best things are that it's got 12 cylinders at the front, classic styling and you can take 3 friends/family and their luggage along with you! The best thing for converting fuel into noise that I've come across to date
I concur. Wonderful comments. I love Queen Mothers, but have never seen one. Given my love of open vent windows, could an owner comment on their electric operation? I would love that feature on one of my cars! I am not that tall (5'8), and I dislike having to stretch out to the passenger window to turn the vent window knob.
Most people seem to regard the electric vent windows as one more thing to break. My experience has been that, when they work, I like them. The problem seems to be with the switches (same as the window switches), and that they don't get used a great deal and thus stick.
Thanks for the owner's insight. It's been on my short list for a while. I remember reading the Ludvigsen article back in 68 and would love to see it again.
Jorgen, Great car....period. It is not an "around town car", just like it's contemporary cars of the period. Big clutch, big gear changes, heavy car. But, get it out on the open road, it turns into the most beautiful driving experience I've every had. Having the engine, tranny, driveshaft and diff all mounted with only 4 mounts makes for a nice feeling....a lot of the smaller vibrations don't make it through to the passenger compartment. Great sound out of that quad exhaust. It comes into its own at about 60-70 mph and will cruise all day at high speed. Not little boy cool looks, but simple, elegant and understated in it's exterior and interior design. I did sell mine, but only because I would like to own a Daytona. Similar car without power steering and a trunk Hopefully Zac and Bryan will pipe up here. Bill
I PM'd a response to Jorgen a few days ago which fortunatley dovetails with everything that's been said here. Jim Walker and Mark Dempsey are the likely kings of mileage with their intra-continental drives in these great cars. My favorite pic is of mark w/ every bit of stuff and people he got in his 365GT2+2 for a road trip from Maryland's Eastern Shore to Toronto (I think) a few years ago . . . Image Unavailable, Please Login
What a great place from which to view the world. Still miss the sound of it starting up..... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thank you all for comments and information, it is appreciated. Sounds like one of the best classic GT cars ever.... Yes, please turn this into a picture thread! Thanks Jorgen
Ah, wonderful thread! Brings back memories of dicing with a Gullwing down Highway One following our showing at The Quail a couple of years ago. As Bryan well knows, the 365 GT 2+2 is a wonderful example of the Ferrari brand: style, panache, Pininfarina coachwork, and a big humping V-12 up front like God and Enzo intended. Here are a few snaps of my old VIN 11061. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Julio Come to the warehouse and you can ven drive one. By the wat, can anybody please post a pintura of the original steering wheel?? The one we have for sale has one that I m not sure if it is correct. Thank you all in advance
that's actually a fair question, and there is more than one correct answer; they changed during the production run. If you have a black leather-covered wheel and even black spokes, it may be original depending when it was made.
Have always liked these cars, never forget seeing one on a skidpana few years back! The shape is so timelous.