1977 Ferrari 400GT Chassis 21111

Thanks as always for documenting Sam!

It looks like between 2016 and now the horrible side markers were removed (thank goodness!). The car looks beautiful.

Ruben

 

Looks great! Hope it beings that kind of number!

 

Me too, I’m thinking about selling mine.

 

:-(

 

Look at it this way....if I sell mine the value of all 400’s will quadruple the day after I sign the title over to the new owner. Happens every time.

 

Good day Ruben,

You are most welcome!

Cheers,

Sam

 

Good day Dave,

Although I appreciate you taking one for the team ... I have to say the problem you might have is what would you replace it with? Indeed, the newer cars are technically better on pretty much everything, but are pretty sterile ... and pretty much look all the same even between manufacturers. Secondly, if you decide to get back in, it may be tough to find a comparable car, unless one is prepared to spend the big $$$. With that said I wish you the best in whatever decision you go with, although I would prefer you to remain part of the family

Cheers,

Sam

 

Thanks Sam,
Just kicking the idea around now. We'll see if I actually do something about it. Talk is cheap.

 

Good evening all. I bought 21111 in April from Motorcar Gallery in Ft. Lauderdale. It is as clean and solid as the photos depict. Pulls strong, great sound and power, something like a comfortable Daytona.

It does need some carb adjustment and a/c work, neither of which I’m going to tackle myself.

Give me this any day over an injected 456 with working a/c.

 

Hi Thom and welcome to our Fchat group. Would you mind letting us know what you paid for the car? No pressure but in my experience this forum is really generous with sharing information and selling/buying price is a consideration that factors into decisions that some of us make as regards to how far to take our restorations. Please let us know how the subsequent work goes. Regards! Rick/NYC

 

Congrats Thom. These cars look stunning in black.

My AC on my 365 can barely keep up with outside temperature.

 

Good day Thom,

That is fantastic! I wish you a ton of miles with smiles with your car! And those carbs... I am sure it sounds wonderful. Enjoy your car in excellent health!

Cheers, Sam

 

Congrats and welcome!

 

Congrats! Please post some pics and enjoy in good health - these are fantastic and very rare machines with manual and CA BAR sticker.

Ruben

 

Hey all, my apologies. Been busy and haven’t looked at this in a while. I paid around $95,000 for #21111. I say around because I traded a 67 Lotus Elan in towards it. If you value the Elan at $25K that would put the 400 at $95K. I’ve owned quite a few V12s over the past 30 years- 330; Daytona, Boxer, 456. Bought and sold them as mid five figure cars. Abandoned Ferraris for a while, bought a 456GT a few years ago but found it too sterile (everything worked) and then decided to jump back in with this, given the style, motor and price. It’s been the usual love/hate relationship. Just as it seems like a pain in the ass on a boiling hot day it turns into Sophia Loren and you’re in love again. But it is definitely as pretty a car as the previous photos in this chain show.

I’ll get back with more but there are some issues I could use direction on, particularly the a/c. With experience my expectations are very low for a/c but I’d be happy to replace the ow nonoperating unit with more modern equipment. I’m in the Connecticut area in the summer and Florida in the winter— so a/c is important.

Catch you all later.

 

$25 K for a 67 Elan?? Get a load of these silly Aussie prices.

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/lotus/elan/

 

It’s possible those are Australian $$. They’re 1.5 to the $US. Still, I get your point.

 

Yeah Aussie even still @ 1.5 it's a take by those vendors.

 

Well not really, you need to compare apples with apples and the prices are not far off the mark.
A better comparison would be RHD UK cars, where asking prices for an S3 Elan is 26 to 32K pounds, or 47 to 58K AUD.
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds?Category=used-cars&M=2163&SortOptions=YearOldToNew
To bring the car to Australia you'd need to add the cost of overseas bank transfers ( the actual TT rate you'll get is usually 2% lower than the indicator rate show on the 'net) then local delivery to the UK Docks, shipping and insurance, (5k) , 10% GST and 5 % Duty. Plus Asbestos inspection, rectification and certification and engineering report for Australian registration. Cost would end up similar and you'd end up with a RHD UK car, which is regaded as less desirable than an Australian delivered car.
Also, most buyers would inspect the car personally in the UK, so there is a potential cost for that too.

M

 

Thanks Simon. I feel better!! Actually, if you look at Elan prices on Hemmings $25 is low but maybe by $5-10K. Add in that this was a trade in to a dealer and that I avoided the hassles of selling, I’m ok with it. Long story but I owned the car twice between 1996 and 2019. But at 6’3” and 230 pounds (at age 67) it was getting to be too much. Hence the 400.

 

Mike we're talking about cars already in the respective countries,not 'what if' examples.
It really erks me when someone,particularly like yourself,brings that silly arguement to the table.
The only debate is the value of car for car with the exchange rate factored in in the country it's for sale in,end of story,not whether it had to come to Aussie via bl**dy Iceland/Greenland or bl**dy Trumpland.

That's the same arguement as the bl**dy gun debate when someone chimes in'Well what about getting all the cars off the road 'cos they kill X number of folk every year'

 

My apologies to all. I responded to wrxmike by calling him Simon. My bad. I don’t know how things are conducted here (actually I do) but Simon that seems to ha e been a pretty nasty response.

It’s a car. Don’t get all lathered up about it

 

Sellers set the prices and buyers can choose to pay the local price (or import a car instead, which may , or may not be cheaper) . Prices are driven by supply (which in Australia is limited as its difficult to import a car here) and demand ( its a small market ). Nothing wrong with the seller trying to get top dollar for a car, that's how all western economies work, sellers try to maximise returns.

But when it comes to importing a car, the price is not just the exchange rate, its all the other things that need to be factored in and that cant't be avoided. Bottom line is the ask on an Elan at 60-70K in Australia is about the same as what it would cost to bring one in from the UK.
Yes, cars are more expensive in Australia compared to the UK or US, but then everything else is different too - eg incomes, taxes, healthcare and real estate prices. Bottom line is If you want cheap cars, you need to leave Australia for the UK or US, not complain about what you pay here, because it is, what it is.

M

 

Firstly Thom,Mike and I have broken bread (and beer) with each other and he has an idea what I'm like.
.....and the term/word bl**dy is exactly the same as your 'freakin',we know what it really is!

 

But we're,Thom and I,....apart from hijacking the thread,are NOT talking about importing an Elan to Oz..you are,I just showed the price difference,with the exchange rate factored in,of the very low compared to Aussie price realised by him as a trade on the 400 in question....IMO.
Why would you import an Elan to Oz??.....unless it was a 26R