365 GT4, 400 vs. other Italian

Well the 1st thing I can tell you is the tailights are reversed.

 

Yes true: very odd!

 

I finally got to have my first drive in a 400 (carbs, manual gearbox) last week and I tend to agree.

To be quite honest, the most exciting part that day turned out to be the drive to and from the guy with the 400 - in my 308 GT4.

The car was in excellent condition and ran immaculately. It was missing a few of its mufflers (2x2 underneath and nothing much at the rear), so it made a nice roar. And yet.... I dunno, something was missing. The ride was just a bit too .... filtered ... for my taste. It didn't feel big or sluggish in any way. In fact, I found the size of the car to feel a lot like my 3 series BMW, albeit with a longer nose to keep into account. And at the same time, my (diesel powered!!!) BMW felt al lot sportier than the 400. Tighter, more direct. Even with the 400 standing on 17 inch rims and low profile tires.

Somehow the 400 reminded me of my girlfriend's 1987 BMW. Equally indirect, equal atmosphere, just a whole lot more powerful. The only thing is that one doesn't really notice all that power, as there is so little fuss when going fast. The car just accelerates to 120 mph without you really noticing it. No drama, no hard working, not a whole lot of communication from seat of pants or steering wheel. It just goes.

And that's when it occured to me that this is exactly what this car is all about. It's made for long distance, high speed cruising. It's not a sports car, it's a GT. And as such, it excels. It will travel at obnoxious speeds on the Italian Autostrada (where the cops turn a blind eye to F-cars), or German Autobahns (where it's actually legal and one really need to keep an eye on the rearview mirror at pedestrian speeds like 140 mph), without any apparent effort.

If this is the kind of car you are looking for, then the 400 is a winner.

Personally, I am a bit of a masochist. I'd rather trade in comfort for a communicative ride. I love to feel what the car is doing. I love to feel the texture of the road through my fingertips. And I can keep that up for quite some time. I've driven my GT4 across Europe before (in winter) and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. And while I simply adore the looks of the 400, I've decided to stick to just the GT4 (for now).

I'd really be interested to try which one if faster off the line - a 340 hp 400, or my 255 hp GT4.. Mine certainly FEELS faster...

Bane, if your travels through Europe get you close to Holland, be sure to contact me. I'd love to compare notes (and cars) Whereabout in Croatia are you, by the way? My girlfriend's parents are Croatian (from Split)...

Hans

 

Unless you are paralyzed in a wheelchair...then the automatic is required....

 

Try this
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Yes, sorry: did not know.

Best regards,

Marc

 

No offense taken. Just glad I can use my hands so I can still drive like a bat out'a H3LL!

James

 

Jeesh! I'm trying to find the contact info for the guy who had a 400i with hand controls for sale. He removed the hand controls, so maybe you could get a great deal on a set already set up for your new car.

DID ANYONE SAVE THIS CONTACT INFO?

 

I wonder what happened to the one or two Daytonas of Clay Regazzoni with hand controls: he had up to 4 of them in total, one of which was after many hard miles at his hands, refettled and sold by the factory as ahem, "new"!

I spoke to him in the pits at paul Ricard during the Tour Auto 1999 as he sat in one of them.

 

Sounds good!!!!

I'd love to do that once. Only problem is that my Dino cannot make the turns in the tiny little road that leads to the house that my in-laws have in Split... Not too keen to leave it out on the street.... Sigh.

Like I said, be sure to drop me a line when you drive up to my neck of the woods....

have fun!

Hans

 

What cool unaffordable cars those would be with GREAT stories! Clay Regazzoni is a LEGEND! He, Wayne Rainey, and Alex Zanardi! Heros all!

Thanks for looking out for me guys! One of these days I will have my own F-car and I am SOOOO looking forward to that time!

James

 

You don't need to be wheelchair-bound to enjoy a 400 automatic - I'm not and I love driving mine. The auto box suits the GT nature of the car very well.

Aidan

 

That's got to be a series I repaint.

 

Motor comp. looks sharp!

 

You think they did the whole thing or just the bumpers and the tail section since that would have been black in a SI???

Agree with you Aidan the big GT and the auto go plenty well together... I tell you what though I would love to still be stirring the gear box myself, but thank god there are autos out there or I would be up a creek!

James

 

Bane:

I don't and doubt anyone has the time to answer your post in extenso however:

-In life there are no guarantees, particulalrly with these cars.
You could have a catastrophic failure, you could be hit by a truck, parts could become unobtainium, you could have a change of heart.
-Sad to say but almost no one drives these cars that much: I drove my Khamsin 6000km, 4000 miles the year I had it AND was here in Florida: the two remaining years I was mostly in Europe, then had to sell it.
Now had I been in Europe with twisty traffic free police free roads (Florida is horrible for driving: straight roads, traffic police everywhere) I would have done a far greater mileage, no question, many of them on the limit but the mileage you are talking about....

 

I have put 10000 km on my Pantera in the last three years. When I purchased the car I replaced all all hydraulics, coolant pipes and hoses, and shocks. Upgraded alternator, rotary a/c and upgraded known Pantera issues. Have had zero issues very reliable and easy to work on. My 365GT4/2+2 I drove for 2 months and dismantled for a complete restore....still in process. Completely different driving experiences sports car vs grand touring. Comparable top end speed both true 150 MPH cars. V8 massive torque. V12 free easy revving starts singing when the V8 is past peak rpm. Parts availability appears easier for the Pantera at least in the US. Pantera is "in your face" youthful. The 365GT4/2+2 is understated and more refined. Wish I had more miles in the 365 to compare for you.
Rick

V12 rebuild 25K US
V8 rebuild 7K to 10K US
Transmission and transaxle rebuilds probably similar both 5 speeds. ZF parts still available, Don't know about Ferrari.