Gents, Have an opportunity to purchase a s/h salvage engine, but the seller cant tell me the year model. Engine number is 116C understand that this is a later 456 engine, and the actual number is 44103. Any body able to shed some light on its history and date of manufacture? Cheers Mike
I keep a VIN listing of 456M that came to the states. Engine numbers are harder to come by as that piece of data isn't usually in car listings and such. The factory knows of course. What I can say by looking at year of manufacture of cars where I do have engine number, that number was likely produced in 1998. It should be an early 116C near or soon after the model change to the Ms.
To provide some context: my 1997 456GT (non-M) has a December 1996 build date and its engine number is 24486. I strongly suspect a 44103 engine number would belong to the later "M" model.
I have a 54,000 range engine # listed against a 2000 model year build. Extrapolating between asgor's number and this one, I again suspect a 1998 build, therefore an early M.
The M engines had a different foring order. I don’t know why, but it does. Doesn’t make much of a difference though. I always wondered why they had that. Very strong engines with more torque than my 550.
They said the modified firing order made the engine smoother. Neither a gain or loss in horsepower or torque. Slightly quieter with stock exhaust but that's about it. They never changed the original firing order for other cars that used the 65 degree V-12 like the 550 or 575. Appears to have been a small experiment with the 456M and that was all.
I always thought the M designation meant manual is thst not the case? This option is for an auto engine. Forgive my ignorance...
The original model was the 456 GT with a manual. Later, a GM derived automatic was offered as the 456 GTA. In 1998, Ferrari updated the model with some small body work changes to the hood, the front end configuration, a change in the rear spoiler, the firing order change to the engine, and some very noticeable changes to the interior design including dash, center console, seats, and gauge layout. This update, "Modificato" changed the model to 456M GT for the manuals and 456M GTA for the automatics.
The sound was better in the first series 456. I bought a pair of Fuchs mufflers from a 456 guy and put them on my 456M and it definately sounded better on the old car.
I've wondered if one could take a M engine back to the original firing order but I guess that would require reprogramming the Bosch 5.2 ECU because the earlier units were Bosch 2.7 if memory serves. Probably a good bit more trouble than it is worth.
Thanks, Taz. Wasn't sure when that changeover occured. If the engine is an M, then 98 or later and clearly in the 5.2 camp. But a 97 with the old firing order would also have a 5.2. So there are 5.2s out there with the old firing order...wonder how many other changes in set-up parameters would have to be addressed to adapt a 97 5.2 to a later M engine.....purely rhetorical musing.
