Automatic

+ one

 

What he said..in spades....over. Jq.

 

Good day zman,

I respect your comments, but there are some (like me) who simply like to shift gears. Indeed, an automatic is more convenient, but... I just like the experience and feel of a manual gearbox and clutch... call me old school... As a consequence I am even disinterested in much newer cars with paddle-shift too.

"To each his own"

Cheers,

Sam

 

Obviously, it is a matter of personal choice, but currently having both a 5 speed and an automatic transmission 400i, I find the 5 speed much more enjoyable to drive.

 

I have both too - haven't driven the 365 much yet as it's still in the paint shop :-( BUT I think it depends on your mood and what you're using the car for.

To me they're different cars with totally different natures. I understand how the Auto evolved and it will have its unique place in ferrari history and the 400a is a great car to drive - the auto suits it very well, the limitation being the number of gears in the box, not the auto box itself but this was the style of auto box used back in the day (which is odd because both my '41 and '53 Cadi's have 4-speed Autos so in my eyes the automotive world took a step backwards here).

This model car was never intended to be a balls-out race car or track day hero, it was designed to be a gentleman's express and that was achieved in fine style, either in the "new fangled" auto or traditional manual version. It's odd but personally I enjoy the auto all the more now that I have a manual as well. Silly but absolutely true.

It's been reported here before that autos with a shift kit can be quicker than the slow ferrari 5-speed manual but to me that's not the point.

Both are great cars to drive and be enjoyed - the best solution is get one of each.

You know it makes sense......

 

"I have both too"….And just how am I gonna get that past the Finance Minister? I see so many gorgeous automatics that I'd like. Is there a pharmaceutical I should be applying?

 

A. It's not a woman.
B. Most objections to the automatic are not so much because of automatic shifting but for the lack of enough proper ratios to suit the engine's power curve.
The TH400, a fine unit, was designed to be behind huge displacement, torque monster V-8s that would gladly pull away from a stop in top gear if asked to do so.
Three speeds in any transmission configuration are poorly suited to this engine.

 

I agree with Ross. If you're not going to be hammering the car around the twisty back roads then you will find the TH400 just fine. But when I go out for a back roads drive with the local late model Ferrari owners, I'm often stuck coming out of corners in second with revs too low to accelerate 4000 pounds, and road speed too high to drop into first. I repeat, this is not seldom, it's often. As long as the corners are 40 mph and above, clicking between 2nd and 3rd works great, and the guys behind me often comment on how quick this old beast can be. But in those 2500-3500-rpm-in-second corners, the car feels like it's pulling a boat.

The TH400 is also inadequate for freeway driving. With a 3.4:1 rear end ratio, overdrive is pretty much mandatory. (I run a 3.5:1 gear and a Borg Warner T-5 overdrive in my '65 Mustang.) "Back in the day" there was an add-on unit called the Hone-O-Drive (Hone-O-Drive? Overdrive Transmission System | Hone Manufacturing Co.) that Ferrari could have and should have used. I remember a tuner called Motion Performance which sold upgraded Corvettes and Camaros through a Long Island Chevy dealer, Baldwin Chevrolet. The Baldwin Motion specialty was swapping in a "Phase III" 454 with 500+ hp. (Baldwin-Motion - The Return Of The Great American Supercar!.) Baldwin Motion offered the Hone-O-Drive on all its cars, for about $800 iirc. $800 was about $4,000 in inflation-adjusted dollars, a lot of money for a Long Island hot rodder but chump change for the 400 and 400i target audience. Ferrari definitely missed the boat not to have installed a Hone-O-Drive in these cars.

 

Ross,
Absolutely agree.
Nothing wrong with an auto Ferrari but a 3 speed on a 400 series engine is not the best fit. On a cruise they make life easy - just that I don't go on cruises. They would be a different car with a 5 speed auto.
Manuals are a pain in stop start inner city driving but good fun on twisty stuff. Lucky I don't live in a city.
Different strokes for different folks, or different moods/ times.

 

Same answer as if fuel injection came before carburetors.

 

Honestly- I own them both.

At some point you have to realize that these are NOT sports cars. It may say Ferrari on the back but it's not what people think of when they think Ferrari.

This is what the Brits would call a "Super Coupe"- (Pronounced "Coo-Pay")

I love the concept- so I also have a great 560SEC and an S500 coupe and have owned 635csi and an 850ci... Nice sized 2 door car that looks great, goes like stink and offers comfort and luxury. THAT is what these cars are- anyone with any notions that a 5-speed is going to be "sporty"- well not really.

Look I love my 400i 5 Speed but I almost always reach for the 412 keys- just a better car in almost every regard. Offers NONE of the visceral thrill of my GT4 Dino or my 355, but it's just special.

 

I admit that I could probably shift my old Saab 900 quicker than the ferrari. But, I'd only own an auto if it chirped the tires into 2nd gear.