Well on our way from Fiorano (RM auction) to Monaco (Bonham's auction) in my friend's 412. This was a week before the Monaco GP. What a great ride for a roadtrip through Europe. We started in Amsterdam, and drove 3200 km's. The Ferrari did not miss a beat! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Great pic! I did not have the guts to take anyone with me to take a pic, nor take my hands off the steering wheel when I hit 7200rpm in 5th gear in my 308.
Some more pics of the same trip. I have visited Modena and Maranello countless times in the last 10 years, and was able to participate in a factory tour for the second time. But I had never before had the opportunity to enter the premises of the Fiorano track. Very special feeling to stand in front of Enzo Ferrari's trackside office,building number 27. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Too right! 7200 was my goal, and it got up there at lot faster than I expected. It was still pulling very well, and at that point, I knew it would undoubtedly go the rest of the way to 7700 so I figured I had nothing left to prove.
Wow, great pic! How stable was she at those speeds? I got my GT4 to max speed in Germany this winter - about 240 kph indicated - (on our way to Venice, also from Amsterdam), but at anything over 190, I reaaaally needed both hands on the wheel as she started to feel very light on the nose. Any rut in the road surface would send me sideways by a meter or so. Jut took the middle lane of a 3-lane Autobahn and floored the throttle. Good fun! Where in Holland are you, by the way? Hans
That's interesting because the front spoiler on the 400i and the rear raised deck lid on the 412 were both added to improve stability at near top speed. Now all we need to hear from is an owner of one of these later cars tell us that it indeed was stable at flat out top speed. John
Mine (1980 400i) was stable at 220 km/h, not quite flat-out, but it was still pulling strongly. Aidan
The interior is very quiet up to about 220 km/h, above that it became a bit noisy. Even at 250 conversation is still very well possible without having to shout at each other. The car feels incredibly stable at 270 km/h indicated, but it was on a stretch of Italian autostrada without curves ofcourse. We only sustained this speed for about 15 seconds before slowing down to a more relaxed pace of 200. Tires are only a year old, original TRX's. We ran 2.8 bar in all four, if I remember correctly.
Excellent pictures! I am hoping to take my 400Gt to Maranello for a visit next year - did you contact anyone at Ferrari before you turned up? If so, who was it and how did the response and visit organization go/ Keeping The Faith, Ray.
I had a 365GT4 2+2 for several years which was absolutely stable when flat out. No spoilers or dams at all. Great tourer.
Hmm ... I wonder if the US bumpers make the car more planted. I had an US version GT4 to 145mph and it was abs. dead solid/planted (it doesn't have the front spoiler and it's on original 14in Cromodora's and suspension). Only thing was the mirrors began to close.
Doing the planning for a similar trip in 4 weeks time, also from Amsterdam, in my 550. I, on the other hand, will see if I can redline it in SIXTH..... Not that likely. Great to see that these cars are still being put to the function they were created for. Would love to see your car in the flesh, BTW, maybe we can set something up. Drop by on the Dutch/Belgian thread in this forum (http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16406&page=1028) one of these days. Onno
Inside the boot between the mirror housing and mount are a couple of bolts that can be tightened to keep them in their place(400's 412's. don't know about 365 mirrors). Had my 400i/GT @ 140, then slowed her down after about 30 sec.---Have some pretty old TRX's, fine hairline cracks on sidewalls, and at 130+mph, pressures are supposed to be around 54psi---just didn't want to chance a blow-out @ terminal speed. Rock solid though, enough that one hand on the wheel could do the job (but not advisable)!
These 365's are great, I had a mates 365gt4 2+2 with a transplanted 400i engine in it, back then it was cheaper to buy a whole new engine than it was to rebuild the carbie one.We were flat on the rev interrupter in top, 157 indicated, absolutely rock steady, fantastic car. The only thin that spoiled such a highlight was our friend was behind us in his 512 Boxer and just pulled out and passed us. Very depressing. Cheers MG
A while back, I wrote that at speeds over 190 kph, my GT4 was becoming a handful. Last week, I did 250 kph in the same car, but now with new 16" wheels and tires. Solid as a rock this time. No fuss, no sweaty brows, just a lot of noise (7200 rpm in 5th gear) The car was still accelerating, but traffic prevented me from seeing where it would max out. 250 kph in a 1974 car. Awesome!
Sideways by about a meter @ over 200 kph ! Hans, you are my hero...especially after reading a subsequent post that you hit another personal best in GT4 speed. Drive safe. John '79 GT4
