If you want to go 150 miles per hour and do so with ample comfort and cosseting from the road, the Ferrari 400i may be worth a look. When the Italians were cranking out grand touring cars with four true seats left and right, Ferrari and Lamborghini were seemingly trying to outdo each other to build the executive class the ideal vehicle to take to work on Monday morning. The 400i shown here on Facebook Marketplace is equipped with an automatic transmission like most of them are and is offered for sale due to not being used enough. The seller is asking $70,000.
The idea of grand touring is one of the more romantic notions of classic vehicle ownership. A sports car that you don’t mind spending days upon days inside as you circumvent back roads and New England towns didn’t exist in the 70s, so companies like Ferrari set out to build a V12-powered coupe that could accommodate your luggage and your aching back. The design still left no question that this was a sporting machine, but it was one that didn’t punish you simply for wanting to occasionally relax while still cruising at triple digits in the left-hand lane. The 400i, and cars like the Lamborghini Espada, made that possible.
This 400i shows just under 44,000 original miles and appears to be in very nice shape despite having been used. The seller doesn’t reference a recent leather replacement so one would assume this is original material; if so, it’s clear that it has been loved. The listing notes that it was stored inside and you can tell between the glossy paint and nicely aged interior. The 400i is equipped with a sluggish GM-sourced 3-speed automatic, which makes maintenance fairly reasonable at the expense of not rushing through the long-winded gear changes.
The 4.8L V12 produces over 300 b.h.p. to push a car that isn’t exactly light on its feet. Still, this “gentleman’s express” is one of the more affordable entry points into Ferrari ownership, and the front-engine cars are significantly easier to maintain when it comes time to replace the belts. I suspect these have reached a bit of a plateau value-wise, with the exception being the rare manual transmission cars which will always command a heavy premium. For the money, however, this is one of the most compelling reasons for having a commute.
70 big ones? Not a chance. An expensive V12 to service coupled to a GM tranny. Good looking? Sure, so are so many other cars with similar or better performance for so much less. I guess you have to pay to show off.
I’ve always liked the look of these, nice trim bodies – like driving a fitted Italian suit. The sharp edges are done well. The sound of a V12 would put a grin on my face, although a manwell transmission seems like the only real choice for this engine. I guess it was meant as a GT, though, so flat out in top gear most of time. Black looks sharp on these.
Ooo, I like the Kei pickup…