The ‘80s were not Ferrari’s best era. The overwrought Testarossa and the strange F40 were somewhat counterbalanced by the more reasonable 308 / 328, a legacy design from the ‘70s, and the imperfect Mondial. Yet, in parallel with its many mid-engined offerings, Ferrari still proposed a front-engined model. It was also a ‘70s design, but it was one of the most beautiful that Pininfarina ever created.
Ferrari must have known this was the best front-engined four-seater design they were ever going to get, as they essentially kept it going for nearly two decades. The 400, by which one means to include all variations of this car, be they known as the 365 GT4 2+2, 400, 400i or 412, was a mainstay in the marque’s range throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s.
The longest-lived Ferrari model ever made had three main phases. It all started in the 1972 launch of the 365 GT4 2+2. This initial version, which came at a time when Maranello’s products were confusingly all numbered as “365,” is easily recognisable by its triple taillights and its wheels still featuring knock-off hubs. Leather upholstery, wood veneer, A/C and power windows were all fitted as standard – Ferrari were going full deluxe, if not exactly Brougham.
In late 1976, the 365 turned into the 400 by way of a larger engine – the V12 grew from 4.3 to 4.8 litres and 340hp. This was the first Ferrari available with automatic transmission, which became one of the car’s most popular options. In 1979, the V12 got its six (!) Weber carbs replaced by a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system, turning the model into the 400i. Power went down to 310hp (315hp after 1982). A small number of cars were turned into drop-tops by a few specialists, such as Pavesi in Italy or, as above, Richard Straman of California.
There were several updates done in 1982, such as the taillight panel becoming body-coloured or a complete revision of the interior switchgear, but the 400i name carried on. Then, in 1985, the engine got another bump up to 4943cc and 335hp, turning the car into the 412. The chrome trim was now completely eliminated from the greenhouse, the bumpers were body-coloured and the turn signals became white, among several minor changes. But the shape of the car was fundamentally the same. Production carried on until 1989.
Our feature car, freshly caught last Sunday, is a pre-facelift 400i. This might be the best of the bunch, though the triple-taillight 365 is certainly up there as well.
The thing about this specific one is that it is suitably-coloured in navy blue, has the slightly more economical fuel injection, but still keeps the analogue-style dash. A nice mix of old and new.
It’s a tight fit back here. Well, they did call it a 2+2, so it was a case of truth in advertising, for once. At least the headroom seems fairly decent, thanks to the straight-ish roofline.
This classiest of Ferraris was penned by Leonardo Fioravanti, who had already hit it out the park with the Daytona. As a piece of automotive design, it is up there with PF’s other greatest hits – the Cisitalia 202, the Lancia Florida, the Dino 206GT, the Peugeot 504C – but with the added element of timelessness. It’s hard to believe it came out in 1972; had it appeared ten years later, it would have been just as current.
The trick was to foresee that the fastback / liftback trend evident in the early ‘70s would be followed by a pendular swing back to the classic three-box design by the late ‘70s / early ‘80s. (I am being somewhat sarcastic about Fioravanti’s abilities to divine future design trends, of course.) Another inspired choice was to give it very well integrated rubber bumpers from the get-go, which is deliciously ironic given that the 400 was never officially exported to the US.
And the irony (it’s not irony, just happenstance) doesn’t end there: the 400’s main claim to fame, aside from its sharply-tailored body, was its groundbreaking use of General Motor’s aptly-named Turbo-Hydramatic 400 3-speed transmission. Along with Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, AM General, Checker and Jeep, Ferrari was one of the lucky few non-GM concerns that were given access to the THM400. And Ferrari’s clientele was enthusiastic about doing away with the clutch pedal: two thirds of the V12 four-seater coupés produced by Maranello came with a slush box.
But then, the 400 was marketed to a very different crowd than the 308 or even the Berlinetta Boxer. This was the grand tourer, a quieter and more refined proposition than the typical red Ferrari – more an alternative to an Aston Martin than an all-out Countach fighter. Let’s take a look at the top end of the two-door market circa 1980 to get our bearings.
* estimates — no official power figures given by these manufacturers
Like the 400 in the American market, the BMW M1 was only available as a grey market import in the UK at the time. The Ferrari’s most direct rivals were probably the Aston, the Maserati, the Porsche and the Jag. Only one of those had a V12. Lamborghini were in a rut at the time and suspended exports to RHD markets, but up to 1978 they also had skin in this game in the (lovely) shape of the Espada. And going back to the mid-‘70s, the Ferrari competed directly with the likes of Iso, Jensen, AC or Monteverdi.
Although it was produced for a very long time, the 400 was no fast-selling Testarossa. As one of the marque’s more expensive cars (only the 512 Berlinetta Boxer was slightly dearer), it always had a more exclusive image, as reflected by its limited production. All told, from 1972 to 1989, Pininfarina furnished about 2900 bodies so the folks in Maranello could manufacture these beauties. The 400i was the variant that sold the best with 1305 units made, of which only 422 were manual transmission cars like our CC.
Today, the 400 and its avatars are starting to find favour with the tifosi, though the fact that many of them were ordered with a GM-made 3-speed auto does offend the sensibilities of the more die-hard Ferrari fundamentalists (Ferramentalists?). This explains why it’s still one of the only front-engined V12 Ferraris that can be termed “affordable” by people whose definition of the word differs to mine. They mean one can be bought for under 100k (euros, dollars or pounds, take your pick). Running costs? What are those?
Still, of all the Ferraris of the hidden-headlamp era, this is the one that definitely has a spot reserved in my fantasy garage.
Related post:
Cohort Sighting: Ferrari 400 GT – A Pininfarina Classic, Built For 18 Years, by PN
Lovely, long one of my favorite Ferraris, due in no small part by the fact that as a pimply-faced 16 year old I held a job at Bernard’s Valet of Encino, and we would take care of parking duties at private parties around the better neighborhoods surrounding Los Angeles as well as several country clubs and a few higher end retail establishments. So one day at Braemar Country Club one of these pulls up and it was my turn. While sadly confined to the parking lot(s), there were several lots and the close ones were full already, such a shame /s. Anyway, it got parked without damage or issue, and all I really recall was the heavenly aroma inside, and that it was in fact an automatic, I’m not even sure if it was a 365, 400, or 412. But I did enjoy it tremendously.
As F. Bueller once said “If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”
Yes, a superb and timeless design.
These were not uncommon in LA during my years there, and my favorite mental image is being on the Santa Monica Freeway next to one with Wilt Chamberlain behind the wheel. He used to play volleyball on the beach in Santa Monica a lot, and he had the seat of his 400 altered considerably to give his 7’1″ frame room to fit. It looked like he was practically sitting in the rear seat. It’s an indelible memory.
\A little more depth to the rear valance to conceal the exhaust pipes would make it perfect for me. Best in a dark color.
Ah, a common defining thread to the visual delights of several Ferrari design themes came from the imaginative inspirations of Leonardo Fioravanti, born 1938, during his 18 years at Pininfarina (years 1964-1983), then as Ferrari Deputy Manager, before becoming Fiat’s Director of Design in 1989. Fioravanti (a design leader with credited inspirations like the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona”, the co-designer with Aldo Brovarone of the V6 mid engined Dino 206GT and Dino 246GT/GTS, provided the stylistic direction of the family of first 12 cylinder mid-engined Ferraris ( 365 GT4 BB, 512 BB, the 512 BBi’s of 1981-1984, the styling direction of the Boxers 12’s directly influenced the V8 mid engined 308 to 328 Ferrari’s, and, of course the delectable Ferrari 288 GTO. The ’71-’84 Boxer designs were part of Ferrari’s reply to Marcello Gandini’s (born 1938) brilliant Lamborghini Miura design (1966-1973) and to Gandini’s subsequent Lamborgini Countach design (1974-1990).
Both Fioravanti and Gandini were both responsible for some of the most beautiful designs associated with 20th century Italian Automotive art.
Enjoy a photo of Fioravanti’s Ferrari 512 BBi (produced 1981-1984), captured Autumn 2023, in Ohio.
Both the ’78 Ford Fairmont and Chevy Malibu borrowed that roof and greenhouse.
Which in turn, along with many other models, all derives from Pininfarina’s highly influential Lancia Florida II concept car, as this prior article here covered in depth:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/pininfarinas-revolutionary-florida-the-most-influential-design-since-1955/
Overall very elegant and lithe however I find the front end a bit anodyne and generic, and not up to the standards of the rest of the otherwise superb design.
One of my all-time favorites, lean and sleek, elegant and razor-sharp, yet also understated at the same time. Exactly what a wealthy gentleman driver’s high-performance gran turismo car should be.
One note about the 412i styling evolution not mentioned in the article: they also raised the rear edge of the trunklid by about an inch for slightly more trunk space. It’s a subtle detail hard to notice, most easily spotted by looking at the relationship between the top of the rear fender and the bodyside crease extending back from the beltline — in the original design, the crease remains crisp as those two lines converge to a point at the rear, whereas in the 412 those lines remain separated as the crease fades out towards the rear. The rear face of the trunklid itself didn’t change however, so this also opened a slightly larger space in the rear valance above the taillights.
Thats’s a fine example of a third gen Prelude!
In all seriousness though I do like the 400, but largely because it IS a 70s Ferrari. To me dismal 80s Ferraris are represented by the Mondial(which I frankly think the Pontiac Fiero is more attractive than) and the 348 that looks like a Testarossa if it was made of butter and stuck in a microwave. The “strange” F40 is about the best a street legal racecar has ever looked in my eyes.
Bloody gorgeous! Never understood why they got so much hate in the 70s.
It’s in the best Ferrari colour, too.
I remember looking at a manual 365 in a metallic brown with tan. It was up for £8,995 and I didn’t have that dough back then.
XR7Matt’s ‘Ludicrous reference made me laugh – I’d not thought of it before.
The Mondial was a bit unbalanced after the X-1/…I mean 308 GT4 Dino. The cabriolet looked like a bathtub, which was a bit odd. I sort of lost the enthusiasm after the 328 and the BB.
Fiovoranti is one of the greatest designers IMHO – always beautiful, balanced and long lasting. I’ve always loved this one – it really does fulfill that old cliche of a “finely tailored suit”. The word “louche” also comes to mind.
I’ve styled some high end cars myself and wouldn’t change a line on the pre facelift version.
Funnily enough, Harry Metcalfe tested one back to back with his Espada – see the video of it on Harry’s Garage.