Ferrari 412 | The Brave Pill
Bold, brawny - and a total bargain
Brave Pill has played the game of "second cheapest Ferrari" several times in the past - selecting various examples of the differing models which have understudied the perpetual bookend which is the Mondial in the affordability stakes. But that's not what's happening here, because this spectacular 412 is currently the lowest priced Ferrari in the classifieds.
Admittedly, only just: at £34,995 it is only a fiver less than the least expensive Mondial T. But wouldn't you rather own something this wedgy, different and spectacular instead of what - with all due respect to Mondial owners - will always be an automotive punchline? This is a four-seat Ferrari that won't require you to cough its name behind a raised hand when people ask you about the startled donkey on the keyfob.
Don't worry, it's still brave with a capital B. Also R, A, V and E. Any V12 Ferrari has running costs that only those who own helicopters or ocean-going yachts won't wince at. The dealer selling our Pill says it had more than £20,000 of work done by well-regarded specialists since 2018, plus a full repaint. To most mortals that tally looks terrifying, but I suspect there are plenty of current of former Ferrari V12 owners who will regard it as getting off lightly. This isn't a car you run on a tight budget. Fortunately this one doesn't seem to have been.
The 412 has also been ageing impressively well. The basic design, variously carrying 365 GT4 2+2, 400 and 412 branding, was produced all the way from 1972 all the way to 1989. That lifespan meant it looked old while still in production, especially as tastes shifted from angular to curvaceous. But classical beauty always beats fickle fashion, and in the years since it first appeared the design - by Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti - has gained show-stopping presence. It is a glorious combination of imperfections: the overhangs are massive, the doors look too short on the XL bodysides and the glasshouse seems to have been designed from a much smaller car. But together they meld into something it's hard to stop staring at - and that's without even considering the magic of the pop-up headlights.
Not that critics were always kind, and many were downright cruel.. Jeremy Clarkson was a profound non-fan, and if you can find a copy of Top Gear's original Crap Cars book - there are at least six in every charity shop - you'll find the Ferrari 400 made number 18 on the list, bracketed by the Austin Ambassador and Daihatsu Applause. Doubly unfair, the Mondial wasn't even featured: in what universe is this the worst Ferrari?
Being a late 412 also makes our Pill more advanced than the earlier car. When the 365 GT4 2+2 was launched in 1972 it had a carb-fed 4.4-litre quad-cam Colombo V12 and rode on wheels that were secured by knock-off hubs, a detail which must have seemed old fashioned even then. By the time the 412 arrived in 1985 as what was effectively a second heavy facelift it had been upgraded to a 4.9-litre fuel-injected V12 and had gained ABS brakes. It also wore natty star pattern alloys which were both secured by lugnuts and fitted with what was then the latest metric-sized Michelin TRX rubber.
The bigger engine brought power back to 335hp, the same as the original 365 GT4, the 400 had dropped to 310hp. The electronically controlled V12 should be far easier to keep in tune than one with six carburettors. It also means that, injection aside, the 412 is still rocking what was pretty much the same mechanical package as the seminal Daytona - and have you seen what values of those look like recently?
Not that the 412 could be described as a runaway sales success. Or even a trundle down a gentle slope sales success. Over four years Ferrari produced fewer than 600 examples, just over half of buyers opting for the three-speed automatic transmission instead of the five-speed manual. According to the dealer selling our Pill, it is one of just 82 right-hand drive versions built, with the original buyer being a professor in Glasgow who opted to do without a clutch pedal. While a three-speed slusher might not seem like an obvious choice for any Ferrari, contemporary reports reckoned it suited the muscular engine pretty well and - thanks to taller gearing - gave a slightly higher top speed. 155mph in 1985 was still a serious achievement.
Although generally described as a 2+2, the 412 is roomier inside than most of that awkwardly packaged ilk. Adults are unlikely to relish the chance to spend time in the back, but they will likely be prepared to squish themselves in for a brief dose of that V12 soundtrack. When works Formula 1 driver Michele Alboreto's first daughter was born Enzo Ferrari reportedly presented him with a 412 as the closest thing his company could offer to a practical family car.
Unlike many Ferraris, our Pill seems to have been well used and doubtless also well enjoyed throughout its long life. Like all its peers our Pill's Veglia speedometer has the quirky habit of pointing to 10mph even when the car is stationary. The odometer shows only 5877 miles because that's the margin by which it's gone around the clock; this is one of the few Ferraris to have joined the 100,000 mile club.
Despite being on what should have been familiar territory, Enzo the database hamster hasn't been able to dig out a registration - one of the dusty ZX Spectrum +2s at the back of the server room is having a senior moment. That denies us a look at the MOT history, although the selling dealer says it passed one last August with no advisories, and also promises the presence of the sort of service history that got old-fashioned traders referencing telephone directories.
For a 412 it's conspicuously cheap; I couldn't find a less expensive version for sale anywhere in the world, with many being offered for twice as much. A six-figure mileage is always going to leave any Ferrari fishing in a very small pool of potential buyers, yet even without the evidence more than half its asking price has recently been spent on it, this one would still look well-priced. It goes without saying that there will be plenty more bills in the future of whoever buys this 412. There should also be plenty of enjoyment. Plus the warming thought that they didn't buy a Mondial.
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