Discussion
Perusing cars on AT >20 years / >300hp….this 456 popped up, looks A1.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208269...
Thoughts on this car and the model in general greatly appreciated…
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208269...
Thoughts on this car and the model in general greatly appreciated…
vanman1936 said:
Perusing cars on AT >20 years / >300hp….this 456 popped up, looks A1.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208269...
Thoughts on this car and the model in general greatly appreciated…
But it's automatic ?? unless you have one leg why would you buy one, https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208269...
Thoughts on this car and the model in general greatly appreciated…
Like the 412's /400's/365's red does nothing for the larger 2+2 Ferrari's suiting the 2 seater Ferrari's more imo.
I owned a lhd 465 , great Gt car but not very quick and soooo thirsty, continually got out dragged by diesel Merc's and
a Jersey registered E46 M3 which i really struggled to pass while on a road trip through France and Spain and that was in a manual .
Never warmed to it and sold it as soon as i got home ,must admit it does look good value for money if you need a red Ferrari in your life,
Edited by rat rod on Saturday 21st January 22:03
I had a few Ferraris over the years. I now have a blue manual 456, which suits my need perfectly. Not too shouty (been there), nicely analogue, comfortable and an effortless continent crosser.
My wife and I drove from Norfolk to Piedmont last October to go truffle hunting. I couldn't imagine a better car for the trip, but then everyone's tastes are different.
I am also not a fan of these in red.
My wife and I drove from Norfolk to Piedmont last October to go truffle hunting. I couldn't imagine a better car for the trip, but then everyone's tastes are different.
I am also not a fan of these in red.
I test drove a manual 4 years ago that a friend was selling, for £30k. I had an F355 at the time and the 456 was a big disappointment. My friend also had a Rover 827 Stirling (the angular one), I had a go in that as well just for a laugh and it really was so much nicer and better to drive than the 456. Needless to say I didn't buy the 456 even at £30k. I also figured my F355 was costing me circa £5kpa in maintenance for 8 cylinders so 12 could be 50% more. The F355 also would do 22mpg on a run, I think the 456 is more like 11mpg. Still a great looking car, especially in dark colours, not sure in red. I think they look stunning, the only pros are its a Ferrari, its a V12 and its gorgeous. Too many cons, running costs, performance, reliability, auto box, colour. Its a real dilemma of a car, hence the used prices.
the manuals are a lot more expensive - probably 50-60k - and that's for a good reason - involvement!
Whilst I love the rossa corsa (and I'm biased), the black leather interior makes the interior seem smaller than the crema/tan interior cars.
depends really if you're using it primarily as a 2 seat or 2+2 seat car.
It is not suitable for adults for more than 1 hour in the rear, as your legs have so little space.
Whilst I love the rossa corsa (and I'm biased), the black leather interior makes the interior seem smaller than the crema/tan interior cars.
depends really if you're using it primarily as a 2 seat or 2+2 seat car.
It is not suitable for adults for more than 1 hour in the rear, as your legs have so little space.
Davo456gt said:
the manuals are a lot more expensive - probably 50-60k - and that's for a good reason - involvement!
Whilst I love the rossa corsa (and I'm biased), the black leather interior makes the interior seem smaller than the crema/tan interior cars.
depends really if you're using it primarily as a 2 seat or 2+2 seat car.
It is not suitable for adults for more than 1 hour in the rear, as your legs have so little space.
Space wise i found it quite generous but only because being a short-ass i always had the drivers seat well foreward giving any rear passengersWhilst I love the rossa corsa (and I'm biased), the black leather interior makes the interior seem smaller than the crema/tan interior cars.
depends really if you're using it primarily as a 2 seat or 2+2 seat car.
It is not suitable for adults for more than 1 hour in the rear, as your legs have so little space.
more room than say a 6ft plus driver would,when on our Spanish trip we only had the kids in the back which was ample for them.
In fact the trip reminded me of the same journey taken back in 1977 ,history repeating itself but in a MK 1 Ford Capri 1600 which i recall had
about the same amount of room as the 456.
I understand that some owners of 456s are likely to have several other cars. My manual 456 has a specific role in my collection. I get my adrenaline thrills from other cars. The 456 is a beautiful, comfortable and special feeling car for long journeys.
I’m typing this while my wife is sitting next to me driving the car back from visiting friends north of Edinburgh. We’ve done 880 miles so far on this journey and I can’t think of another car in our collection that I would have preferred to take instead. The V12 is a joy and I’d have hated being in a mid engine 2 seater for this journey.
So, as my wife drives straight over another pothole, I’d say that the 456 might not work for some, but it’s working for us perfectly at this precise moment!
I’m typing this while my wife is sitting next to me driving the car back from visiting friends north of Edinburgh. We’ve done 880 miles so far on this journey and I can’t think of another car in our collection that I would have preferred to take instead. The V12 is a joy and I’d have hated being in a mid engine 2 seater for this journey.
So, as my wife drives straight over another pothole, I’d say that the 456 might not work for some, but it’s working for us perfectly at this precise moment!
In the right colour they are a pretty car.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208229...
As noted above the manual is the one to have- a bit more expensive but not by much. -not like the ridiculous manual premium on a 612.
456s tend to be sold on consignment and take up permanent residence on the classifieds so don't buy one expecting to be able to sell it on quickly.
They are a cheap way of getting into Ferraris especially if you have a local indy and don't mind a 90's cabin, sticky buttons, and single figure mpg round town.
Compare one to a newer Granturismo Sport or AM Rapide for similar money and see which your heart goes for.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208229...
As noted above the manual is the one to have- a bit more expensive but not by much. -not like the ridiculous manual premium on a 612.
456s tend to be sold on consignment and take up permanent residence on the classifieds so don't buy one expecting to be able to sell it on quickly.
They are a cheap way of getting into Ferraris especially if you have a local indy and don't mind a 90's cabin, sticky buttons, and single figure mpg round town.
Compare one to a newer Granturismo Sport or AM Rapide for similar money and see which your heart goes for.
I have a blue manual GT. Here is something I wrote for the UK Ferrari Owners' Club
I bought my LeMans blue 456GT from Rardley in 2018. It was first registered on 1 August 1995 at Lancaster Ferrari in Colchester.
It is my third Ferrari and I had thought that if I were ever to buy another Ferrari it would have to be a front-engined V12. On paper it is slower than my F355, but the torque means that it feels faster. It is also a usable car. Some describe it as a 2+2 rather than a four seater, but I have had four adults in it without difficulty (the rear seats are very comfortable apparently). We did the North Coast 500 in it in 2019 (see photo). The boot is a reasonable size and when we went up to Scotland for 10 days all of our luggage apart from walking boots and wet weather gear went in the boot, the latter occupying the back seats (we had little need of the wet weather gear after the first few days). It’s true what they say about such cars liking to be used. After 500 miles it was running like a dream and I had no trouble on the whole route. Before I went to Scotland, I took it to Kent High Performance Cars (or the Ferrari Centre as it was known then). I had new rear tyres fitted (quite pricey because they are now an unusual size – over £800 including VAT and fitting for the pair) and had the front shock absorbers refurbished and the front discs and pads replaced. I had had problems with the electric seat adjusters and they managed to source the required potentiometers to rectify this – apparently they are hard to find. The front ant-roll bar drop links had seized, so they freed them. There is a continuing issue with the door windows, which most, if not all, 456 owners will be familiar with. They drop slightly when the door is opened and sometimes they didn’t go back up. They do now, but the seal against the door rubber is not good, so there is continuous wind noise from there, which is annoying. It seems that it is an issue not easily resolved. If anyone can deal with that I would be happy to know.
The fuel gauge operates intermittently. It stopped working soon after I picked it up, but it started working again when we went to Scotland, but stopped again after we returned. It doesn’t only work in Scotland because it did start to work again after a reasonable run last year. I had been relying on the trip reading to decide when to get petrol, but I nearly got caught out when the temperature sensor on one bank failed, so it was running rich on 6 cylinders – the clue was black smoke when accelerating out of junctions. As a result, the fuel consumption had dropped to about 12 mpg. It did 19 mpg on the NC500 and usually does high teens. Apparently 550s have the same problem with the fuel gauge – I understand that it is due to the float getting caught on baffles in the tank. Replacements were not available the last time I enquired, but I guess the replacements will eventually suffer from the same problem.
The other issues I have had with it are mainly a few fluid leaks, which I hope have been dealt with following some work at Autostore in Cambridgeshire during last year, where it is stored when I am not using it. They have quite a bit of experience with 456s and 550s, the latter having essentially the same engine. They replaced the timing belts, stripped the front chain casing, replaced the chain guides and gaskets, stopped leaks from the cylinder head oil return and had the radiator repaired, part of the damage to the radiator being the result of grounding on the NC500 (Kylesku to Drumbeg was the only place I had any problems – I had to slow right down and had to let a Citroen DS3 overtake me).
V12s have a reputation for being expensive to run. Mine has cost less than £15,000 to service and repair in five years. I am hoping that having had the above issues dealt with, it will not be so expensive for the next few years. I really enjoy driving it and my wife likes it too. It has a manual gearbox (Autos are GTAs) and although it doesn’t suffer from the typical Ferrari issue of that vintage of difficulty selecting second when cold, it can be a little reluctant to go into 6th at first. Also I prefer how understated it is by comparison with my red F355, which has a Capristo exhaust, which certainly attracts attention.
I bought my LeMans blue 456GT from Rardley in 2018. It was first registered on 1 August 1995 at Lancaster Ferrari in Colchester.
It is my third Ferrari and I had thought that if I were ever to buy another Ferrari it would have to be a front-engined V12. On paper it is slower than my F355, but the torque means that it feels faster. It is also a usable car. Some describe it as a 2+2 rather than a four seater, but I have had four adults in it without difficulty (the rear seats are very comfortable apparently). We did the North Coast 500 in it in 2019 (see photo). The boot is a reasonable size and when we went up to Scotland for 10 days all of our luggage apart from walking boots and wet weather gear went in the boot, the latter occupying the back seats (we had little need of the wet weather gear after the first few days). It’s true what they say about such cars liking to be used. After 500 miles it was running like a dream and I had no trouble on the whole route. Before I went to Scotland, I took it to Kent High Performance Cars (or the Ferrari Centre as it was known then). I had new rear tyres fitted (quite pricey because they are now an unusual size – over £800 including VAT and fitting for the pair) and had the front shock absorbers refurbished and the front discs and pads replaced. I had had problems with the electric seat adjusters and they managed to source the required potentiometers to rectify this – apparently they are hard to find. The front ant-roll bar drop links had seized, so they freed them. There is a continuing issue with the door windows, which most, if not all, 456 owners will be familiar with. They drop slightly when the door is opened and sometimes they didn’t go back up. They do now, but the seal against the door rubber is not good, so there is continuous wind noise from there, which is annoying. It seems that it is an issue not easily resolved. If anyone can deal with that I would be happy to know.
The fuel gauge operates intermittently. It stopped working soon after I picked it up, but it started working again when we went to Scotland, but stopped again after we returned. It doesn’t only work in Scotland because it did start to work again after a reasonable run last year. I had been relying on the trip reading to decide when to get petrol, but I nearly got caught out when the temperature sensor on one bank failed, so it was running rich on 6 cylinders – the clue was black smoke when accelerating out of junctions. As a result, the fuel consumption had dropped to about 12 mpg. It did 19 mpg on the NC500 and usually does high teens. Apparently 550s have the same problem with the fuel gauge – I understand that it is due to the float getting caught on baffles in the tank. Replacements were not available the last time I enquired, but I guess the replacements will eventually suffer from the same problem.
The other issues I have had with it are mainly a few fluid leaks, which I hope have been dealt with following some work at Autostore in Cambridgeshire during last year, where it is stored when I am not using it. They have quite a bit of experience with 456s and 550s, the latter having essentially the same engine. They replaced the timing belts, stripped the front chain casing, replaced the chain guides and gaskets, stopped leaks from the cylinder head oil return and had the radiator repaired, part of the damage to the radiator being the result of grounding on the NC500 (Kylesku to Drumbeg was the only place I had any problems – I had to slow right down and had to let a Citroen DS3 overtake me).
V12s have a reputation for being expensive to run. Mine has cost less than £15,000 to service and repair in five years. I am hoping that having had the above issues dealt with, it will not be so expensive for the next few years. I really enjoy driving it and my wife likes it too. It has a manual gearbox (Autos are GTAs) and although it doesn’t suffer from the typical Ferrari issue of that vintage of difficulty selecting second when cold, it can be a little reluctant to go into 6th at first. Also I prefer how understated it is by comparison with my red F355, which has a Capristo exhaust, which certainly attracts attention.
Edited by Jex on Wednesday 8th February 12:39
belfry said:
My wife couldn't understand why I got so excited about that bridge and the black rubber tyre marks in the carpark!
The ground clearance is far better than a DB9, so I reckon a 456 is a perfect car for the NC500.
Kylesku Bridge. A photo there is almost obligatory.The ground clearance is far better than a DB9, so I reckon a 456 is a perfect car for the NC500.
We came across a group which included a DB9 as well as a Ferrari 360 CS, a Ferrari FF, a Maserati Grancabrio, a Maserati Granturisimo and a Porsche 911 at John O’Groats.
Edited by Jex on Wednesday 8th February 12:44
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