Satan's barge - 1983 Ferrari 400i
Discussion
S100HP said:
Did I read that right, that's your only car? Amazing. How many miles per year?
Yup. I think it's insured for five or six thousand. Two thousand of the next year's allowance is already allocated to a French trip in the autumn. That will be a novelty - I've driven in all kinds of places further afield, but never on the road in continental Europe. The only time I've driven anything in France was some Porsches at Le Mans more than twenty years ago. I don't do much pottering about, so most of my trips are at least half an hour, and I try to plan journeys around long, open roads, which would be dull in most cars but can be magnificent in this. I had it out for a couple of days just before the snow came down earlier this month. I don't mind using it in the rain, but I try to avoid the worst of British weather.
Rumdoodle said:
S100HP said:
Did I read that right, that's your only car? Amazing. How many miles per year?
Yup. I think it's insured for five or six thousand. Two thousand of the next year's allowance is already allocated to a French trip in the autumn. That will be a novelty - I've driven in all kinds of places further afield, but never on the road in continental Europe. The only time I've driven anything in France was some Porsches at Le Mans more than twenty years ago. I don't do much pottering about, so most of my trips are at least half an hour, and I try to plan journeys around long, open roads, which would be dull in most cars but can be magnificent in this. I had it out for a couple of days just before the snow came down earlier this month. I don't mind using it in the rain, but I try to avoid the worst of British weather.
but I presume your insurer's know about having no other car? Your policy may allow it but all the classic insurance policies I've had on Porsche, TVR, Honda, even my old Triumph Toledo stipulate that you need a normal 'daily' car as well, often without a mileage restriction.sixor8 said:
Fair play to you but I presume your insurer's know about having no other car? Your policy may allow it but all the classic insurance policies I've had on Porsche, TVR, Honda, even my old Triumph Toledo stipulate that you need a normal 'daily' car as well, often without a mileage restriction.
Good point. No, there are other drivers on the policy with other cars. but I presume your insurer's know about having no other car? Your policy may allow it but all the classic insurance policies I've had on Porsche, TVR, Honda, even my old Triumph Toledo stipulate that you need a normal 'daily' car as well, often without a mileage restriction.
Thats wild having a 400 as your only car! What will you do the 6m of the year when its broken?! (only kidding).
Could you share what its like to drive??
I tried to buy on of these in 95' from a chap in Fulham who had left it to decay for years but was not open to low offers, I fancied a V12 at the time ended up in a XJS.
Could you share what its like to drive??
I tried to buy on of these in 95' from a chap in Fulham who had left it to decay for years but was not open to low offers, I fancied a V12 at the time ended up in a XJS.
ClaphamGT3 said:
Prince Bernhard taking delivery of one of his directly from Enzo;
He and his wife the former Queen Julianna arriving somewhere (Paleis Huis Ten Bosch I think) in one;
The aftermath of the Prince's notoriously exuberant driving;
I hadn't seen those. Yes, interesting chap.He and his wife the former Queen Julianna arriving somewhere (Paleis Huis Ten Bosch I think) in one;
The aftermath of the Prince's notoriously exuberant driving;
Other notable owners included Niki Lauda (this car, repainted, sold recently in the US, I think)
The ex-Keith Richards car sold a couple of years ago for probably a world record price of about £300k, while Bill Wyman's was auctioned last month for about a tenth of that.
About twenty years ago, Ferrari sold off all (or most? – I'm happy to be corrected) of its spares for obsolete models, and the whole lot was snapped up by Ferrari UK. So, it was a good time to be restoring a classic Ferrari in the UK. Parts were as plentiful and comparatively cheap as they ever would be. When I started looking at these cars a few years ago, I saw one that had been completely restored at that time. The owner had seen the opportunity, bought everything he needed, and undertook a superb restoration in his garage at home. When I drove it, more than ten years later, it was still a terrific car.
As it happens, the silver one I eventually bought had also been restored at the same time by a chap who then kept it for over a decade. Besides a lot of general fettling, it had had a complete engine rebuild with absolutely everything replaced. I’m away from the car and its history file at the moment, but will fill in some of those details later. Subsequently, it had seen some light use and, crucially, had been meticulously stored, so it is a smart, solid car.
It surfaced in late 2020/early 2021 and went unsold at a few auctions. I saw it and was still managing to resist the urge to buy one. Besides, it was a non-runner due to a transmission fault. Here are some shots from one of the auction catalogues
I had driven a very early 365GT4 2+2, in fact the one featured in the Classic and Sportscar magazine article last month. The 365 version was manual transmission only and on carburettors, which is good fun, but I felt that an auto with fuel injection would be better for all-round driving in the UK, and it suits me fine. If I wanted something for charging around on B-roads, I'd have got a 308GT4.
So, last June, I recognised this when it cropped up at a little dealer near me. It had only gone up for sale a few days earlier. As it was twenty minutes' drive away, I thought I'd drop in and see if I really did still want one, having not driven one for a couple of years. It looked very sound, drove nicely, stopped and started fine, and had plenty of history with details of all previous owners and photos and correspondence from when it was restored. So, we did a deal, and I finally had the car I'd always thought I wanted but had never got round to.
As it happens, the silver one I eventually bought had also been restored at the same time by a chap who then kept it for over a decade. Besides a lot of general fettling, it had had a complete engine rebuild with absolutely everything replaced. I’m away from the car and its history file at the moment, but will fill in some of those details later. Subsequently, it had seen some light use and, crucially, had been meticulously stored, so it is a smart, solid car.
It surfaced in late 2020/early 2021 and went unsold at a few auctions. I saw it and was still managing to resist the urge to buy one. Besides, it was a non-runner due to a transmission fault. Here are some shots from one of the auction catalogues
I had driven a very early 365GT4 2+2, in fact the one featured in the Classic and Sportscar magazine article last month. The 365 version was manual transmission only and on carburettors, which is good fun, but I felt that an auto with fuel injection would be better for all-round driving in the UK, and it suits me fine. If I wanted something for charging around on B-roads, I'd have got a 308GT4.
So, last June, I recognised this when it cropped up at a little dealer near me. It had only gone up for sale a few days earlier. As it was twenty minutes' drive away, I thought I'd drop in and see if I really did still want one, having not driven one for a couple of years. It looked very sound, drove nicely, stopped and started fine, and had plenty of history with details of all previous owners and photos and correspondence from when it was restored. So, we did a deal, and I finally had the car I'd always thought I wanted but had never got round to.
Rumdoodle said:
I hadn't seen those. Yes, interesting chap.
Other notable owners included Niki Lauda (this car, repainted, sold recently in the US, I think)
The ex-Keith Richards car sold a couple of years ago for probably a world record price of about £300k, while Bill Wyman's was auctioned last month for about a tenth of that.
I seem to recall that James Hanson had one.Other notable owners included Niki Lauda (this car, repainted, sold recently in the US, I think)
The ex-Keith Richards car sold a couple of years ago for probably a world record price of about £300k, while Bill Wyman's was auctioned last month for about a tenth of that.
The father of a chap I went to school with had one and a Lagonda simultaneously back in the mid 80s - talk about rolling the dice.
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