365/400/412 auto

[Mr. White]

Morning,

I might be in a position to scratch my longstanding 400/412 itch soon. Ideally I want a manual but as they're fairly rare, just how bad is the three speed auto? Does it ruin the car, or is it not actually that bad?

Car will be used regularly, for commuting once per week and the odd schlep over to France 3-4 times per year.

Thanks,

[Mr. White]

cgt2 said:

I drove one many years ago it was better than I expected. The torque of the engine did compensate for the slightly lazy shift and of course it doesn't compare in any way to a modern transmission and should not be judged by that standard.

Interesting, thanks. It is a gentleman's express after all so maybe an auto is worth looking at. Shame it's so damned hard to find them to test drive.

[Mr. White]

Ferruccio said:

craigjm said:

They drive very much like an XJS of the same period as it’s the same gearbox. With the Jags you can update it to a four speed with an adaptor plate

I didn’t know that. The V12 XJS was a fab gentleman’s express with that gearbox - like being on the end of a huge piece of elastic which just kept pulling you forward.......

Hmm... Thanks. I'll try a V12 XJS then and see how it feels. Who knows, I might just end up with one of those and save myself £30-40k.

priley said:

A 365 with spinners, carbs and manual has to be the one, no?

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1058892

I spotted this a while ago when my 612 was for sale-it was £65k then.

Carbs scare me; I can barely cope with them on my old bikes, I think V12 Ferrari carbs would leave me rocking in the corner of the garage.