Budget Ferrari?

[ToolsnTrack]

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ferrari-400i-restoration-/170946586298?_trksid=p2047675.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555001%26algo%3DPW.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D125%26meid%3D3757046303627267266%26pid%3D100010%26prg%3D1071%26rk%3D2%26sd%3D321026404651%26

Needs resto? I'd buy that for its current price, slam it, and attach 2 scaffold pipes for exhausts.

Conversely, if the shell was beyond rotten, rip the lump out and horn it into a MK3 supra... ;D

[Clement]

Absolutely gorgeous car, I'd be wary about a Ferrari V12 that hasn't run for a year but if you have the skills to find your way around buying original parts from Ferrari then go for it!

Here's a link to a crashed-and-abandoned-for-17-years Testarossa restoration if it helps.

[dbizzle]

I'd love a 400i one day. But it'd take a man with deeper pockets than I to take on a rough one...

[camerashy]

If it actually cost him 4.5K for a new stainless exhaust/manifold...I'd say someone ripped him off good. That's practically extortion. Even the very best custom fabbed stainless exhausts may only approach half that!

[grifterkid]

To me the 400 (and all its derivitives) is one of the most gloriously angular, and handsome slices of automotive heaven ever... Well in my slightly wonky eyes anyway!

It has always been a 'Top 10 Must Own' car for me and I have yet to tick that box... The prices for these have really been on the creep of late and if a reasonable one needs to be bagged by anybody it needs to be bagged sooner rather than later...!!!

Wonderful, wonderful and wonderful...

P.S I think someone needs to work a bit of PhotoChop magic on creating both a 4-door and shooting-break 400 please... ;D

[mclellanmac]

My old man almost Bought a 400 a few years ago, it "just needed" the brakes sorting and an exhaust, quotes ranging from 3500 to 6000 just to get it through an MOT put him off, and he bought a much more sensable Maserati Merak!

[mrx]

Nov 27, 2012 14:23:19 GMT ToolsnTrack said:

I doubt you can make the below look as the above without throwing a LOT of cash at it

[ToolsnTrack]

If i had to throw money at it, might as well buy a couple of turbos into the bargain....

[mrx]

Ah, thats where we differ, id have to add a super charger

[ToolsnTrack]

Interesting..... OK, 4 turbos. Change yer mind yet?

[polo6n1600i]

Nov 27, 2012 14:43:49 GMT Clement said:

Here's a link to a crashed-and-abandoned-for-17-years Testarossa restoration if it helps.

I just wasted all afternoon reading that!

[Clement]

I find it very fitting with the RetroRides ethos, (well the car itself is a little above average I'd say) but if it weren't all written in French I'd have posted it here a long time ago

[bryn]

Funnily enough I've been on the look out for something like that. When I was in South Africa a couple of months ago I met a guy who had bought a 400i with a borked engine, he'd swapped in a 350Chevy, because the post 76 cars use a TH350 box, at least I think it's a TH350. Either way, I saw his 400i with a Chevy V8 in it.... Now that's the way to a budget Ferrari and I don't care what you say, it would still sound good ;D

[mrx]

Nov 27, 2012 15:28:45 GMT mclellanmac said:

My old man almost Bought a 400 a few years ago, it "just needed" the brakes sorting and an exhaust, quotes ranging from 3500 to 6000 just to get it through an MOT put him off, and he bought a much more sensable Maserati Merak!

Reminds me of Clarksons Maserati, £10k for a car that just had £10k spent on the engine, an engine built so badly it didnt last a day.

now there was a beautiful car that would have benifited from a 7 series doner car, costing less than the phonecall to ask the price of an engine rebuild

[Seth]

Nov 27, 2012 16:20:14 GMT mrx said:

I doubt you can make the below look as the above without throwing a LOT of cash at it

You'd have to buy two extra camshafts for a start

[DWDarkWheels]

That's the sort of Ferrari that floats my boat. The flash mid-engined stuff is just too brash for my liking.

"needs welding"...calling Mr Xbollox !!!!

[AB car pix]

I fail to see how an exhaust can cost £4500?! Even if it was some mental effort on V12 twin turbo with tubular manifolds, I'd still be shocked at being asked to pay half that...

[alolympic]

I'm sure there are many reasons why the 400's are the unloved Ferrari, but to me, they are very, very cool. I love the understated shape and in the flesh they have real presence. Probably the youngest Ferrari that has got real class.

[jrevillug]

Nov 27, 2012 19:23:45 GMT mrx said:

Reminds me of Clarksons Maserati, £10k for a car that just had £10k spent on the engine, an engine built so badly it didnt last a day.

Did you notice that it coped with a rolling road session without a hint of a knock, but grenaded itself not 50 miles after he serviced it.

[mrx]

Well top gear is scripted to make it flow......what would have been the enjoyment if every episode was incident free? , just like I'm pretty sure Sd1 doors don't fall off just because you drive fast over cobbles......but then again when was the last time you saw an SD1 in Edinburgh