1981 Ferrari 400i 2+2
Specifications
Configuration: 4.8L
Engine: F-101 D V12
Horsepower: 315 bhp at 6,500 RPM
Torque: 289 ft-lbs at 6,500 RPM
Transmission: General Motors Turbo-HydraMatic 400 Three-Speed Automatic
A Little History
In 1979, its medium-displacement V-12 engine was stripped of Weber carburetors and endowed with Bosch electronic fuel injection. The 400i, as it was now known, continued to be offered with a five-speed manual transmission or the three-speed automatic made, of all places, in the same Michigan factory that had churned out B-24 bombers during World War II.
The 400 series originated at the 1976 Paris Motor Show, its design was derived from the almost identical-looking 365 GT4 2+2, itself based on the famous Daytona. In 1979 the 400 became the 400i when the 4.8L engine was given Bosch fuel injection in order to satisfy increasingly tight emissions requirements throughout the world.
In 1984, CAR Magazine considered the 400 Series, “one of the most beautiful, and one of the two most elegant, bodies ever to leave the lead of Pininfarina’s penciling vision.” Designed by Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti, the 400i is now desired by collectors around the world. Its angular lines and sleek pop-up headlights convey the best of the 80’s, and its overall design has aged beautifully. While the 400 was viewed in the past as the most easily obtainable Ferrari V12, its popularity has continued to rise. Inside, broad and flat-front chairs suggested the club room more than open highway. The 400 was first Ferrari fitted with an automatic transmission. Sourced from General Motors, the transmission was nearly identical to what was seen in a typical GM car, though fitted to the 400i with a unique bell housing, tailshaft and tailshaft housing.
Only approximately 1,305 400is were produced between 1979 and 1985, when it was succeeded by the 412. Of these, only 422 were GTs. 1 of 873 was produced between 1978 and 1984 with automatic transmission.
The 400i made the leap to Hollywood in one of the biggest films of the era, 1988’s Rain Man.
