1981 Ferrari 400i GT - Not Just A Stylized Honda Accord

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“More than 30 years of being a manufacturer of the world's best and most exclusive Gran Turismo cars,” a 1978 Dutch magazine writes, addressing its message towards Ferrari. And the 400i GT is a testament to that.

Last week, I got to experience one of my favourite Ferrari’s of all time, the 1981 Ferrari 400i GT, and blimey, did it live up to my expectations. The 80’s were renowned for being the decade of ‘Boxy car designs,’ and Ferrari, well-known for its beautiful curves and smooth lines, decided to go all out with the boxy-look! For the untrained eye, the silhouette of this car merely resembled the 1989 Honda Accord Coupe (CA6). During the review of this car, many people stopped by to praise its design, while some people were confused as to what this car was and why this ‘Honda Accord’ sported Ferrari badges, or why this Ferrari was so boxy. 



You see, the predecessor to the 365 GT4 2+2, 400 and 412 was the 1967-71 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2; and the successor to the trio was the 1992-97 Ferrari 456. Both of these cars were quite curvaceous, leading to the car in question to be quite a strange midpoint between the two. Adding to this was the fact that the car was designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, who was famous for designing many of the older Ferrari’s before hand, but he started to change his styling at the 365 Daytona, where it was quite a sharp shape and also the first Ferrari to have the characteristic swage line that separated the top and bottom into 2 halves. The 400GTi followed suit, also being designed by Fioravanti and was the second Ferrari to feature the swage line. 



Fun Fact: The swage line is actually still being used today by Ferrari. This includes the J50, the SF90 and the Monza SP1 and 2 cars. 



The thing that draws people to the car is definitely the colour! While most Ferrari’s are painted in red, this car is painted in a metallic ‘Azzurro Chiaro’. This, coupled with the yellow badges on the body and center caps really creates a combo that even works to this day! (Go have a look at any blue supercar with yellow center caps or brake calipers.) The amazing colour combination doesn’t stop there, peeking in on the inside reveals the lush tan leather interior with a splash of dark blue on the mats and carpet, and in the form of 2 stripes lining every seat. The steering wheel is reminiscent of the wheels, with a black ring (the tire) holding the silver steering wheel spokes (the rim), with a yellow Ferrari badge in the middle (the center cap). The ceiling is in a lush beige and its bolstered, giving it a nice texture and look. The rest of the interior is in solid black leather and filled in with wood veneer.



Some interesting parts of the car I’d like to address are, first, the 4.8L V12, which had a wet sump, was four-cam, and was first used in the 1947 Ferrari 125 S, which was a 1.5L V12. (That’s a 3.3L enlargement of displacement!). Secondly, the ‘shotgun-styled’ quad pipes. It was quite quiet on start-up, which is relatively normal for a classic Grand Tourer, but when putting the pedal to the metal, the Colombo-derived V12 roared, sang, and was quite the head turner! Thirdly, any Ferrari from the 365 GTB/4 Daytona to the Ferrari 412 had the iconic bonnet with the separate center vent, zig-zag stitching of the underneath of it and pop up headlights with the dual bulbs! Next, was the superb ride quality and handling. Despite the age of the car and it being a Grand Tourer, the handling wasn’t boaty, and it wasn’t stiff at the same time, corners felt smooth and going over imperfections in the road couldn't be felt! And last, but definitely not least, was the very recognizable five-spoke flat rims that cars like the Ferrari F40 and 512BB had.




Colour Time!


The 400i GT came in 18 exterior colours, which were all named after racing horse names"


Reds:         Rosso Sir Ivor, Rosso Nearco,

Oranges:   Arancio Vaguely Noble

Yellows:     Giallo My Swallow, Oro Kelso, Marrone Colorado

Greens:     Verde Seabird, Verde Pino Blenheim, Verde Medio

                  Niyinsky

Blues:        Blu Ortis, Azzurro Gladiateur, Celeste Gainsborough,

                 Azzurro Hyperion, Blu Ribbot

Blacks:      Nero Dark Donald

Greys:      Grigio Mahmoud

Silvers:      Grigio Argento Le Sancy

Whites:      Avorio My Tetrarch



All in all this car is one of my all-time favorite Ferrari, and getting up close and personal with one has certainly reinforced my admiration for this great icon of an era of boxy Italian Grand Tourers!


Until next time!





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