Having never been sold in the United States, the Ferrari 400i is a bit of a rare sight on these roads. A few made their way across the Atlantic, but in the era of the Testarossa and 308/328, these touring coupes were a bit outshone by their stablemates. They were also derided in the motoring press at times, with Jeremy Clarkson noting that it was "awful in every way." The fact that the 400i was sandwiched in Ferrari history between some great 2+2 touring coupes and the attractive, more powerful 456GT of the 1990s didn't help its cause, either. While many of these coupes had the GM sourced 3 speed automatic, this particular 400i for sale has the desirable 5-speed manual transmission.
Electrically adjustable mirrors, tinted glass, electric front windows, rear window defroster. Very beautiful and original Ferrari 400i! A manual version with a 315-hp V12. Perfect power and shifting. Equipped with a very nice beige leather interior. This is certainly one of the better examples!
This is the car that time forgot, and even 23 years since the last 412 was manufactured (the 400i's successor), collectors still have not warmed up to these cars. This fact is reflected in values, as average examples change hands in the $20,000 to $40,000 range on a regular basis. This example is on the high side, at close to $50,000. The manual gearbox and sublime color no doubt makes this car more attractive, but it seems to be a tad bit overvalued, given the mileage of 60,000. That's not particular high for an almost 30 year old car, but it is high for most Ferraris.
Current statistics show that Americans are hanging onto their cars longer; about six years or 27% longer before the recession according to Polk. It has me wondering, with increased reliability of newer vehicles, just how long can you keep a car going these days? Apparently very long if you can squeeze almost 230,000 miles out of an Alfa Romeo Spider. Normally we wouldn't feature a car with such high mileage on CICFS, but this Spider is a study in preservation, having benefitted from a repaint, replaced engine block and revived interior.
1983 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce Roadster. VIN ZARBA5416D1016845. Aqua blue/light blue leather.
Equipped with:
2000 CC 4 CYL aluminum engine
Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection
Computerized digitial ignition
5-speed overdrive transmission
Limited slip differential
4-wheel power disc brakes
Capagnolo five star alloy wheels
Tinted glass
Power window
Side vent windows
Windshield antenna
Full instrumentation
Courtesy lights group
Front air dam
Rear spoiler
Upgraded stereo system
Car cover
Bra
Original window sticker
Workshop manual
Spare tire and tools
Maintenance records
EXTERIOR:
10 year old repaint that looks good
Right front fender has a small dent near valance
Small dimple on right side of hood
No cracks in glass
Doors, hood and trunk all align nicely
Top looks like new, back window is clear
Wheels and tires in excellent shape
Small rust issue in spare tire well
Great looking car that's 29 years old.
INTERIOR:
Seats have been redone and look great
Carpets are clea
No cracks in dash
Door panels look good with the exception of the top side on passenger door
More than nice inside
MECHANICAL:
Fires up easily and runs smoothly
Shifts excellent
Brakes work great
All gauges work
Had a long block installed at 161,410 miles
Drives like a dream
I've always had a weakness for Aqua blue, as it compliments the delicate lines of the Spider and reminds one of being near the ocean, which is the natural habitat for such a roadster. This car has had attention in all the right places. While it has a few dings and scratches and a little bit of surface rust in the trunk, I'm a fan of this car. The patina works well and it's heartening to see such a vehicle used as intended while being well maintained.
The number 037 is infamous in both Lancia and World Rally Circles. Built solely for the FIA Group B World Rally Championship, this was the last rear wheel drive vehicle to win the championship. Group B regulations required 200 road going models to be built for sale. Some might notice a resemblance between this 037 and the Lancia Scorpion featured a few days ago, and that's no coincidence. The 037 shares its center section with the Scorpion/Montecarlo, while the front and rear ends are steel subframes with kevlar body panels. As for the engine, in true Lancia fashion, the road less traveled was taken. Lancia fitted a supercharger to the Fiat 131 rally car engine developed by Abarth, as they were seeking to improve throttle response. Most of us are used to seeing 037s in Martini or other racing livery, so this red example brought to the US in 1990 is quite a unique find.
1983 Lancia 037. This amazing original example was purchased new by Ana Traub of Germany in 1983. Purchased December 12, 1989 by Manfredo Lippmann of Guatemala, then imported into the USA on January 08, 1990. Mr. Lippmann brought the car to his Denver, Colorado home for his son, Guillermo. Introduced at the Turin Motor Show in 1982, the Lancia Rally 037 is a light and powerful touring-car, studied in collaboration with Lancia races department, Abarth and Pininfarina study center. Planned for a high level employment in the rallies, it has been realized in a series of 200 samples, in order to obtain the homologation in the group B, the maximum rally category where cars purposely elaborated raced and, in any case, derived from production-model cars.
Powered by its original Supercharged 4 cylinder 1995 cc engine with 205 horsepower. Also comes equipped with its original ZF 5-Speed manual transmission. It is still equipped with its Speedline wheels and original Pirelli tires. The body is Kevlar-reinforced with glassfibre. 0-60 MPH in less than 6 seconds! Top speed is over 140MPH. It would be extremely difficult to find a better original example!
The asking price is not for the faint of heart but I can't remember the last time I saw an 037 for sale. These are beastly cars with a very notorious reputation in motorsport, as rally driver Attilio Bettega lost his life in an 037 in the Tour de Corse on May 2, 1985. In a very eerie twist of fate, fellow rally driver Henri Toivonen died in the exact same race on May 2, 1986 in an all wheel drive Lancia Delta S4, which replaced the 037 and was an evolution of that car. The S4 had a twin charged engine (supercharged and turbocharged). It produced roughly 480 horsepower and was reported to have acceleration from 0 to 62 in under 2.3 seconds. Toivonen had complained that the car was too powerful and twitchy at the limits for this particular race but nevertheless pressed on, when suddenly he lost control of his car and went off the side of the road where no guardrail was present and plunged down a cliff. The car exploded killing Toivonen and his co-driver, Sergio Cresto, instantly. These events sealed the fate of Group B and the series would be banned by the FIA following the 1986 season.
For a taste of what it's like to ride in an 037, here is a clip of Stig Blomqvist demonstrating one on a dirt track:
