While the 456 GT is often considered to be a “forgotten Ferrari,” today’s Nice Price or No Dice contender proves that it’s still handsome enough to jog the memory. Let’s see if this V12 coupe is enough of a bargain that it will be forgotten no more.
So much love was showered in the comments on yesterday’s $2,500 1988 Pontiac Fiero that I almost thought the groundswell might bring both the model and the marque back from the dead. Sadly, that didn’t happen. The tidy little Fiero did notch up a solid 78 percent Nice Price win, however, so at least we got that.
I’d like to begin the discussion of today’s 1995 Ferrari 456 GT by pointing out that it should be considered a crime to offer any V12 Ferrari for sale and then fail to provide even a single shot of the car’s beautiful all-alloy engine. Not only does the seller of today’s candidate commit that cardinal sin, but they also do it twice over by offering the car — at different prices — on both Craigslist and eBay. OK, enough of my personal diatribe, let’s look at the rest of the car.
The 456 GT debuted in 1992. It was Ferrari’s first four-seat grand touring model after the 412, which had ended production four years prior. That earlier model had an enviable production run, having filled the GT role for Ferrari for more than 20 years. The 456 had a shorter but still enviable run, lasting until 2004 when it would be replaced by the ungainly 612 Scaglietti.
The 456 GT remains one of Pininfarina’s most elegant designs. Its lines are credited to designer Pietro Camardella and recall the 365 Daytona coupe in the sweep of the side glass and boot lid slope. It’s a shame that these cars seem to be lost amidst Ferrari’s more sporty fare of the era.
This 24,000-mile example presents in black over a honey-beige interior and does stand out against the snowy backdrop in the ad’s photos. It wears somewhat unremarkable aftermarket wheels, but those are at least properly branded with the prancing horse emblem on their center caps. As a plus, the car comes with its factory alloys as well.
The wheels seem to be the only potential aesthetic issue with the car. The ad notes the addition of yellow brake caliper paint behind those wheels. That color really stands out in front, but remains somewhat hidden in the back.
There doesn’t seem to be anything amiss in the cabin. That’s awash in what looks to be buttery leather with a black cap running around the top of the dash and doors. Dark gray accents are sprinkled throughout, leading to the centerpiece of the car, the gated shifter topped with a simple polished knob.
That shifter is connected to a six-speed gearbox, which takes its direction from the glorious Tipo F116 V12 engine. This was one of the last Ferrari model to take its name from a single cylinder’s displacement, so the 456 represents cubic centimeters, and that multiplied by 12 gives you 5474cc of swept volume. That equated to 436 horsepower, which can push the 456 GT to a top speed of more than 185 miles per hour. Grand touring indeed.
According to the ad, this car has seen extensive maintenance over the past year and a half. Listed among that work is the replacement of fuel pump relays and cam position sensors. The big timing belt service was also done at the same time. On the downside, someone thought it a good idea to install a catalyst bypass on the car and something the ad describes as “Body matched taillights.” The original lights and the cats come with the sale, but you may have to factor in the expense of fixing those issues, especially if you want to register the car somewhere that requires an emission test to do so.
As I noted at the outset, the seller has chosen to offer the 456 on Craigslist and eBay. There are probably a few more venues, but who has the time or inclination to go searching? It might behoove an interested buyer to do so since the price is lower on eBay ($65,995) than on Craigslist ($67,995). I don’t know if the seller thinks that Craigslist is somehow posher than eBay, but for whatever reason, they chose that more geo-targeted venue to test the higher price.
We’re sticking with the lower, less posh price. After all, we’re not made of money. With Hagerty pegging an excellent example of this model at nearly $100,000, either price may feel like a deal.
It’s now time for all of you to put on your thinking caps and come up with a decision on this clean as a bean 456 and that $65,995 price. What do you think, does that seem like a deal for the car as it’s claimed in the ad? Or, is that too much for a forgotten Ferrari?
You decide!
eBay out of Green Bay, Wisconsin, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to costcosampler for the hookup!
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