The timing of this unusual Ferrari worked against it back in the day, and Jeremy Clarkson once dubbed it “awful in every way.” But there’s more to it.
Looking back at the 1972–1989 Ferrari front-engined two-door four-seater grand tourer, which was called the 365 GT4 2+2, the 400, and later the 412, it’s not at all clear why it’s still considered one of the brand’s worst models. It is a unique, more family-oriented V12 Ferrari designed to cover large swathes of the continent. It was one of the longest-running model lines in the company’s history, and its typical 1980s design has aged well.
It wasn’t perfect by the standards of its time, being criticized for its somewhat subdued styling, its lower performance compared to other Ferrari models, as well as its more comfort-oriented road manners and less sharp handling. Another issue was that the vehicle was launched around the 1970s oil crisis, which made fuel expensive and further diminished the car’s market appeal.
Its big V12 engine, which grew from 4.4 to 4.9 liters throughout production, wasn’t too good on fuel, and this was further penalized by the three-speed automatic you could select as an option back in the day. The V12’s efficiency was improved when its carburetors were replaced by fuel injection, but this change didn’t add any power, so it did little to change the car’s image.
But even if it wasn’t a big hit in its day, Ferrari still built almost 3,000 of these big Pininfarina-designed coupes over the 17 years it was in production, and it’s become quite a sought-after classic today. The clean design, V12 engine, four usable seats, and more relaxed nature attract collectors today since it’s considered an unusual Ferrari. It was replaced by the 456, another underrated Ferrari, and its equivalent today is the GTC4Lusso.Performance
Even though all vehicles in this series had the Colombo V12 engine (one of Ferrari’s best engines) under the hood, they were never as quick as other Ferrari models of the era. The 4.4-liter V12 in early 365 GT4 2+2 cars made 340 horsepower at 6,200 rpm or around 77 horsepower per liter.
