In the height of the 1970s, Ferrari was arguably best known for its road-going sports cars, with contemporary models including the 308 or 512 BB. However, the famous Italian marque had found a niche with its grand tourer platform, which repurposed the high-powered engines from sports car stablemates into luxurious and supremely comfortable models such as the Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, 400 and 412, made in series between 1972 and 1989.

The 400 Automatic and 400 GT were unveiled at the 1976 Paris Motor Show as the replacement for the outgoing 365 GT4 2+2. The bodies were manufactured by Pininfarina at the coachmaker’s Turin factory, and were constructed from steel with a fibreglass floor. The 400 GT featured an uprated 4.8-litre, V-12 Colombo engine and a five-speed manual gearbox, while the 400 Automatic was the first Ferrari to be offered with a three-speed Borg Warner automatic gearbox. With 365 GT4 2+2 production ceasing in 1976, the 400 GT entered production at the Modena factory until 1979. The 400 GT was the last Ferrari model offered with the legendary Colombo V-12 engine, only 502 examples were manufactured, of which 147 were equipped with a manual transmission and six Weber carburettors.

The 400 GT, while similar to the outgoing 365 GT4 2+2, has several distinguishable features. Powered by the legendary Colombo V-12, engine displacement for the 400 GT was increased to 4.8-litres. The 400 GT featured six 38 DCOE 110-111/M Weber carburettors, specifically developed for the 4.8-litre engine, suppling the 400 GT with 340 horsepower and propelling the car to 60 mph in just over seven seconds. Outside, a lip was added to the front spoiler, the rear lights featured just two circular lenses instead of three, and the knock-off Borrani wheels of the 365 GT4 were replaced with five-stud magnesium alloy wheels.

This Ferrari 400 GT was manufactured in 1977 and was delivered to the supplying dealer Wolfgang Denzel of Wien, Austria, on 9 March 1978. The 400 GT was collected and registered by its first owner, Mr. Josef Draxler, the following day. It left the factory finished in Rosso Corsa over a two-tone creme and black leather interior, sitting on silver 15-inch magnesium alloy wheels wrapped in 215/70 VR15 tyres. The “GT” on the car’s badge indicated that this example left the factory with the rare five-speed manual transmission, an option only fitted to 147 units.

Mr. Draxler would service chassis 22769 six times in his first year of ownership, accumulating roughly 20,000 km in his new Ferrari 400 GT. The service stamps from the Wolfgang Denzel dealership show that in September 1979, the car had the 35,000 km service and by June 1980, the car was serviced at 40,000 km. Service stamps from Wolfgang Denzel show this car was last serviced at the 65,000 km interval on 3 June 1983.

The 400 GT was sold at some point by Mr. Draxler to an individual in Austria, it remained under their ownership until 2015, when the Leonard Sportscar Museum in Austria acquired the car.

The fourth, and current owner acquired the car in 2020 from the Leonard Sportscar Museum in Austria, and exported the 400 GT to Sweden. Under the current ownership, chassis 22769 has invoices totalling in excess of £9,500. On 23 June 2021, roughly £2,000 was spent, and the carburettors were inspected and adjusted, along with the ignition system troubleshot for any issues. On 28 June 2021 following the previous inspection, all six Weber carburettors were rebuilt at a cost of over £1,000 by Ferrari specialist, Erik Backström Auto AB, of Uppsala, Sweden. The door mirror glass was replaced on both sides, as were the pedal rubbers at a cost of £821.40. These parts were ordered on 12 July 2021, from Maranello Classic Parts in Egham, England and shipped to Sweden. In July 2021, the owner had four period-correct Michelin Collection XWX 215/70 R15 tyres fitted to the magnesium alloy wheels, along with four new Ferrari centre caps and tyre valves at a cost of £1,710. On 28 August 2021 the 400 GT went in for a major service at Ferrari Uppsala while the car also had the ignition system calibrated and the air-conditioning unit refurbished at a cost of roughly £4,000.

The odometer currently reads 99,433 km and the current owner has a Swedish Bilprovning inspection certificate that took place on 12 May 2021. This 400 GT is an excellent example of Ferrari’s final Colombo V-12 powered car. It is presented with the Ferrari owner’s manual, sales and service organisation manual, warranty card, two sets of keys, Blaupunkt radio manual, tool kit, jack and 14 service stamps from the supplying Austrian dealer.