Ferrari 456 GT - knvbparis' Long-Term Ownership Experience

A family Ferrari, discreet, usable daily, and equipped with a naturally aspirated V12 paired with a manual gearbox: on paper, the 456 GT ticks all the boxes of the ideal GT. But what is it really like after several years of living together?

Long remaining in the shadow of other more high-profile Ferraris, the 456 GT is nevertheless winning over more and more enthusiasts looking for an authentic, elegant Ferrari capable of swallowing up miles in remarkable comfort.

Owner of his Ferrari 456 GT for several years, @knvbparis opens the doors of his garage to us today and directly shares his feedback: purchase, usage, maintenance, budget, reliability... A valuable testimony for anyone interested in this endearing V12-powered GT.

Ferrarista : What is, briefly, your automotive background and why did you choose the Ferrari 456 GT?

@knvbparis : The automotive passion was passed on to me by a childhood friend who was a die-hard Porsche fan. He bought all the sports car literature available at that time (the 90s); we spent hours and hours reading magazines and watching Turbo or Automoto on VHS, which were our main sources of information back then.

My first sports car was a 1971 Porsche 2.2T. Not necessarily my wisest purchase; the dealer charmed me with a nice test drive, making me forget a few minor rust spots to check 😉. After several experiences with Porsche (even one with a front engine) but always with "classics," I decided to look elsewhere and see how things were done on the other side of the Alps.

At the time, the specifications were mainly dictated by the family factor... I buy cars to drive on all occasions, and when you have a large family, it's better to have more than 2 seats to increase the chances of driving, and it's a pleasure I like to share, hoping to pass the automotive bug on to my children. Despite the 4 seats of the 456, I still can't take the whole family and the dog!

Ferrarista : What were your purchasing criteria for a Ferrari 456 GT and how did you manage to find your car?

@knvbparis : There were the mandatory 4 seats, as already mentioned, and overall comfort, but also, of course, the price; even though I am lucky enough to be able to own and maintain passion cars, there are pleasures I cannot afford. The Roma had just come out and the rear seats are just for show, the GTC4 Lusso, whose design I like very much, was not within my price range (and it's automatic anyway), and even less so the 365 GTC/4.

That left the 365 GT4/400/412/308/Mondial/456/612. I didn't like the 612 with its "Kardashian-style" rear end, and on the 400 and 412, there were too many Fiat parts for my taste, even though having a "Colombo" under the hood is appealing. The Mondial had the benefit of 4 seats and being a cabriolet, but an unconvincing test drive at the time made me change my mind.

So the 456 became an obvious choice. I absolutely wanted a GT (I don't like the suppository look of the M's front hood, nor its redesigned interior), non-red, and a manual gearbox of course. I started spreading the word left and right that I was looking for a 456, and very quickly a friend put me onto a "Corsican" 456 looking for a new home - triple black - a few gaps in the history but with a service book and some invoices. First registered in Germany as a company car, some time in Belgium, and then a few French owners.

It had been taken in as part of a deal by a merchant – once the car was back on the continent, I went to see it and fell under its spell! A couple of adjustments/works to be done by the dealer, and there I was, the buyer of the beauty, once again without overthinking it!

A deal based 100% on trust (since I'm hopeless at mechanics), even though I took care to read and reread the various buying guides here and there and the experiences of Ferrarista owners. I had been warned!

Frankly, reading them was enough to make you worried, with all the "plagues of Egypt" promised to the future buyer: electrical problems, headlight motors, windows, sticky buttons, and suspensions...

But I was well surrounded: a wise friend, an honest dealer (and probably a bit of luck).

Ferrarista : What advice would you give to someone wishing to buy one today?

@knvbparis : Not to do what I did! Go see the car with a "456-ologist" who will have the eye and a major focus (like 100% of our cars) on maintenance, preventive & curative work. The engine/gearbox have a reputation for being indestructible, but the "peripherals" can be temperamental and anxiety-inducing, so you have to pay attention to them.

The small flaws are well known and easy to check (others will surely arise as the cars age)...

The small flaws are well known and easy to check (others will surely arise as the cars age). Seeing a beautiful or very beautiful one (possibly belonging to a Ferrarista), even if it is not for sale, helps you be able to spot a rotten or average car at first glance behind the wheel. Evaluation by comparison is often a fairly reliable method.

Do not fear the kilometers on the odometer as long as the maintenance has been done well and regularly. Once again, it is solid, even if the electronics sometimes remain temperamental (not to the point of being unable to drive).

Ferrarista : What has struck you the most about your Ferrari 456 in use compared to your previous cars?

@knvbparis : The foolproof simplicity of use (in urban areas, on the German Autobahn, or pushing it (gently) on small roads)! A top level of comfort. A great sympathy capital, a flexible and bulletproof engine.

I use it for everything, going to Leroy Merlin, taking the kids to sports, on weekends, going to a restaurant 5km from my place… it does it all. And beneath its multi-purpose side hides a wild beast!

Even my wife has adopted it and recognized that behind the wheel, you can feel that the car wants you to push it up the rev range…

Ferrarista : Can you tell us about the costs involved in normal use of a Ferrari 456 (insurance, annual maintenance, major service, unexpected issues, etc.)?

@knvbparis : First of all, I would like to point out that the troubles promised to me when buying a 456 did not all come true.

Insurance is around €1200/year I think, a year without unexpected issues is +/- €2000 all in (excluding fuel, and it is thirsty).

As for unexpected issues, on the 1st day the alternator gave out on me (covered), a cracked radiator (my fault after a slightly too optimistic pass over a speed bump), and the foam of the fuel pump disintegrated in the tank. The radiator was able to be repaired (lower cost), and for the cleaning / reconditioning operation of the fuel pump, it must have cost me around 1000 excluding VAT.

Among the works that were not necessarily useful but still indispensable in my eyes, I had, among other things, the front windows adjusted as best as possible, changed the wheel nuts, had the A/C put back in normal working order, and had the epoxy paint of the engine block redone– I have everything done from A to Z by a professional.

It goes out in all weathers even for a few kilometers, so I want everything to be perfect (as much as possible). But in my eyes, the maintenance cost is nothing compared to the grin the car gives you when you turn the ignition key.

Ferrarista : What are, in your opinion, the points to monitor on a Ferrari 456 over time?

@knvbparis : I have already listed the well-known points to watch out for, and we can think that overall now, with the age of our 456s, these points have now been addressed.

For a new buyer, if that is not the case, you should walk away.

Personally, every time I visit the mechanic, I ask him if he sees any preventive work to be done and, as far as possible, I do it quickly.

I read the Ferrarista posts of other 456 owners to learn from their misadventures and anticipate as much as possible.

Ferrarista : And if you had to do it all over again?

@knvbparis : If I had to do it all over again, I would do it sooner! The incredible magic of the V12

Ferrarista : How do you use Ferrarista for your experience with your Ferrari?

@knvbparis : The experience of the members / participants is more than valuable. A goldmine of advice, tutorials.

Even though I have never met anyone to this day, I still feel like I belong to a community.

Ferrarista : What does the Ferrarista.club community bring to you?

@knvbparis : Not a day (or almost) goes by without me logging onto the site.

I know that if I ever have a very technical question there will always be a "passionate fan" to answer me, so Ferrarista brings me peace of mind.

If I were to acquire another Ferrari, I would like to buy it from a member.

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