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The 'Ferrari 456' and '456M' is a high-performance Ferrari front-engined grand tourer. The 456 was introduced in 1992 as a replacement for the mid-engined Mondial as the company's 4-seat car. The updated 456M was replaced in 2004 by the 612 Scaglietti.

Contents

456

456M

Rare body styles

Awards

External links

456

The original '456' was available in 'GT' and (from 1996) 'GTA' forms. The difference in name signifies the transmission: the former has a six-speed manual and the latter has a four-speed automatic developed in partnership with the UK firm Ricardo engineering. This was only the fourth automatic transmission ever offered by Ferrari. The smooth flowing lines heralded the 1990s Pininfarina aesthetic, replacing the hard edges of the previous 80's models. Many design cues from the 456 set trends in the industry and for Ferrari that can be seen in current designs. The most obvious is the use of large scoops to reduce the visual mass of what is actually a deceptively large vehicle. This aesthetic has become known as 'subtractive mass' design. The passing of time has been very kind to the 456 design and with hindsight one can see that the design, like other Pininfarina work, was well in advance of its time.
The 5.5 L (5474 cc) 65° V12 engine was derived from the Dino V6 rather than the more conventional 60° V12s used in the 412 and Daytona. It produced 442 hp (later cars produced 436 hp) with 4 valves per cylinder and Bosch Motronic engine management. It could push the 3726 lb car and four passengers to 187 mph making it the worlds fastest production passenger car. Acceleration to 60 mph was just 5.1 seconds, with a 13.4 second quarter mile time. At the time of its development it was the most powerful road car ever developed by Ferrari(aside from the F40). Enthusiasts of the marque celebrated it as a return to the "horse before the cart" belief that saw Enzo Ferrari resist the move to mid-engined designs decades earlier. Actually the design has become known as a mid-front design as the engine is set very far back in the engine bay. Along with the transaxle gearbox (integrated into the rear axle)this results in an almost ideal 52%:48% front to rear weight distribution.
The name 456 is derived from the fact that each cylinder displaces 456cc. It is essentially a detuned version of the engine that appears in the 550 and 575. Despite its supercar performance the 456 has a relatively unstressed engine which has proven to be a very reliable unit.
The chassis is a tubular steel spaceframe construction with a one piece composite bonnet and body panels of aluminium. The body panels are welded to the chassis by using a special 'sandwich filler' called 'feran' that, when laid between, allows steel and aluminuim to be welded.
Approximately 3,289 of all versions where built worldwide. These consisted of the following versions: 456 GT: 1,548; 456 GTA 403;456M GT 688; 456M GTA 650.
Of these [relate to the UK only], only 141 GTs and 61 GTA's were made for the UK. Curiously unlike other Ferrari models only 6 of the 141 GTs were made in Rossa Corsa (racing red) - 4 had crema interiors, 2 in black. We now know that at least one of the Rossa Corsa cars was subsequently re-painted Le Mans Blue (but retaining its crema hide). The re-paint, done by Lancasters Ferrari, was commissioned 6 months into ownership as the then 2 year waiting list precluded the owner selling and attempting to re-buy a different colour. Rarer still there were also only 2 Rossa Monza (Burgundy Metallic) UK cars, most 456s in the UK being either silver or grey cars. The 456 design suits more sober colours much in line with its luxury 'statesman-like' image. 456's were extremely popular in Le Mans Blue, with tan leather interiors. Only 37 Modificato GT (manual transmission) and 136 Modificato GTA (Automatic Transmission) cars where made for the UK.

456M

The ''Modificata'' '456M' appeared in 1998. Many changes were made to improve aerodynamics and cooling, and the interior was freshened with new seats and other conveniences (fewer gauges on dash, and a new Becker stereo fitted in front of gearstick rather than behind as in the very shallow and special Sony head unit in the 456GT). Some readily apparent changes can be seen in the two adjoining pictures. The 456 has a smaller grille with fog lights outside the grille. The 456 also had hood-mounted air scoops which can be seen removed on the 456M. The undercarriage spoiler on the 456M is fixed, where the older 456 had a motorized spoiler that began its deployment above 65mph. Power was unchanged on the Modificato at 442hp; however the firing pattern was changed, and the torque remained the same for later versions of the 456GT.

Rare body styles

While the 456 fastback coupe was the only version to hit showrooms, three other rare body styles exist:

★ The rarest is the 'Ferrari 456 GT Sedan'. Two of these 4-door sedans were built by Pininfarina especially for the Sultan of Brunei. They are the only known Ferrari sedans in existence.

★ An estate wagon called the 'Ferrari 456 GT Venice' was also built. Only a small handful were made by Pininfarina. Prince Jefri of Brunei ordered seven to be built. After Pininfarina designed and built them, the prince only purchased six.

★ A convertible version called the 'Ferrari 456 GT Spyder' also exists. Two of these convertibles were built by Pininfarina especially for the Sultan of Brunei. There are also two aftermarket conversions made by the R. Straman Company of Costa Mesa, California. Boxer Mike Tyson bought one such convertible.

Awards

The 5.5 L V12 engine won the "over 4 liter" class of the International Engine of the Year award for 2000 and 2001.

External links

★ 456gt.com a register of 456GT's plus other owner information