Ferrari 456

Ferrari 456 at a glance

The 456 belongs to the line of front-engined V12 Ferraris; later examples on 1CARS include the Ferrari 599 and the Ferrari 812. All models are listed in the Ferrari catalogue.

History: launch in Brussels and Paris, 1992

Ferrari announced the 456 in September 1992, at an event marking the 40th anniversary of its Belgian importer Garage Francorchamps, with a launch gala at the Palais du Cinquantenaire in Brussels. The public debut followed at the Paris motor show in October 1992. The name follows Ferrari tradition: 456 refers to the swept volume of one cylinder, about 456 cc.

The 456 replaced the 412 and was the company's most powerful regular production road car when it was developed. The automatic GTA joined the GT in 1996. In 1998 the revised 456M (for "modificata") was shown at the Geneva motor show, and it stayed in production until 2003. The 612 Scaglietti replaced it in 2004.

Engine and gearboxes

The engine is a 65° V12 of 5,474 cc (bore 88 mm, stroke 75 mm) with twin overhead camshafts per bank, four valves per cylinder and dry-sump lubrication. The block, heads and sump are made of light alloy, with Nikasil-coated cylinder liners. Ferrari describes it as its first new twelve-cylinder engine since the flat-12 of the Berlinetta Boxer. Engine management was by Bosch Motronic 2.7, replaced by Motronic 5.2 in 1996 (engine code F116 C). It produces 325 kW (442 PS) at 6,200 rpm, and it won its class in the International Engine of the Year awards in 2000 and 2001.

The six-speed manual gearbox is mounted at the rear as a transaxle — Ferrari says it was the first all-synchromesh six-speed transaxle on one of its road cars. Earlier Ferrari 2+2 models had been sold with automatic gearboxes; the 456 at first was manual only. The four-speed automatic of the GTA, introduced in 1996, was developed with FF Developments.

Design, chassis and cabin

Pietro Camardella designed the body at Pininfarina, with an interior by Maurizio Corbi under Lorenzo Ramaciotti. The shape has retractable headlights and recalls the 365 GTB/4 "Daytona". The body uses aluminium panels welded to a steel tube frame with a sandwich material called Feran, plus composite front and rear sections. An electrically operated rear spoiler adjusted its angle with speed to add downforce. Pininfarina built the bodies until 1996, 1,435 in total.

The wheelbase is 2,600 mm, 100 mm shorter than the 412's. The independent suspension has electronically adjustable dampers that the driver can select, self-levelling at the rear and anti-roll bars at both ends; the power steering reduces its assistance as speed rises. All four brakes are ventilated discs with anti-lock.

Inside, the 456 has four leather seats, fitted leather luggage, electric front seats that slide forward for access to the rear, air-conditioning and an eight-speaker CD stereo. Twin airbags became standard in mid-1996.

The 456M (1998–2003)

The 456M kept the 325 kW (442 PS) output but was refined in many details. Ken Okuyama at Pininfarina reworked the design; the car became 33 mm longer, the motorised rear spoiler was replaced by a fixed one, and the dashboard was simplified from five gauges to three. The front brakes received 330 mm discs from the 550 Maranello. A Schumacher Edition of 30 cars (10 with manual gearbox) was built in the Scaglietti programme.

Special versions

The 456 was popular with the royal family of Brunei, which ordered several unique cars from Pininfarina: at least three four-door saloons, two spyder convertibles and seven five-door estates called "Venice", commissioned by Prince Jefri Bolkiah. The American firm R. Straman built three cabriolet conversions for private customers.

Legacy

The 456 brought back the idea of a fast, practical four-seat Ferrari with a manual gearbox and a big V12, and it led to the 612 Scaglietti and later four-seat V12 Ferraris. For the company's background see our history of Ferrari.

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