FERRARI

F456 GT: the brand's masterpiece with a V12 engine in the front position arrived on the market in 1992

Whether you're a Ferrari enthusiast or not, there are probably few models from the house of Maranello that you might not like on an aesthetic level. Even the most controversial vehicles, such as the Ferrari Mondial, have gained charm over time.

In any case, although Ferrari has always been characterized by elegant and balanced designs, the truth is that they have had better and worse times when it comes to style, and without a doubt the period that started in the early 90's was one of the best.

In fact, for many, the Ferrari F456 GT, launched in the year 1992, was the precursor of a design language from which other interesting models were derived. Now that the sports car celebrates its 30th anniversary, we wanted to go over a little bit of its history.

As well as starting a prolific era in terms of design for the Italian brand, the Ferrari F456 GT is considered by some aficionados as the one that brought back the front-end V12 engine configuration after two decades of mid-engined models. like BB and Testarossa.

In any case, this is not entirely correct, as the F456 GT belonged to the Ferrari 2 2 dynasty, being a four-seater model that descended directly from the F365, F400 and F412, which have always kept the traditional mechanical layout.

The F456 GT took the place of the F412 after three years of 'empty', as its predecessor had disappeared from the market in 1989, and during that time Ferrari had not had any 2 2 of this type in its catalogue.

The main revolution of the F456 GT with respect to its predecessors was precisely in the style, thanks to the design studio Pininfarina and, in particular, Pietro Camardella, designer of models such as the Ferrari F40, the Ferrari F512 TR and the Mythos prototype, and who later he would also design the Ferrari F50.

The Camardella bodywork abandoned the straight, angular lines of its predecessors in favor of smoother, sinuous shapes that emphasized its presence on the road and gave it a lighter appearance.

Among the most successful elements of the set, perhaps inspired by the Daytona, were the hood with an air outlet on each side, the retractable headlights, the lines on the side, a sloping roof towards the rear and the characteristic round taillights.

The exterior of the F456 GT was not the only striking feature of the model, as it also debuted several innovations, such as the tubular steel structure, which was covered with aluminum panels welded with Feran, the hood made of composite material to gain in lightness and a double wishbone suspension that featured electronically controlled adjustable dampers, with Comfort and Sport modes.

The model name, as is tradition, indicated the capacity of each cylinder of the V12 engine, 456 cm3, for a total displacement of 5.5 liters. This block, called the F116 and intended to be mounted on the 1996 F550 Maranello, initially offered 442 hp at 6,250 rpm and 550 Nm of maximum torque at 4,500 rpm.

In the beginning, the transmission was only a 6-speed manual, mounted at the rear, in a transaxle scheme, together with a self-locking differential. A setup that Ferrari has been using since the 1960s.

Starting in 1993, the lineup added a 4-speed automatic transmission, giving way to the F456 GTA, which performed very close to the manual version, with an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds (in both) and a top speed of 300 km/h, compared to the manual's 309 km/h.

Although Ferrari was never in the habit of updating its models through mere restyling, in 1998 it introduced the F456M GT (and GTA for the automatic), where the 'M' stood for 'modificata' or modified, which was an evolution of Gran Turismo, which had little effect on its successful exterior: a hood without air vents was introduced, the front was slightly retouched and the center console was redesigned.

On a technical level, the main change was a revision of the geometry of the front axle, but the engine and transmission remained unchanged. What Ferrari introduced was electronic traction control, which converted the car into a more docile model in delicate situations, such as in the wet.

The total production of the Ferrari F456 GT reached just under 3,300 units, of which about 2,000 corresponded to the first series, and most mounted the manual transmission (the automatic was only chosen by 408 customers). In the case of the F456M GT, 1,300 units were manufactured, half of them GTA, that is, automatic.

Considered one of the most beautiful GTs of the modern era, the F456 remains a coveted model, and although its prices have fluctuated a lot in the last decade, due among other things to the tax policies of several countries, nowadays it can be found for relatively affordable prices. when it comes to a Ferrari V12.

In Europe, an F456 GT with manual transmission is worth between 50,000 and 70,000 euros for good or excellent examples, with little difference between the first series and the M series, given the identical performance. It's a different story for the automatic ones, which, although less numerous, are worth on average between 10,000 and 12,000 euros less.

Autonews