2000 Ferrari 456M GT

Penned by Pietro Camardella and Lorenzo Ramaciotti at Pininfarina, Ferrari’s 456 GT was introduced in 1992 at the 40th anniversary celebration of Garage Francorchamps, Belgium.

As though it were solely designed to soar from Maranello to the Cote d’Azur in one fell swoop the 456 GT offered an all-new 65-degree V12 engine that provided astonishing performance over the outgoing Ferrari 412 with a totally unique, beefy but silky smooth exhaust note.

Producing 442 horsepower and accelerating from 0–100 km/h in just 5.2 seconds the 456 GT perfectly synthesized refined grand touring with supercar exhilaration. Its power delivery has to be experienced to be believed.

Appointed with a full leather interior and electronically adjustable sports seating, the 456 GT provides the driver with all the requisite luxury features of the day including electric windows, remote central locking, ABS, an eight-speaker stereo system, air conditioning, expansive seats, a full roll-call of analogue gauges, and a great view out over the rakish bonnet - all set within a hand stitched leather interior fit for a maven.

In 1998, this world class car received a facelift with the introduction of the 456M GT (‘M” stands for ‘Modificata’ or Modified in Italian). The car received many changes that improved aerodynamics and cooling, freshened up the interior and raised the power by six horsepower.

In recognition of the high-performance this new engine was able to deliver, the 456M GT was awarded the "over 4 liter" class prize of the International Engine of the Year Competition two years in a row (2000 and 2001).

Delivered new by Lance Dixon Ferrari, Melbourne in May of 2000 this exceptionally well maintained 456M GT was ordered in arguably the best colour combination available, Grigio Titano over Deep Red and Black leather trim and has travelled a fully documented 32,000 kilometres with yes, a hallelujah gated manual transmission.

For the exterior, the totally original Pininfarina styled curves present excellently, there isn’t a straight line on this car and frozen in time this cars deep paint finish does not look 18 years old, the correct 5 spoke factory alloys are unblemished, for a time this cars bonnet was the largest carbon fiber constructed bonnet in existence and is in excellent condition and the overall road presence of this Grand Tourer offers a perfect balance of elegance and aggressiveness.

Within the cockpit, every centimetre is wrapped in plush carpets or rich leather and all totally original. The dash instrumentation and switchgear presents very well and the Formula 1 styled three spoke steering wheel feels brand new under hand.

Accompanying the car are all factory log books and warranty card held within the original leather wallet that showcases a complete service history as well as the factory tools and keys.

One of Ferrari’s last cars to offer pop-up headlights, the final and finest incarnation of the 456 series and the true successor to the vaunted Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona this incredibly engaging yet perfectly refined 456M GT presents a unique opportunity to drive one of Ferrari’s best.

Featuring the now discontinued chrome gated manual transmission, high-revving V12, incredibly low kilometres and low production numbers and presenting in the perfect colour combination with space for 4, this 456M GT is one for the savvy collector and driver in all of us.