www.QV500.com - Ferrari Berlina's Part 1: 365 GT4 2+2
 
These Berlina’s were the most expensive series production Ferrari's available for 17 years and provided grand motoring in a lavishly appointed Pininfarina design. Introduced in 1972 as the 365 GT4 2+2 and going on to evolve through 400 and 400i variations, production finally ended in 1989 when the superb 412i was discontinued and not replaced. While they inherited some componentry from the outgoing 365 GTC/4 (most notably the engine, stretched chassis and several interior parts), the 365 GT4, 400 and 412 were much more the conceptual equal of 1967's 365 GT 2+2.
   
Synonymous as the model that introduced automatic transmission to Ferrari customers, slush-boxes were what the bulk of North American buyers wanted and although this more relaxed form of driving suited the lounge lizard Ferrari quite well, its reputation has been tarnished as a consequence. Although the automatic transmission had initially been developed by Chinetti Motors in New York, Ferrari's Berlina was not officially available for sale in the USA until seven years after it's 1972 launch, this thanks to increasingly stringent Federal emissions and safety legislation. However, despite initial delays with homologation into the US, Ferrari eventually sold over 3500 examples in various guises, an average of around 200 cars each year. The first of this long-running series, Ferrari's 365 GT4 2+2, incorporated a number of parts from the GTC/4 that had been built for just eighteen months between 1971 and ’72. Chassis-wise, the primary difference was a wheelbase stretched by 200mm (to 2700mm), track adjustments seeing the GT4 10mm narrower at the front and 20mm wider at the rear. This was the longest wheelbase of any Ferrari, but the overall length was still seven inches shorter than the aforementioned 365 GT 2+2 ‘Queen Mary’ of 1967. With a traditional Ferrari welded tubular steel chassis designated Tipo F101 AL, suspension was independent all round with hydraulic disc brakes and light alloy Cromodora five spoke wheels, again similar to those on the GTC/4.
 
Mechanically, GT4's were almost identical to the GTC/4's with unchanged Tipo F101 AC000 motors and five-speed manual gearboxes. A Colombo-derived 4.3-litre dual overhead camshaft 60° V12, the engine featured a displacement of 4290cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 81 x 71mm respectively. Compression was 8.8:1 and six twin choke Weber 38 DCOE sidedraught carbs fitted. Producing 340bhp at 7000rpm, GT4's were the worlds most potent full four-seaters. Despite weighing in at 1450kg, a top speed of 155mph was possible while 0-60 took just 6.4 seconds.
   
In later years, the GT4's successors would be offered with automatic transmission, around two-thirds of subsequent versions being completed as such. GT4's though were built only with five-speed manual gearboxes until production ended in 1976. Performance and handling were extremely impressive for a car offering such luxuriously appointed space for four adult passengers and the GT4 proved a big hit despite its high price. By the early seventies, Pininfarina had beeen in an almost totally exclusive partnership with Ferrari for fifteen years, nearly all street cars since the mid fifties having had their bodywork designed and fabricated in Turin. Constructed from steel with an aluminium bonnet and boot lid, the GT4 was clothed with one of the seventies most elegant bodies. Perfectly proportioned, GT4 and 400 series Ferrari's conjure up glamorous images of seventies industrialists and playboys. The plane-like front hood lay low thanks to sidedraught carburettors, retractable headlights being positioned above distinctive supplementary light clusters. There was a matt black wraparound bumper and an unpainted aluminium hood vent. The cabin was sharply creased much like the rest of the design, it featured slim pillars that further enhanced the elegance of Pininfarina's creation. A simple notchback tail with a matt black facia was home to a couple of distinctive features unique to this first series model, most obviously the triple exhaust outlet pipes and GTC/4-style light clusters either side.
 
Adorned only with Pininfarina scripting behind each front wheelarch, chrome door handles and an indented belly strip, GT4's were a complete departure from Ferrari’s four seat models of the past. The interior was to just about the highest specification of any luxury motorcar, lavishly appointed with acres of leather, fine wood and expensive carpet, it was stylish and refined place to be. Thanks to that aforementioned 200mm stretching of the wheelbase, a good deal more cabin space was available than in the GTC/4 and not only for occupants, but their luggage also.
   
By far the most spacious 2+2 ever produced by Ferrari, many interior fixtures and fittings used on the short-lived GTC/4 found their way on to this new model. For eaxmple, an identical dash and integrated transmission tunnel fitted more or less straight in along with the same front seats. A significantly larger glass area meant the interior seemed much more airy, not least for back seat occupants who got spacious individual buckets with leather-covered armrests. A three-spoke leather-rimmed steering wheel, teak veneered centre console and brushed aluminium ashtrays were period Pininfarina additions. Launched during October 1972 at the Paris Salon, public and press reaction was very enthusiastic, many finding favour with the exceptional styling and detailing, not to mention the increased cabin space and impressive performance. The GT4 further exploited a niche market Ferrari had been operating in since the late fifties and became one of their most commercially successful 2+2's. Few developments were made during production, Ferrari focusing on a revised model that could satisfy the increasing number of requests for an automatic version. By the time GT4 production ended in late 1976, 521 had been completed (plus three prototypes), 134 of which were right-hand drive.