The 456 is one of the classiest - and most practical - Ferraris ever made, and it’s now possible to get a good one without needing to re-mortgage your house.
If Ferraris were footwear, they’d be Nike Air Jordans - all explosive performance with a lot of flash and dazzle. The 456, on the other hand, is a lot more like a pair of classy Salvatore Ferragamo shoes – understated and timeless.
The 456 was the grown-up in the Ferrari family; the 2 + 2 GT was aimed at buyers who weren’t as interested in quoting mind-numbing trivia like 0-60 speeds or in shouting about how much money they had, even though they had it by the bucket load.
Let's take a closer look at the Ferrari 456 and why it should return.
It may be restrained, but it packs a punch
The 456 was a gentleman’s express, a Grand Tourer in the classic tradition, with its elegantly long bonnet, short rear overhang, and a seemingly endless supply of power, thanks to its wonderful 5.5 liters, V12 engine that punched out 442bhp.
And even if it didn’t share the ‘look-at-me-everyone’ aspirations of its more flamboyant Ferrari stablemates, the 456 could still slingshot from 0-60mph in a fraction over five seconds before plowing on past 187mph. Not bad for a grown-up.
It was enough to put the frighteners on much flashier sports cars, but probably because of its more discreet styling, the 456 has never really stood out from the Ferrari pack.
A Ferrari unlike others
The 456 broke with Ferrari’s mid-engine, two-seater tradition and was the first front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car from the Italian firm since the 365/400/412 range.
The Pininfarina-styled 456 was nonetheless a vast improvement over its boxy predecessor in the looks department and, in fact, had a lot more in common with the earlier Daytona, which was known for its gorgeously rounded curves.
The 456 was also more accomplished than the opposition. It may have shared the same front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout as the Aston Martin Virage/Vantage model from the mid-1990s period, but it was a more polished ride.
Grabbing a ‘cheap’ one that’s good – is that possible?
Experts agree that if you wish to get your hands on a solid 456, a good service record is essential, and that means spending around $80-89,000 - at least in the UK market.
But if you spend a little time trawling the internet, you can find quite a few low mileage 456s in the US priced around $49-$53,000 with service history, as well as a 2003-registered manual - one of the last 456s to be built – for $147,500 with just 70,830 miles on the clock.
While it may lack the wow-factor of more track-focused Ferraris, the 456 has aged gracefully and is still a highly desirable GT. That’s partly due to the V12 engine, which has earned a reputation for toughness and reliability – and that’s not something you often say about Ferraris. If you find one that’s been well cared for, the 456 is also one of the very few Italian supercars that can be used as everyday transport.
We're unlikely to see a new 456 model on the market, but there's more than enough reasons why Ferrari should consider the prospect. However, a similar ride you can buy new is the Ferrari GTC4Lusso, although this too is at the end of its production run, with 2021 being the final year to buy fresh models.