This 1983 Ferrari 400i is a rare and infinitely more desirable five-speed manual example that’s said to have under 47k miles. The seller says it received a good quality respray a number of years ago, and that is has an equally nice interior. It’s said to start and run perfectly and have strong A/C, with fully functional electrics. Seeing these in the wild is more exciting than seeing a 308. Find it offered here on Hemmings.com in Buffalo, New York for $32k.

The seller speculates that the market for 400s has remained depressed largely due to the fact that the majority of them were sold with slushboxes. He goes on to say that a manual completely transforms the car into a fast, sweet-handling thing that makes an “incredible” sound–easy to believe when you consider its motor’s a development of the Colombo V12 used in the Daytona and 365GTC/4, the latter of which many consider to be the best-sounding classic twelve cylinder F car ever made.

The car comes with a large file of maintenance and repairwork, and according to the seller much of it was done in the past few years, resulting in a car that drives as-new. Highlights include a completely rebuilt suspension, a new exhaust, and re-cored radiator with all new hoses. Cosmetic work detailed on paper includes a headliner re-fit and valve cover refinish, likely indicators of a fastidious owner. The trans is said to shift well, with no mention of graunching or worn synchros. Tires are Michelin TRXs and are also claimed to be in excellent condition with most of their tread remaining – a definite plus seeing as they’ve been out of production for a very long time.

The only real flaw mentioned is a tear in the driver’s seatbolster that’s said to be repairable, and from what can be made out in photos this claim checks out-overall it appears to be a remarkably clean, straight, and well-kept car. The medium bluish-gray paint compliments the car’s simple, taught lines quite well, and it’s a refreshing treat to see a long, leather-booted stick shift poking out of the wide, upward angled center console. We’re not convinced about the wooden Momo steering wheel, which is a bit inelegant with its chunky rim, but the seller says the car can be sold with other Momos or Nardis if preferred. The big 4.8 liter, 320 horse, quad cam V12 looks pretty clean underneath a typically eighties rat’s nest of vacuum lines and other emissions do-dads, and who’d ever get tired of gazing on those black crackle finish cam covers?

Though long overlooked, we’ve noticed increased interest in these cars over the past two or three years, and wouldn’t be surprised if they’re soon trading hands for quite a bit more than the current going rate. It’s only so long that a front-engined V12 Ferrari GT will remain a secret commodity, after all. Provided maintenance is relatively reasonable (i.e. nowhere near that of its hellishly complex replacement, the Testarossa), this car could be a real exotic within reach of the average working car guy.