The $1.5 Million Ferrari Station Wagon Masterpiece You’ve Never Hear Of

Ferrari should not be an automaker incessantly associated to station wagons. Whereas the Italian company has produced quite a few iconic sports activities actions cars and has now branched out into the world of SUVs (although it is adamant the Purosangue should not be one), wagons aren’t truly a part of its repertoire.

There are, nonetheless, a handful of cars with this physique mannequin that do definitely sport a Ferrari badge on the hood. The 456GT Venice, a unusual {{custom}} creation, is a station wagon mannequin of the 456 that even hardcore vehicle fanatics are unlikely to have heard of. Let’s take a greater take a look at its historic previous, along with the broader historic previous of the model.

This attribute focuses on a unusual mannequin of the Ferrari 456, the 456GT Venice, of which fewer than 10 examples have been constructed.

Meet The Ferrari 456GT Venice

One Of Seven Lucky Fashions

The 456GT Venice is an particularly unusual mannequin of the Ferrari 456, custom-built by legendary Italian design company Pininfarina for Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei. The auto’s design was tailor-made with a roof extension and the addition of two rear doorways. The distinctive 456 already had a 2+2 seating construction, nevertheless the bodywork modifications throughout the Venice made it so much less complicated to entry the rear seats and journey in comfort. The drivetrain was left untouched, reaming true to the same old 456 GT: a 5.5-liter V12 engine, paired with a six-speed handbook transmission.

Whereas Pininfarina constructed seven examples of the Venice, the prince solely purchased six, reportedly at a price of spherical $1.5 million each. There are rumors the seventh may have been used as a check out mule by the auto’s non permanent manufacturing run; its whereabouts, nonetheless, are uncertain.

The Venice has not been seen in public or at automotive events pretty typically, with comparatively few images of it current. No report exists for one among many current examples ever having been purchased at public sale; they’re greater than doubtless all nonetheless throughout the possession of the Bruneian royal family. The Venice is a curious occasion of Ferrari and Pininfarina’s design ingenuity, as an prepare in creating one factor exterior of Ferrari’s acquainted territory.

The 456GT Venice was moreover not the one custom-built endeavor based mostly totally on the 456. Two convertible variations (dubbed the 456 GT Spyder) have been constructed by Ferrari notably for the Sultan of Brunei, whereas three aftermarket convertibles (dubbed the 456 GT Cabriolet) have been constructed for private customers by a California-based modification agency. Certainly one of many Cabriolets was purchased by legendary boxer Mike Tyson. There was moreover a definite four-door mannequin, a sedan, which we’ll go into further factor on later.

The Ferrari 456: An Overview

The place The Wagon Comes From

The Ferrari 456 is a V12-powered grand tourer that made its debut in 1992. It was a successor to the 412, the company’s earlier four-seater grand tourer, which had gone out of producing in 1989. It was initially accessible in a single trim diploma – the GT; nonetheless, 4 years later, in 1996, the GTA trim diploma was added to the lineup. The 456’s design was created by legendary Italian company Pininfarina, which has been liable for quite a few iconic sports activities actions cars all through the a very long time. Up until 1996, Pininfarina was moreover accountable for developing the auto’s bodywork; nonetheless, from that 12 months onwards, manufacturing was transferred in-house to Ferrari. Spherical half of 456s produced have Pininfarina-built bodywork.

Vitality received right here from a 5.5-liter V12 producing 436 hp, paired with a six-speed handbook transmission throughout the GT and a four-speed automated (developed in partnership with British company FF) throughout the GTA. The title “456” derives from the reality that each of the engine’s cylinders displaces 456 cubic centimeters. The 456’s prime tempo of 192 mph made it, on the time of its launch, the second-fastest manufacturing vehicle behind the Porsche 959. Its vitality output, within the meantime, made it in all probability essentially the most extremely efficient manufacturing avenue vehicle constructed by Ferrari at the moment.

Quite a few completely totally different variations of the model have been launched by the years, along with the 456M (further on that later), which arrived in 1998, and the 456 Bicolore Scaglietti, which made its debut in 2002. The Bicolore Scaglietti was a mannequin with a two-tone paint finish along with some effectivity and design upgrades. It was first commissioned by Parts 1 driver Michael Schumacher, and is normally often known as the “Schumacher Model”.

The 456’s Further Refined Sibling: The 456M

The Broader Picture

On the 1998 Geneva Motor Current, Ferrari unveiled a revised mannequin of the 456, dubbed the 456M. The M stands for “Modificata”, Italian for “Modified”. Quite a few parts of the auto have been altered to reinforce effectivity and seems. Vitality output remained the similar, nonetheless, the engine’s cylinder firing order was altered to make it run further simply. The suspension and braking system every obtained an enhance.

The distinctive consumption ducts on the 456’s hood have been eradicated, whereas the brake ducts have been modified with a much bigger air consumption on the auto’s entrance end. On the rear, within the meantime, a set undercarriage spoiler was added, and the bumper and license plate housing have been redesigned. Contained within the vehicle, numerous choices have been added or revised, paying homage to a model new stereo (fitted in entrance of the gear shifter, whereas in earlier variations of the auto it had been located behind it). The dashboard was moreover simplified with three gauges, pretty than the sooner 5.

The 456M took over from the 456 and remained in manufacturing until the highest of the model’s life cycle in 2003. A whole of 1,951 fashions have been produced for the earlier mannequin of the 456, whereas the 456M had 1,338 fashions constructed.

A Short-term Historic previous Of 4-Door Ferraris

Not As Uncommon As You Suppose

The 456GT Venice was not the one Ferrari with 4 doorways throughout the agency’s historic previous, nevertheless it was a member of a very, very small membership. One different mannequin of the 456 had 4 doorways, the 456 GT Saloon (the time interval utilized by the British to talk to a sedan physique mannequin). Similar to the Venice, this limited-run creation was moreover custom-built for the Bruneian royal family. Three examples of the Saloon have been commissioned by the Sultan of Brunei. The Saloon was moreover constructed by Pininfarina.

Going once more in time by merely over a decade, now we now have a novel concept sedan often known as the Ferrari Pinin. As a result of the title suggests, this endeavor was moreover Pininfarina’s brainchild. The Pinin was designed as a potential competitor to luxurious four-door sedans of the time, such as a result of the Maserati Quattroporte (whose very title is Italian for “4 doorways”). The Pinin had a squared-off design characterised by harsh traces, and a 4.9-liter flat-12 engine beneath the hood. It was confirmed off at quite a few automotive events in all places on this planet at first of the 80s, nevertheless lastly did not result in a producing model being launched. After altering fingers quite a few events over the subsequent a very long time, the Pinin is now a part of a private assortment throughout the U.S.

In newer years, nonetheless, Ferrari did lastly launch a producing vehicle with 4 doorways. The auto in question is the Purosangue, the “FUV” (Ferrari Utility Car) that the company takes good pains to not talk to as an SUV. The Purosangue is notable for being merely one amongst two V12-powered SUVs within the market in 2025, the other being the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. First launched in 2022, the Purosangue is a mixture of sportiness and practicality, borrowing some design components from totally different Ferraris that had 4 seats (nevertheless solely two doorways) such as a result of the Roma and the GTC4Lusso.