Ferrari 400

Since moving to London, I have noticed quite a frequency of appealing cars parked outside very ordinary homes. There have been multiple occasions where I have been walking through a neighbourhood made up of nice enough, but not overly fancy, terraced houses and there has been a Ferrari FF, Aston Martin DBX, Bentley Mulsanne or something similar squeezed on the driveway or parked on the curb outside. This is probably down to the insane amount of money it costs to live in London, so the only people who can reside here are also able to afford to drive nice cars, but it does create an interesting imbalance between the car they own and the appearance of the house that they live in.

I came across one of my favourite examples of this exotic car, average house combination back in December, when it was baltic outside. I was out for a bike ride that ended up being much shorter than I had planned, because my toes went numb, so this, and the other cars on the same road, were the only things I stumbled upon that day.

The car in question is maybe one of my favourite cars to roll out of the legendary Ferrari factory in Maranello. Potentially controversial I know, but I just adore it. Sharp, confident lines in the aesthetics department and a lot of glass make it seem to me like a more practical Daytona, like if you put two extra seats in the back and raised the roof a little. The fact it was the first Ferrari to be offered with an automatic gearbox just strengthens this useable, liveable ideal that this car seems to conform to, making it the 70s Ferrari for the man who has two cars, not ten. Of course, I’m talking about the 1975 Ferrari 400. Covered in ice and snow, parked in a quiet suburb in London, it sticks out like a sore thumb to someone in the know. Sat on its iconic five spoke knock-on Campangolo wheels cased in consummate 70s Michelin rubber, this is a car that looks as if it has landed here from the past and should be surrounded by Beetles, Minis and Austin Allegros. I love it.