In the collective imagination, a Ferrari is a car of passion... but rarely a car for everyday use. Low mileage, occasional use, obsessive maintenance: the cliché has a hard life. Yet some Ferraris regularly challenge this almost museum-like vision of the Italian marque. For example, this Ferrari 360 Modena with over 200,000 kmthe Ferrari 458 Italia from a Japanese collector flirting with 400,000 kmor this Californian who had passed the symbolic milestone of one million kilometers... with three different Ferraris. But this time, we're clearly taking it to the next level.
A Ferrari at over 1.5 million kilometers
On Instagram, Doug Tabbutt recently revealed that he had purchased a Ferrari 456 GT with 970,143 miles on the clock, or over 1.5 million kilometers. This is an unprecedented figure for a production Ferrari, and probably one of the highest mileages ever observed on a car from the Prancing Horse marque. The feat is all the more astonishing given that this is a 456 GT, a model with a naturally-aspirated V12 engine, originally designed to devour kilometers... but certainly not to this extent. In a video accompanying his purchase, Doug Tabbutt makes no attempt to embellish the situation. He describes the car's general condition in no uncertain terms, starting with a question as simple as it is brutal: "How bad can a Ferrari with a million miles on it be? Very bad."
Cosmetic condition to match the mileage
Unsurprisingly, the cosmetic condition of this Ferrari 456 GT betrays its intensive use. The car has been repainted, but without removing the windows, leaving visible masking lines. An operation which would have made it possible to replace the gaskets, now completely hardened by time. The interior is hardly more flattering. Doug Tabbutt speaks of a "truly horrible" interior, going so far as to ironize the state of the seats, which are heavily dyed, with traces of overspray visible even on the seatbelts. Interior trim is sometimes ill-fitting, some trim pieces are loose, and the rear deck leather has undergone significant shrinkage. Even the windows bear witness to this advanced age: rough adjustments, tired seals... defects not always directly linked to mileage, but reminders that this Ferrari has lived intensely.
Mechanics, the last big question mark
While the car's appearance is already impressive, Doug Tabbutt admits that he hasn't yet examined the mechanical aspects in detail. He suspects, however, that the rims are slightly warped, a problem already being solved thanks to the discovery of original Ferrari wheels. New tires are also planned, as the current ones are almost fifteen years old. The aim is clear: to make the car healthy enough to take to the road again and, why not, continue to boost an already outsized odometer... provided it still works.
Ferrari 456 GT: a grand tourer born to eat up the miles
Ironically, the Ferrari 456 GT is probably one of the most legitimate Ferraris to boast such mileage. Introduced in 1992, it embodied a modern vision of the Ferrari grand tourer: an elegant 2+2 coupe, equipped with a brand-new naturally-aspirated V12 engine and designed for long-distance comfort. With its 442 hp 5.5-liter F116 engine, six-speed transaxle, tubular steel chassis and sophisticated suspension, the 456 GT combined high performance with remarkable smoothness. Capable of topping 300 km/h, it also offered a sumptuous interior, dressed in Connolly leather, air-conditioned, equipped with a top-of-the-range audio system and even supplied with a Schedoni luggage set. Its huge 110-liter fuel tank, far from being a mere detail, confirmed its vocation: to cover long distances without sacrificing comfort.
Thirty years after its launch, this stratospherically-mileage Ferrari 456 GT tells a very different story from that of supercars frozen in private collections. It proves that a Ferrari, when used, maintained and owned like a real automobile, can span decades and continents. Of course, wear and tear is visible, and sometimes spectacular. But the mere fact that a Ferrari V12 from the 1990s has been able to exceed 1.5 million kilometers calls into question many preconceived ideas about the reliability and use of cars from Maranello.
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