This front-engined Ferrari 2+2 grand tourer was introduced in 1998 as the Modificata evolution of the earlier 456 GT. Ferrari used the update to refresh the styling and refine the package rather than reinvent it, keeping the model focused on long-distance comfort, four-seat usability, and traditional V12 grand touring character. The revised car retained the same basic role in the range: a luxurious, high-speed touring coupé aimed at buyers who wanted more everyday accommodation than Ferrari’s two-seat sports cars could provide.
The Modificata update is best understood as a careful mid-cycle modernization. Ferrari softened and cleaned up the bodywork, revised the nose and rear detailing, and gave the car a more contemporary look while preserving the original design’s elegant proportions. The nameplate covered both manual GT and automatic GTA versions, continuing the formula that had made the original car distinctive: a front-mounted V12, rear-wheel drive, and a transaxle layout suited to grand touring balance and refinement.
Enthusiast interest in this model remains strong because it represents Ferrari’s return to a more traditional V12 2+2 format in the modern era, following a long gap after the 412. It also stands as the final evolution of that line before Ferrari moved on to the 612 Scaglietti, which replaced it in 2003. In Ferrari history, the Modificata cars are often seen as the polished closing chapter of the classic front-engined, four-seat V12 grand touring era.