In 2022, Ferrari proudly presented the Purosangue, described by Maranello as the first four-door, four-seater in the brand's history. While it is indeed the first four-door Ferrari to be built in significant numbers, it was not actually the first Ferrari ever produced with rear doors.
That honour goes back to the 1990s, when Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei commissioned Ferrari to create a truly unique series of cars. The royal family of Brunei, renowned for possessing perhaps the largest and most exclusive car collection in the world — including countless bespoke Ferraris — ordered several custom versions based on the Ferrari 456.
Working from the 456 platform, Pininfarina designed and built a shooting brake, a saloon, and an open-top spider version. Reportedly, seven of the shooting brake, named the 456 Venice, were produced. Based on the standard 2+2 configuration, the Italian design house created what many consider an elegant and beautifully proportioned estate. The front doors were shortened, the new rear doors received a graceful piece of sculpted sheet metal along the C-pillar, and the rear window was elegantly integrated into the roofline. A small rear spoiler completed the look — the Venice even featured a practical rear wiper. Underneath, little was changed: the same glorious V12, producing 442 hp, remained untouched.
At around $1.5 million per car, the 456 Venice Shooting Brake remains one of the most expensive — and most desirable — estate cars ever built. But the royal family wasn't done yet.
Using the same 456 base, Pininfarina also created a spider and a saloon. For the spider, an entirely new rear section was designed, bearing almost no resemblance to the regular 456. Only two examples were built — one red, one green — making it exceptionally rare. The convertible roof mechanism was reportedly adapted from the Mercedes SL of the era, and to accommodate it, the gearbox was also sourced from Mercedes, then heavily modified to handle the Ferrari's V12 power.
The 456 Venice Saloon, with lines closely related to the shooting brake, may be even rarer still. Reports vary, but it's widely believed that only three were ever produced.
These extraordinary commissions remain a fascinating chapter in Ferrari's history — proof that even decades before the Purosangue, Maranello had already quietly explored the idea of a practical, four-door grand tourer. They just never talked about it.
Image credits: Freddie Atkins & Remi Dargegen for RM Sotheby's
