Lot 201: 1972 Ferrari 365GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ Coupé

The ultimate expression of Ferrari’s fabulous line of V12 front-engined sports cars, the 365GTB/4 debuted at the Paris Salon in 1968, soon gaining the unofficial name ‘Daytona’ in honour of the sweeping 1-2-3 finish by the Ferrari 330P4 at that circuit in 1967. The influential shark-nosed styling was by Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti, later the famed carrozzeria’s director of research and development, who later revealed that the Daytona was his favourite among the many Ferraris he designed. The bonnet, extending for almost half the car’s total length, was complimented by a small cabin and short tail; the overall effect suggesting muscular horsepower while retaining all the elegance associated with the Italian coachbuilder’s work for Maranello. An unusual feature of the show car was a full-width transparent grille panel behind which sat the headlamps, though this was replaced by electrically-operated pop-up lights to meet US requirements soon after the start of production in the second half of 1969. Although the prototype had been styled and built by Pininfarina in Turin, manufacture of the production version was entrusted to Ferrari’s subsidiary Scaglietti, in Modena.
The Daytona’s all-alloy, four-cam, V12 engine displaced 4,390cc and produced its maximum output of 352bhp at 7,500rpm, with 318lb/ft of torque available at 5,500 revs. Dry-sump lubrication enabled it to be installed low in the oval-tube chassis, while shifting the gearbox to the rear in the form of a five-speed transaxle meant 50/50 weight distribution could be achieved. The all-independent wishbone and coil-spring suspension was a recent development, having originated in the preceding 275GTB. Unlike the contemporary 365GTC/4, the Daytona was not available with power steering, a feature then deemed inappropriate for a ‘real’ sports car. There was, however, servo assistance for the four-wheel ventilated disc brakes. Air conditioning was optional, but elsewhere the Daytona remained uncompromisingly focussed on delivering nothing less than superlative high performance.
With a top speed in excess of 170mph, the Daytona was the world’s fastest production car in its day, and surely is destined to occupy the front rank of high-performance sports cars for the foreseeable future. A mere 1,300 Berlinetta models and 123 Spyder convertibles had been made when Daytona production ceased in 1973.
Left-hand drive chassis number ‘15223’ was delivered new in Lichtenstein in April 1972. A little over four years later the car had covered 87,500 kilometres and in September 1976 was sent back to the Ferrari factory in Modena for extensive mechanical refurbishment, as detailed in the accompanying 8-page invoice. In October 1977 ‘15223’ came into the possession of the vendor’s family when it was sold to his uncle with 90,500 kilometres recorded. The car was serviced in November 1977 and again in December 2001 (invoices available) and is offered for sale with 91,873 kilometres recorded on the odometer, indicating only 4,000-or-so kilometres covered since its mechanical rebuild 31 years ago and a mere 1,373 while in the current ownership. Offered with owner’s manual and Swiss registration papers, ‘15223’ represents a rare opportunity to acquire a quite outstandingly original ‘Daytona’, retaining its beautiful factory black leather interior, that has seen very little use since it was rebuilt by Ferrari at Maranello.