The Ferrari Daytona was born at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967. It finished in parade formation — first, second and third with its new P Series prototypes leaving no room for anyone else to gain glory. Having been beaten by Ford in the 1966 Daytona sports car endurance race, Ferrari came back to Daytona in 1967 with what would be officially called the Ferrari 365 GTB/4. But after the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967, they would forever be known as Ferrari Daytonas.
The Ferrari Daytona is a two-seat grand touring sports car which was built by Ferrari from 1968 to 1973. It was introduced as a GT model at the Paris Auto Salon in 1968 replacing the 275 GTB/4. Fortunately it had the same Colombo V12 as the 275 GTB/4, but the Daytona’s engine was bored out to 4,390 cc.
This week, a Fly Yellow 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona was listed by The Last Detail in North Chicago, Illinois. They tell us it comes from one of the finest collections of Chicago’s North Shore area. With a beautiful black leather interior (be sure to view all the photos here), this car is in “impeccable condition both cosmetically and mechanically.” They note that it features excellent panel gaps, gleaming britework and a laser straight body. The chassis is just as nice, and shows attention to detail.
Back in the day, Road & Track Magazine called the Ferrari Daytona “the best sports car in the world.” It held the speed record for a factory car at 180 miles per hour. While a Spider version in perfect condition would bring over $3 million, a coupe like this one goes for just under a $1 million. It was the last of the front engine designed Ferrari V12’s, and is one of only 1,284 365 GTB/4 Daytonas ever built. What’s more, The Last Detail tells us it is all numbers matching.
Folding the hood forward reveals the original V12 engine upgraded with P6 grind cams, European headers and 3.90 gearing. It is a 60-degree 4.4-Liter V12 engine with two double overhead cams on each bank. The four cams is represented in the name “/4.” It has six 2-barrel Weber carburetors with dual distributors. In this configuration the car produces approximately 400 horsepower and has awesome acceleration. To help get power to the ground a pair of matching 9-inch rims were added to the rear with all new Michelin XWX tires. The car has just been fully serviced and all systems are currently in working order, including the air conditioning system. It comes with power windows also. The four-wheel independent suspension was standard with wishbones and coil springs. The retractable headlight covers were required for Daytonas produced for the U.S. market in 1971 only.
This 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona deserves to be in a very select exotic sports car collection. It is the product of a complete ground-up restoration, according to the owner. A discrete collector might want to know the exhilirating experience of hearing its legendary throaty acceleration as it winds through all five gears.
No comments yet.