Ferrari
365 GTB/4 'Daytona'
MunichFerrari
365 GTB/4 'Daytona'
KEY FACTS
- One of the earliest surviving examples – 2nd Production Car
- IAA Frankfurt Motor Show car 1969
- Ferrari Classiche Certified
- Pre-production features
- Matching numbers engine
THE MODEL
Make: Ferrari
Model: 365 GTB/4 'Daytona'
Year of Manufacture: 1969
Location: Munich, Germany
Exterior: Giallo Fly
Interior: Nero
Price: €790,000
Tax: Margin Scheme - EU Taxes Paid
Few automobiles occupy so secure a place in the history of the grand touring car as the Ferrari 365 GTB/4. Unveiled at the 1968 Paris Motor Show, it was Maranello's answer to a changing landscape: while rivals embraced the mid-engine layout, Ferrari defended the classical front-engined berlinetta and in doing so produced its definitive expression. The model's informal name, "Daytona," commemorates Ferrari's celebrated one-two-three finish at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona, a lineage the car's performance amply justifies.
At its heart lies the 4.4-litre Colombo V12, here in four-cam form (the "/4" of its designation), breathing through six Weber carburettors and producing some 352 horsepower. Coupled to a rear-mounted five-speed transaxle for near-ideal weight distribution, it propelled the Daytona to roughly 280 km/h (174 mph), making it the fastest production car of its day. The figures remain impressive; the manner of their delivery, flexible, torquey and blessed with a 7,500 rpm redline, it remains a deeply impressive and compelling piece of engineering.
The coachwork, penned by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti, is a study in restraint. The long bonnet, taut fastback and abruptly truncated tail convey speed without ornament. Early examples featured a distinctive Perspex nose band, later replaced by pop-up headlamps to meet American regulations. Collectors prize both variants.
Approximately 1,280 examples were produced between 1968 and 1973, and the Daytona is rightly regarded as the culmination of Ferrari's front-engined V12 tradition, and a car which is increasingly referenced in the marque’s contemporary designs, from the SP3 Daytona to the 12 Cilindri.
OUR EXAMPLE
Chassis 12419 is one of the earliest surviving examples of this seminal model. Completed by the factory on 15th April 1969, it was the second production Daytona to be assembled and carries Scaglietti body number 4.
In September of that year, it was chosen to represent the new Berlinetta on the Auto Becker stand at the Frankfurt IAA Motor Show. It was finished in the timeless shade of Giallo Fly (yellow), with black lines tracing the shoulder of the body, and period photographs of that debut survive. Interestingly Ferrari chose to simultaneously show the first Daytona Spider, chassis 12851, at the same show in an identical livery. Its sister car, chassis 12301, the very first Berlinetta and New York motor show car wore a similar livery for its presentation in the United States.
Finally delivered to its first owner in 1972, the car went on to a varied life. During the 1970s it was converted to open Spider form, as a number of berlinettas were in that era, and it subsequently passed through owners in Belgium, France and Italy. Between 2015 and 2017 it underwent a comprehensive restoration under the supervision of Modena Classic Works. The important and sensitive coachwork required was entrusted to Carrozzeria Brandoli, one of the best names in the business, and the mechanical work to Toni Auto in Maranello, with the trim attributed to Lupi. In 2024 the car received Ferrari Classiche certification, and its original details, including the distinctive black body lines, were reinstated. Today it presents much as it did on the Frankfurt stand.
Chassis 12419 retains its original engine, number 12419, and is fitted with a gearbox of the correct type. Its history is documented in a report by Marcel Massini, an expertise by Jean-Pierre Cornu, the Modena Classic Works restoration file and most importantly by its Ferrari Classiche binder. As a very early Plexi-nose example, a factory motor show car and a Classiche-certified Berlinetta, it offers its next custodian an exceptional connection to the moment the Daytona was first revealed to the world.
In September of that year, it was chosen to represent the new Berlinetta on the Auto Becker stand at the Frankfurt IAA Motor Show. It was finished in the timeless shade of Giallo Fly (yellow), with black lines tracing the shoulder of the body, and period photographs of that debut survive. Interestingly Ferrari chose to simultaneously show the first Daytona Spider, chassis 12851, at the same show in an identical livery. Its sister car, chassis 12301, the very first Berlinetta and New York motor show car wore a similar livery for its presentation in the United States.
Finally delivered to its first owner in 1972, the car went on to a varied life. During the 1970s it was converted to open Spider form, as a number of berlinettas were in that era, and it subsequently passed through owners in Belgium, France and Italy. Between 2015 and 2017 it underwent a comprehensive restoration under the supervision of Modena Classic Works. The important and sensitive coachwork required was entrusted to Carrozzeria Brandoli, one of the best names in the business, and the mechanical work to Toni Auto in Maranello, with the trim attributed to Lupi. In 2024 the car received Ferrari Classiche certification, and its original details, including the distinctive black body lines, were reinstated. Today it presents much as it did on the Frankfurt stand.
Chassis 12419 retains its original engine, number 12419, and is fitted with a gearbox of the correct type. Its history is documented in a report by Marcel Massini, an expertise by Jean-Pierre Cornu, the Modena Classic Works restoration file and most importantly by its Ferrari Classiche binder. As a very early Plexi-nose example, a factory motor show car and a Classiche-certified Berlinetta, it offers its next custodian an exceptional connection to the moment the Daytona was first revealed to the world.
GALLERY
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