Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona – Classiche Certified

The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 or Daytona was introduced as the replacement to the 275 GTB/4 with the intention of competing against Lamborghini’s formidable Miura which had set the benchmark performance benchmark in the mid-60s. Contrary to the mid-engine supercar from Sant’Agata, the fundamental concept of the Daytona was to be a front-mounted V12 with both a more spacious cabin and higher top speed than the Miura.

The early development of the Daytona was carried out by Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti. Heavily influenced by the 330 GTC chassis, the main objective was to develop a highly aerodynamic, slender design capable of carrying the car’s engine mounted well back in the front in order to achieve optimum weight distribution. By December of 1966 the first formal drawings were completed and in the second half of 1967 a prototype was built. The prototype featured a similar design to that of the 275 from the windscreen forward yet had a rear which looked like the completed Daytona. With a final design completed after building a handful of prototypes, the car was unveiled at the Paris Auto Salon in 1968 where it took the world by storm.

The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 (‘365’ denoting the engines displacement in cubic centimetres per cylinder and ‘4’ denoting its number of overhead camshafts) featured a dry sump lubricated engine developed from the earlier Colombo V12, with a 60° bank angle used in the 275 GTB/4, now bored out 4,390cc with 6 Weber carburettors. The car’s engine produced an impressive 347 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and could achieve 0-60 mph in just 5.4 seconds and had a monstrous top speed of 174mph!

The Daytona featured a 5-speed gearbox and a limited slip differential. The car sat upon independent double wishbone suspension on both the front and rear with the typical tubular shock absorbers, coil springs and anti-roll bars which provided superb stability in all driving situations. Early Daytona’s featured fixed headlights behind an acrylic headlight cover, also known as a ‘Plexiglass’ but due to US safety regulations banning the use of headlights behind glass, cars were then produced with retractable pop up twin headlights in 1971.

This beautifully preserved and well-presented Daytona was ordered from new on 17^th February 1972 via Maranello Concessionaires at a cost of £8,223.04. As confirmed by its original order form that is on file, chassis #15837 (order no:571) was originally finished in Blue Dino Metallizzato paint over Pelle Beige Hide with Nero seat inserts, beige carpets and optional air-conditioning, the combination that it still wears today.

In May of 1972 the Daytona was registered to its first keeper, a Mr Anthony of Bury in Lancashire before being sold to its second owner in 1974, Mr Tommy Dickson, (While Under the care of Dickson Motors of Perth) a well-respected works driver for Ecurie Ecosse as well as teammate of Sir Jackie Stewart and Roy Salvadori. The car eventually made its way back to the home ground of Lancashire, being registered to its second recorded owner, William Loughran LTD. By 1984 a further 2 names were added to the logbook, the latter being a Ms Francoise Jacquin of Hampstead whom had the car looked after by Marque Specialist DK Engineering for a number of years.

On the 15^th of May 1989, a Lord Gerald Fitzalan-Howard of Greystoke Automotive commissioned Maranello Concessionaires to undertake a ‘body restoration’. This is evident from an invoice which totalled £25,989.95 dated 8^th November 1989, detailing all of the work carried out over 4 pages. With further documentation of the car’s history leading up to 2004 is an issue of Octane Magazine which featured an 11-page comparison between chassis #15837 and a 365 GTC/4, adding to this car’s already marvellous provenance.

A number of invoices from specialist Terry Hoyle (THRE Historic Racing) are present dated between 2003 and 2006, ranging from routine maintenance to more comprehensive works. The car underwent an extensive engine overhaul, of which the works have been carefully detailed across 5 pages within the vehicle’s history. An 8-track music player was fitted in February of 2005 as well as power-steering by TDH Classics in 2006.

In January of 2015 a full strip, repaint and chroming was carried out by Foskers at a total cost of £22,544, shortly after the car was purchased by its current owner in 2016. The well-respected John Pogson of Italia Autosport was tasked with carrying out a detailed pre-sales inspection of the vehicle, who rectified any small cosmetic or mechanical faults that were identified. They would continue to the maintain the #15837 to the present day.

In addition to the exceptional servicing and ownership provenance that has been outlined above, this history file on this Daytona is also enhance by Classiche Certification from the factory. The Red Book that is on file confirms that the car is full matching numbers and also is presented in its original colour combination.

An extremely well-documented and nicely-presented Daytona, finished in its original, unusual specification, being 1 of just 158 UK supplied cars this presents an excellent opportunity to own one of Ferrari’s most celebrated V12 models.