1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 'Daytona' Berlinetta

Coachwork by Pininfarina / Scaglietti

Footnotes

'It's a hard muscled thoroughbred, the Daytona - easily the most awesome and yet disciplined road-going Ferrari in that firm's brilliant quarter century of existence. The Daytona isn't fast – it's blinding. It will eat up a quarter-mile of asphalt in 13.2 seconds at 110mph and scream out to 175mph - or it will slug through traffic at 1,500rpm with the Sunday manners of a FIAT. It is the perfect extension of its driver. You can cut and weave through shuffling traffic with the agility of a halfback, or lope down the freeway with the piece of mind that comes from knowing you can contend with anyone's incompetence. To say, after you've driven it, that the Daytona is desirable doesn't begin to sum up your feelings - you would sell your soul for it.' - Car & Driver, January 1970.

Every Ferrari is, to a greater or lesser extent, a 'landmark' car, but few of Maranello's road models have captured the imagination of Ferraristi like the 365 GTB/4. The ultimate expression of Ferrari's fabulous line of V12 front-engined sports cars, the 365 GTB/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 330 P4 at that circuit in 1967. Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti, later the famed Carrozzeria's director of research and development, was responsible for the influential shark-nosed styling, creating a package that restated the traditional 'long bonnet, small cabin, short tail' look in a manner suggesting muscular horsepower while retaining all the elegance associated with the Italian coachbuilder's work for Maranello. One of Pininfarina's countless masterpieces, the influential shark-nosed body style featured an unusual full-width transparent panel covering 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. Fioravanti later revealed that the Daytona was his favourite among the many Ferraris he designed.

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.

At the time of its introduction in 1968 the Daytona was the most expensive production Ferrari ever and, with a top speed in excess of 170mph, was also the world's fastest production car. Deliveries commenced in the second half of 1969 and the Daytona would be manufactured for just four years; not until the arrival of the 456 GT in 1992 would Ferrari build anything like it again. Only 1,300 Berlinetta models and 121 Spyder convertibles had been made when production ceased in 1973.

One of only 149 Daytonas manufactured in right-hand drive configuration, chassis number '16043' – a 'Suffix A' example - was delivered new to Maranello Concessionaires in September 1972 and originally finished in Argento Metallizzato (silver metallic) with Nero (black) interior. Air conditioning was fitted by the factory from new. The Ferrari was registered as 'NPK 90L' (later as '2244 DD') and was first owned by a Mr D Bassett, who took delivery on 14th November 1972.

Its owner from some three years, Mr Bassett was followed by Mr G Greenhall of Detmould, Germany (1975-1977); Mr Thomas Albert Lee of Walton-on-Thames, Surrey (1977 – 1987); Mr E Fehler of Ingatestone, Essex (1987 – 1989); Mr D S Gale of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (1989 – 1994); Mr Duncan Wilkinson of Aylesford, Kent (1994 – 2001); and Mr M Berry of London SW3 (2001 – 2011). While in Mr Wilkinson's ownership, the Daytona was a Ferrari Owners Club 1st-in-class concours winner (in 1998, letter on file) while also on file are many invoices for servicing and other works carried out by DK Engineering and the Ferrari Centre of Parkwood, Kent during Mr Berry's ownership.

In 2011, by which time it had been reregistered as 'SPD 648L', the Daytona was purchased by the current owner, who has enjoyed some 7,000 miles of motoring with the car. Since acquisition, the engine has been fully rebuilt by SB Race Engineering of Watford Herts, whose two invoices totalling £21,974 are on file. Only some 300 miles have been covered since the rebuild.

'16043' is accompanied by an extensive history file containing documentation confirming no-expense-spared servicing dating back to 1975 together with numerous MoT certificates supporting the recorded mileage. Ferrari tools and a jack are present also. Among the noteworthy works recorded in the history file is a full restoration, which was completed in the 1990s. The car has covered a mere 13,000-or-so miles since then. In addition, it has a full stainless steel exhaust system and a front brake upgrade by DK Engineering, and in 2006 benefited from a bare metal re-spray and body restoration.

In 2003 this car was the subject of an article on the Ferrari Daytona in Classic Supercars magazine (August edition) in which '16043' was described as 'pure sex on wheels... GT perfection: stylish, practical, comfortable'. Beautifully presented, this iconic low-mileage Daytona must be one of the very best examples currently available.