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| Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti 1973 |
As the replacement of the legendary 275 GTB/4, the 365 GTB/4 had a lot to live up to upon its unveiling at the 1968 Paris Salon, but it quickly proved to be a worthy successor. As per usual, its design was penned in Pininfarina, but the Daytona’s bodywork, styled by Leonardo Fioravanti, represented a departure from Ferrari’s previous design language. Gone were the round and voluptuous wings of the lathe 1950s and 1960s, as they had been replaced with a more contemporary and aggressive profile, but the car was still instantly recognisable as a Ferrari.
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| Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti 1973 |
Not only did the Daytona push the envelope of Ferrari’s design language, but it also brought Ferrari’s performance to new heights. With 352 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 315 foot-pounds of torque at 5,500 rpm from its magnificent V-12 engine, it goes without saying that the Daytona’s performance was incredible. The car was capable of sprinting to 100 km/h from a standstill in 5.4 seconds and achieving a top speed of 174 mph. At its unveiling, this made the Daytona the world’s fastest production car, as it was a full three mph faster than the Lamborghini Miura P400.
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| Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti 1973 |
Following Ferrari’s incredible 1-2-3 finish at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona, the 365 GTB/4 quickly picked up the nickname “Daytona”, in celebration of Ferrari’s incredible finish.
The car’s performance was praised by both the motoring press and customers alike. Perhaps one of the most well-known quotes regarding the Daytona’s performance came from noted racing driver and journalist Paul Frere. After reportedly taking the Daytona to 176 mph on the Italian autostrada in 1969, he commented that the radio was useless past 120 mph. He further noted that “if you go faster, it’s the engine that makes the music, the finest music of all to the ears of the enthusiast, and the music he can enjoy in a well-sprung car, fitted with such amenities as electric window lifters, air conditioning…and a really capacious luggage locker—a grand touring car par excellence”.
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| Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti 1973 |
Chassis number 16393, the 1,000th Daytona produced by the factory, was completed on 6 February 1973 and finished in Rosso Chiaro (20-R-190) over a Beige (VM 3218) leather interior. This European-specification example was fitted with air conditioning and delivered new to the official Ferrari dealership in Perugia, Italy, Romeo & Sante Pedini, Pedini Automobili S.a.s, according to Ferrari historian Marcel Massini.
Not much is known about the car’s early history, but it was eventually exported to the United States. By 1987, the Daytona was shipped back to Italy for a full restoration. Bodywork was completed by Carrozzeria Egidio Brandoli and the car’s mechanicals were left to Autofficina Franco Toni. After being advertised for sale in the UK, the car was sold back to the U.S.A., where it resided in Florida for a number of years with a handful of owners.
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| Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti 1973 |
The car was purchased by an owner in Canada in 2008, and subsequently, it received a mechanical and cosmetic re-freshening, which included a full rebuild of the brake system. The interior was also re-trimmed in its original beige leather, with the addition of red inserts. The Daytona is currently sporting Campagnolo alloy wheels with knock-off hubs.
The Daytona is undoubtedly one of the most iconic Ferraris of all time, and it is prized just as much for its driving dynamics and performance as it is for its breath-taking looks. It marked the end of the line for Ferrari’s two-seater, front-engined V-12 grand tourers until the introduction of the 550 Maranello nearly a quarter-century later.
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