The 1968 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona was both a first and a last. With its 174 MPH top speed and 0-60 MPH coming up in a scorching 5.4 seconds, the Daytona was simply the fastest production road car of its day. Yet, the Daytona was also the last front-engined two-seater before Ferrari joined the fast- emerging drive towards the midengined layout. As such the 365 GTB/4 was a celebration, victory lap and swan song for the glorious line of race-bred front-engined V-12 Ferrari GTs dating back to the early 1950s. The layout and chassis of the 365 GTB/4 were essentially the same as its immortal forbear, the 275GTB/4 with all-around independent and coil-sprung suspension and a rear-mounted 5-speed transaxle for near 50/50 weight distribution. The engine, too, was a development of the legendary Colombo- designed quad-cam V-12, but enlarged to 4390cc. Breathing through six twin-choke Weber carburetors it pushed out a mighty 352 HP at 7,500 RPM. As for that beautiful shark-nosed body, it was penned by Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti, who rated it his favorite among all of his Ferrari designs, and it was built by Scaglietti in steel, initially with aluminum closing panels. Later, U.S. cars were fitted with steel doors with inner bracing struts. In fact, though designed from the outset with the American market in mind, fast-changing regulations kept Ferrari on the hop and resulted in the replacement of the fixed headlights behind acrylic covers with retracting pop-up headlights in 1971, when this example hit the road. As a factory-delivered, U.S.-spec example, this 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe in striking Giallo Fly Yellow features factory air-conditioning, electric windows and odometer in MPH, and it’s accompanied by a Marcel Massini report. Prior to joining the Rick Grant Collection in 2015, it was the subject of a ground-up restoration in 1995 on its way to picking up a series of accolades and awards at some of America’s most prestigious velvet-lawn concours events, not least in the custodianship of Robert and Margie Petersen, owners of the Petersen Museum, who were rewarded with the People’s Choice award at the 2003 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Delivered to factory distributor Bill Harrah’s Modern Classic Motor in Reno, Nevada, Serial No. 14453 was sold new to Francisco Mir’s Service and Diagnosis in Santa Monica, California. It was later owned by James Daugharty of Las Vegas and Steven Mattes of Studio City, California, before it was purchased by the Petersens in 2002. Throughout those years, Serial No. 14453 received a Gold Award at the 1997 Concorso Italiano and a Platinum Award at the 1998 Concorso Italiano in Monterey, California. But of course, striking as it undoubtedly is, the Daytona is not just about show. Although never officially named the Daytona, it’s a matter of Ferrari lore that it earned this unofficial moniker in homage to the Ferrari’s headline-grabbing 1-2-3 victory with P-series midengined prototypes at the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours race. Though never intended as a race car or officially entered in races by Scuderia Ferrari, the 365 GTB/4 Daytona acquitted itself extremely well in the hands of privateers, with fifth overall in the 1971 Le Mans and three subsequent wins in the GT category. Indeed, five years after the model had gone out of production, a 1973 365 GTB/4 achieved a class victory and came second overall at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1979.
