Highlights
- Nut and bolt restoration completed in 2020 by official Ferrari restorer
- Restoration cost 4,000,000 zar (c.£180,000 GBP)
- Comprehensive photographic record of the restoration
- All work professionally carried out to exacting standards
- 39,301 miles indicated, less than 200 covered since restoration
- Original factory specification
- No.285 of 1,280 built
The Appeal
Launched in 1968 as a replacement for the ageing 275 GTB/4, the 365 GTB/4 – unofficially called the ‘Daytona’ in honour of Ferrari’s 1-2-3 finish in the ‘67 24 hours of Daytona – has gone on to be one of the most highly-regarded and collectible cars on the planet.
It’s easy to see why they’re so desirable – from the sharply raked nose to the cab-back stance and Kamm tail, every inch of Pininfarina’s design is hungrily devoured by the eyes. Few cars have the presence, elegance and sheer drama of this legendary grand tourer.
Add to that visual clout an atmospheric V12 and classic open-gate H-pattern transmission and you have all the ingredients for a superb driver’s car too. Not to mention that this was the last Ferrari developed and launched before Fiat took a large stake in the company – so it could be seen as the very last model from the company’s inaugural era.
Presented in it’s factory colour of gleaming Giallo Fly, with a quite gorgeous Nero leather interior and comprehensively restored mechanicals, this is not only a near-pristine example of one of Ferrari’s greatest hits, it’s also one of the most beautiful machines we’ve ever had the pleasure to describe. Incredibly rare and immaculately presented, this stunningly sunny slice of la bella vita is the kind of opportunity you definitely don’t want to miss.
The History and Paperwork
- First registered in September 1970
- Purchased new from Contac T.A.K. Motors in South Africa
- Early “enclosed headlamps” model, in left-hand drive Euro specification
- Original build specification: Giallo Fly over Nero leather
- One of 1,284 built, according to supercars.net and ferrariregistry.net
- VIN: 13743 and engine number B248
- Three previous owners from new
- Current owner purchased the car in 2015 and commissioned a restoration to factory specification
- All work carried out at Pablo Clark Racing and by Ivano Sega of the official Ferrari panel shop in Johannesburg
- Restoration completed in 2020
- 39,301 miles indicated, although the vendor tells us the car has covered fewer than 200 miles since the restoration was completed
- Owner’s handbook and wallet included
- The vendor tells us that they have an extensive file of invoices and history, along with a comprehensive photo record of the restoration process
The Interior
- New Nero VM 8500 Leather from Luppi
- Air conditioning
- Electric windows
- Sympathetically and carefully restored to factory specification
Gazing into the interior of this grand tourer really is a feast for the eyes. Supple, newly fitted Nero leather graces the seats, door cards and transmission tunnel. Suede swathes the upper dash, while the headliner is finished in white ribbed and cushioned vinyl, neatly keeping the cabin fresh and airy in feel.
The high quality finish continues to the carpets, with newly fitted black carpets and matched floor mats. Behind the deep-set bucket seats, there is a handy luggage shelf, complete with leather retaining straps for your cases.
All of these elements are presented in excellent condition, near new in point of fact, with no evidence of wear, damage or staining that we could see.
It’s much the same story with the trim and switchgear internally. The brightwork wears an enchanting sheen, while all the touchpoints, from the wide, thin-rimmed wheel to the tall manual gear-lever, show almost no signs of use. The dials and switches show a warm and light level of patination, which grounds the interior perfectly, allowing the car to keep its character, despite the impressively thorough restoration.
At the back there is a truly commodious luggage space, trimmed with black carpet, as the main cabin, and we’re told that the spare wheel is present and correct.
The vendor assures us that everything in the cabin works just as it should, with no faults or issues to note. It’s as close as you’ll get to sitting in a “straight off the production line” Daytona, in our opinion.
The Exterior
- Factory specification Giallo Fly (20-Y-191) paintwork
- Early ‘plexiglass headlights’ model
- Steel construction, with aluminium doors, bonnet and boot
- Correct ‘Star’ alloy wheels
While a previous owner had the car resprayed in Rosso Corsa, we’re delighted that the current owner decided to methodically return the car to its factory specification. The Giallo Fly paintwork looks absolutely superb on the Daytona, giving an already beguiling machine an even more irresistible finish, as well as keeping things as they should always have been.
As far as we can tell, the paintwork has been finished to a very high standard, with no significant blemishes, marks or areas of poor finish that we could identify.
Likewise, the bodywork itself looks to have been carefully and excruciatingly inspected, restored and refinished. The result is a finish that presents exceptionally well from every angle, with no dings, corrosion, damage or scuffs we could discern.
Traditional polished brightwork liberally adorns the car’s stunning proportions, with lovely little half-bumpers fore and aft, together with high quality chrome trim around the windows and rear lights. As this is an early model, the front features the desirable plexiglass panel enclosing the quad headlights. It looks to be in excellent condition, with no scuffs or scratches apparent.
Thankfully, the original ‘Star’ design 5-spoke alloy wheels, complete with ‘knock-off’ spinners, have been retained and refinished, now shimmering in a fine coat of silver just as when they left the factory. They’re shod in a matched set of quality Michelin tyres, those deep period sidewalls offering the kind of plush ride a classic grand tourer requires.
The Mechanics
- 4,390cc naturally aspirated V12
- Fully rebuilt engine and gearbox
- Six Weber 40 DCN20s
- Five-speed manual transmission
- Fully independent wishbone suspension
- Ansatech exhaust system
Naturally, the soul of any Ferrari is bound up in the oily bits under the bonnet. Lifting the large, front-hinged bonnet reveals a beautifully clean engine bay. New insulation has been fitted to the underside, and generally everything here presents just so. Scouring the photos from the restoration process, it’s clear this car was treated to an engine-out, comprehensive mechanical strip-down and rebuild. So you can have confidence that every millimetre of that 4.4-litre, quad-cam V12 has been treated with the utmost care and dedication.
With dry sump lubrication, a sextet of Weber twin-choke 40s and a new Ansatech exhaust system, this fabulous V12 should pull and sound just as well as it looks too. From the factory, the Daytona was rated at 352hp / 431Nm, great figures even by modern standards. In fact, in September 1971 Autocar magazine recorded a 0-60mph charge of 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 174mph.
But it’s not just in the power delivery that this car gets the blood pumping, with a classic H-gate manual transmission and fully independent wishbone suspension, plus front and rear anti-roll bars, it offers the kind of engagement and tactile responses that Ferraris of the period are renowned for.
Summary
Every now and then, a car comes along that is so special, we almost feel like we don’t need a listing to tell you why you should want it. It simply speaks for itself. This is one such car. It’s a Ferrari, but not just any Ferrari, no, this is a Daytona. And one of the finest examples we’ve ever seen. We’re not sure you could possibly want for anything else…
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