1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona

Two years after Lamborghini debuted the mid-engined Miura in 1966, Ferrari launched its defiantly traditional and determinedly contrasting alternative, the 365 GTB/4. Almost immediately the 365 GTB/4 gained its "Daytona' moniker from Ferrari's 1-2-3 result in the 1967 24-hour race of the same name.

The Daytona's engine and handling certainly didn't undermine its racing nomenclature. The 4.4-litre, 4-cam V12 produced an astonishing 352bhp and, despite its 1,633kg bulk, the Daytona was billed as the fastest road car in the world. Not only was 174mph more than brisk, but crucially, it was faster than the Miura. The 5-speed gearbox was mounted at the rear for a more optimal weight distribution, and helped give the Daytona its predictable handling and solid road-holding.

Like so many Ferraris of the period, the Daytona's beautiful bodywork was designed by Pininfarina with the car built by Scaglietti. The delicate front was cleanly cut with both pop-up and Plexiglas headlight varieties. The rear slope was suggestively rakish and a Kamm tail provided further clues as to the performance of the car. The wheel arch flares, although elegant in proportion, are the only real overt notion that this car has significant pace, until you drive one!

Chassis #16447 is a left hand drive variant of the iconic Daytona and looks resplendent in its factory correct paint colour of Argento Metallizzato 106-E-1 with contrasting Black leather interior as it was in March 1973 when manufactured and subsequently sold to Mr. R. Minnick of New York.

As with many Ferraris, there are some photographs of this car which we uncovered of it sporting Red paintwork, but a bill on file in 2011 shows that this was professionally returned to its original factory colour as it proudly displays today. This much loved car has been the recipient of well documented maintenance and mechanical works since 2005 to keep it in top running order, most notably among the two history folders which accompany this lot is an invoice for $12,000 USD in September 2012 from A.Z. Collector Cars, Arizona, for a pre-rally check and tune. Later, in June 2014, a further €7,000 was spent having the gearbox rebuilt which may explain why the car drives so well today.

Beautifully presented and boasting original features such as the correct Cromodora wheels and Becker Mexico stereo, and a 2012 report by Ferrari Historian, Marcel Massini which accompanies the car, this Daytona truly represents a, perhaps, unrepeatable opportunity at today's guide price.

Chassis #16647 is EU taxes paid and offered for sale with an MoT test certificate to April 2016 and a valid NOVA number. Depending on your preference for eventual registration, Silverstone Auctions will be able to help and assist you with this process.