1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB RHD

One of only 58. A UK-supplied, right-hand drive 365 Berlinetta Boxer with factory air-conditioning

One of very few originally supplied in Giallo Fly, however, was refinished in classic Rosso Corsa in 1982

Superbly retrimmed in Tan with black inserts. Scope for future investment by returning the car to Yellow

Matching numbers. Extensive and valuable service history, original book pack, radio, tool and jack kits

Fresh Cambelts, a full brake service, 12 months MOT, and an Inspection Report immediately prior to sale

A fabulous Boxer. Rare with this level of history and undoubtedly the most usable 365BB on the market today

By the dawn of the 1970s, it had become clear that Ferrari's front-engined, Daytonas replacement would have to position the engine behind the driver in order to remain at the forefront of the supercar market. The Miura was selling well, Maserati had just introduced the mid-engined Bora and even the cut-price De Tomaso Pantera offered an exotic badge and layout for less well-heeled mortals.

Despite the fact that replacing the Daytona, long regarded as the ultimate Grand Tourer, seemed an impossible feat, the all-new 365 GT4/BB appeared on the world stage at the 1971 Turin Motor Show and received a rapturous reception. With streamlined, low and extremely aggressive lines, it was the first production Ferrari to be fitted with the boxer-type 12-cylinder engine derived from the F1 unit. The technical approach taken was completely different from that adopted on all other Ferrari models produced so far, and the architecture was not that of the classic front-engined V12s - the longitudinally-mounted engine featured opposing cylinder banks. The two Bs stand for Berlinetta Boxer and the 'Boxer' reference was derived from the fact that the cylinder banks form an angle of 180°, producing an engine with a flat, rectangular shape which enabled the cars centre of gravity to be lowered. On the BB, close attention was also paid to the transmission, with the gearbox positioned under the engine next to the oil sump. From a technical standpoint, this solution rendered design and construction considerably more complex and consequently, the gestation period for this model took longer than usual, however, it was definitely worth the wait.

Engine displacement was 4400 cc, with 380 bhp and a top speed of around 180mph and these outstanding levels of performance led the 365 GT4 BB to be crowned the fastest car in the world when it was unveiled. The tubular steel spaceframe chassis was reinforced by the addition of integral steel panels around the cockpit section, making it virtually a 'monocoque' construction and the wedge shape of the nose appears to owe quite a lot to the 1968 Pininfarina P6 concept car. The lower section of the nose featured a full-width aluminium egg-crate radiator grille, from the top edge of which an indent line ran around the body perimeter, visually creating an upper and lower half and rendering it even more streamlined. This separation was emphasised by the two-tone paint: matte black on the lower part, and the chosen body colour on the upper part. The contrast gave the car a super sporty, modern look, pre-empting a trend that is still in vogue today.

Contemporary road tests praised the 365 BB as being the fastest Ferrari yet, high praise indeed for a car the boss was initially reluctant to engineer. Despite the great press, Enzo was also reluctant to officially export the car to North America, thinking the market would fail to understand it and that US regulations would dampen the 365 BB's lively nature. Therefore, just 387 of these now-revered models were built over a three-year period between 1973 and 1976. Succeeded by the heavier, less powerful and more abundant 512 BB, the 365 BB remains the connoisseur's choice with the market seemingly confirming this fact.

We are pleased to offer this exceptional and rare 1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB one of only 58 built in right-hand drive. It was initially finished in Giallo Fly (Ferrari yellow) which makes it even rarer as, we believe, only 12 rhd cars left Maranello in this colour. We understand that the car was repainted Rosso Corsa in 1982 simply as a matter of personal preference and the interior was professionally retrimmed at the same time. Fitted with factory air-conditioning from new, this is a matching numbers car that benefits from an unusually detailed history. The owner's file illustrates work carried out by all the right people, HR Owen, Kent High Performance, Foskers, and Terry Keys Motorsport. The speedometer head was changed at 13,760 miles in 1980 by HR Owen and now shows 37,400 (+13,760 = 51,160). Foskers refitted a standard stainless exhaust system, including manifold and triple tailpipes in 2014 and carried out an engine-out belt change at 36,665 miles (less than 800 miles ago), however, our vendor has instructed Terry Keys Mororsport to carry out a further belt change immediately prior to the sale and they will also complete a full brake service, and prepare a comprehensive condition report at the same time.

In addition to this report and its history file, the car is accompanied by its book pack, a Ferrari tool and jack kit, and 28 MOT Certificates indicating that the car has covered around 7,000 miles in the last 20 years. This is an excellent example of a classic Ferrari with great history and sensibly guided. It could well reward some investment by returning it to its rare original Yellow, or a new owner could simply jump in and have fun. Either way, this is undoubtedly the most usable 365 Boxer on the market today.