1971 | Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona

Highlights 

Certified by Ferrari Classiche, confirming its fully matching-numbers status

The 36th of a mere 122 ‘Daytona’ Spiders built

The recipient of a comprehensive restoration undertaken by Carrozzeria Zanasi in Maranello – the Ferrari factory’s preferred ‘special-order’ painter

Finished in its original colour combination of Grigio Ferro over Pelle Rossa with Nero ‘Daytona’ seat inserts

Hand-signed by Piero Ferrari, the son of company founder Enzo Ferrari

Accompanied by a report carried out by the world’s leading Ferrari expert Marcel Massini

European taxes paid

The Ferrari 365 GTS/4 ‘Daytona’ Spider

The Ferrari 365 GTB/4’s dizzying Pininfarina-engineered beauty has been causing knees to weaken and eyes to well for decades. That sleek fastback body epitomised the romance and appeal of the Italian Gran Turismo. The ‘Daytona’ is the kind of classic in which you could turn up anywhere on the planet, be it Monaco or Mumbai, and you’d draw gawping onlookers by the dozen. It starred in Miami Vice and even Elton John owned one. And in the 1970s that was a big deal.

The absolute must-have luxury Grand Tourer in the 1960s and ’70s, the 4.4-litre Colombo V12-powered ‘Daytona’ is no shrinking violet when it comes to hiking up its skirt and getting a move on. Just ask the legendary American racing drivers Brock Yates and Dan Gurney, who, in 1971, famously drove a ‘Daytona’ 2,876 miles from New York City to Redondo Beach in California in a record time of 35 hours and 54 minutes. That’s an average speed of 80.8mph!

Despite the inherent desirability of the ‘Daytona’, Ferrari still believed there was a way to enhance sales, particularly in the lucrative North American market. And so, at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show, it presented the 365 GTS/4 ‘Daytona’ Spider. The drop-top version of the stunning Gran Turismo embodied everything that was great about the coupé, just with that added ‘wind-in-your-hair’ feeling.

Of the 1,404 ‘Daytonas’ produced, a mere 122 left Maranello in Spider guise. This rarity, coupled with the car’s aesthetic appeal, meant the GTS/4 was always an especially desirable Ferrari – a veritable status symbol among the great and the good, particularly in La La Land.

Chassis number 14857

The magnificent 365 GTS/4 ‘Daytona’ Spider we’re thrilled to be presenting, chassis number 14857, left the Ferrari factory in December of 1972, bound for Reno in Nevada – the so-called ‘Biggest Little City in the World’. The gorgeous shade of Grigio Ferro was contrasted with Pelle Rosso hide and Nero ‘Daytona’ seat inserts. Notable specification choices included the more traditional Borrani wire wheels and air conditioning – a must for the arid heat of the Nevadan desert.

The first four decades of chassis 14857’s life can be charted right across the United States of America, from Texas and New York to California and Illinois. Crucially, the car’s chain of ownership is comprehensively documented. Notable early owners included the award-winning Hollywood actor George Hamilton and Levon ‘Leo’ Gugasian, whose son was recently able to share some amazing photographs of the car dating back to 1976, when it was registered in Florida.

It was only in 2012 that this ‘Daytona’ Spider returned back across the Atlantic. While the United Kingdom was where its new owner was based, chassis 14857 was promptly sent to Italy to be comprehensively restored. Carrozzeria Zanasi was the specialist entrusted with carrying out the project – a fitting choice, given Zanasi has been Ferrari’s preferred paint shop for its ‘special-order’ models for decades.

The brief for the restoration was clear: return this GTS/4 to its original factory specification. And as the hundreds of accompanying photos documenting the project attest, no stone was left unturned by Zanasi as it went about achieving just that. Upon completion, chassis number 14857 was submitted for full Ferrari Classiche certification – certification it duly received, confirming the car’s matching-numbers chassis, engine and gearbox.

This ‘Daytona’ Spider was subsequently bought by a collector (a high-ranking board member and former Financial CEO at Ferrari) based in Germany, where it has resided since. Chassis 14857 was acquired by its current German custodian in 2020, who has enjoyed the car on a handful of occasions, including on the Ferrari Cavalcade Dolomiti in 2022. It was during this memorably road rally that Il Commendatore’s son, Piero Ferrari, hand-signed the diamond-quilted lining beneath the bonnet.

The preserve of the 1970s Jet Set, the 365 GTS/4 ‘Daytona’ Spider is, quite rightly, now an extremely desirable proposition for even the most discerning of Ferrari collectors. Its rarity elevates it far beyond its closed-top counterpart, not to mention its beauty, which truly dazzles.

With its lesser-seen (and utterly elegant) specification, entirely traceable chain of ownership, painstaking Carrozzeria Zanasi restoration and, most importantly, its Ferrari Classiche certification, chassis number 14857 boasts many a string to its bow. It would bolster any great Ferrari collection.

Price Upon Application