This is the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, a car you’ll more likely know as the ‘Daytona’. Its dizzying Pininfarina-engineered beauty has been causing knees to weaken and eyes to well for decades. That sleek fastback body epitomises the romance and appeal of the Italian Gran Turismo. The ‘Daytona’ is the kind of classic in which you can turn up anywhere on the planet, be it Monaco or Mumbai, and you’ll 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!

The car we’re privileged to have recently rehomed bears the distinction of being the lowest-mileage Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ we’ve ever encountered, showing just 2,285 miles on the odometer. Chassis number 15441 left the Ferrari factory in September of 1972, finished in stunning Blu Dino over a Rosso interior. An American-specification example, the car was configured with the desirable options of air-conditioning and power windows.

Though it had crossed the Atlantic and arrived at its designated Ferrari concessionaire, Algar Ferrari of Paoli in Pennsylvania, by October, this ‘Daytona’ would not find its first home until April of 1973. As its original factory Warranty Card indicates, the first owner was the Pennsylvania-based Albert H Manwaring III, and he had the complimentary ‘A’ and ‘B’ services carried out by Algar Enterprises Inc on 11 May 1973.

In the late 1970s it appears chassis number 15441 was repossessed and displayed for several years in the foyer of a bank in Atlanta, Georgia. Well it certainly beats walking past a sour-faced receptionist on your way into work every morning. In 1987, the ‘Daytona’ emerged for sale publicly, listed in the Ferrari Market Letter by a Californian collection. The car was noted as being finished in dark blue with a red interior and just 800 miles on the odometer. There was no asking price.

The advert piqued the interest of Engelbert Stieger, custodian of the Turning Wheel Collection in Switzerland. For decades the Turning Wheel Collection housed one of Europe’s most diverse and historically-significant stables of road and competition Ferraris. We could dedicate several books’ worth of prose to extolling the virtues of Stieger’s collection, but we’ll refrain. What we will tell you is that it included a 250 GTO, 250 GT ‘SWB’ Competizione, a 206 S Dino Spider and a 312 P/B.

Stieger always strived to find the very best Ferraris he could, which is likely why this 365 GTB/4, with its striking specification and ultra-low mileage, caught his eye. Chassis number 15441 remained in the Turning Wheel Collection for 36 years, during which time it was driven a mere 1,500 miles. Like all of Stieger’s cars, however, the ‘Daytona’ was always maintained in perfect working order.

The story of this exceptional Ferrari reached its penultimate scene in April of 2023, when it crossed the Atlantic once again and joined the collection of a prominent American entrepreneur. Less than a year later, in the spring of this year, Girardo & Co. was entrusted with finding chassis number 15441 a great new home – a mission we duly completed.

This really was one of those cars you just don’t encounter very often any more. A bulletproof provenance. Unbelievably low mileage. Matching-numbers throughout. And retaining all the original factory paraphernalia Ferrari collectors today obsess over: the leather documents pouch, user’s manuals, stamped warranty card, complete tool roll, spare wheel and jack set. We sincerely hope this 365 GTB/4’s new owner recognises the car’s significance and writes its next chapter with the same reverence as its previous owners.

SOLD