The genesis of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona is so well known that it almost requires no introduction. Nicknamed for the manufacturer’s 1-2-3 sweep at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona, the 365 GTB/4 was initially conceived as a stopgap model while a planned rear-engine car with a horizontally opposed 12-cylinder engine underwent further development.
The Daytona coupe proved to be so popular that the development of an open variant was inevitable, and at the 1969 Frankfurt International Auto Show the Ferrari Daytona, officially designated the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, was unveiled. The ultimate expression of Ferrari’s longstanding grand touring tradition, the Daytona Spider was also endowed with great rarity when production ceased after just 121 examples had been built. These crown jewels of Daytona production now stand as the centerpieces of many Ferrari-focused collections, offering exhilarating performance and beautiful open-air styling in the last, and most highly developed, variant of the manufacturer’s great tradition of front-engine V-12 touring models.
Story by RM Sotheby’s
