Coming at the end of a long and distinguished line of front-engine V-12 grand touring coupes, the Daytona more than delivered on Ferrari’s established formula of stunning looks and outstanding performance. For most, if not all, of its production run, it was considered the fastest car in the world by top speed. Officially known as the 365 GTB/4, Ferrari was swift to capitalize upon its win in the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona, unofficially nicknaming its newest top-of-the-line V-12 grand tourer the Daytona. The moniker embodied the Ferrari mystique: race-bred performance more than equal to anything else on the road, and social status associated with an appreciation for the finest in design and craftsmanship. A truly legendary Ferrari in all respects and an essential component of any serious collection, the 365 GTB/4 was, and remains, an iconic Enzo-era model, with marque experts citing just 1,284 GTB/4s constructed in all.

This late-production Daytona, chassis 16519, was completed in Rosso Chiaro (Light Red) with a black leather interior in March 1973 to European-market specifications, and soon thereafter was dispatched to its first owner in Switzerland. After being briefly held in Portugal, its first long-term caretaker, based in Sweden, acquired the car in 1976. The Daytona was imported into the US in the early 1980s and by 1986 it had joined the Connecticut collection of Stanley Cohen, reportedly showing some 13,000 km. The interior was re-trimmed in tan leather prior to its acquisition by respected sports car enthusiast and collector Herb Chambers, who enjoyed it as his personal car, adding a set of Borrani wire wheels and retaining the five-spoke Cromodora alloy wheels in storage.

In mid-2004, the consignor acquired the Daytona, fulfilling a years-long goal. In 2005, he showed it with pride at the Concorso Italiano in Monterey, California, and the car was approved by Ferrari Classiche for certification the following year. Throughout his 16-year tenure with the Ferrari, the owner has enjoyed it on the road and has had service performed by Ferrari of Houston, with the odometer now reading just over 24,300 kilometers. The accompanying Ferrari Classiche Red Book affirms this Daytona’s matching-numbers status, and it is further offered with its owner’s manual set, tool roll, and a file of maintenance receipts dating from the consignor’s ownership, as well as the aforementioned Cromodora wheel rims. As electrifying now as when new, the Daytona has to be considered among the most beautiful Ferraris of the past 50 years, and this one stands ready to take its part in new adventures on the more scenic roads of the country.

*Please note that this vehicle will not be sold for use or resale in California or to a non-dealer California resident.