1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti

1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti
Sold for $962,500 Including Commission
RM Auction, Monterey, CA. 2014
Chassis no. 16571
352 bhp, 4,390 cc dual overhead-camshaft V-12 engine with six Weber 40DCN20 carburetors, five-speed manual rear-mounted transaxle, four-wheel upper and lower wishbone coil-spring independent suspension, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 94.5 in.
•Highly desirable color combination
•Just three owners from new, with less than 22,000 miles
•Features original paint, interior, books, and tools
•Remarkably well documented, including service records dating back to 1975
•Ferrari Classiche certified
The 365 GTB/4 was introduced at the 1968 Paris Salon as the replacement to the legendary 275 GTB/4. It featured dramatic new lines penned by Leonardi Fioravanti at Pininfarina, and it quickly picked up the nickname “Daytona” from Ferrari’s dramatic 1-2-3 finish at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona. While it looked remarkably different from the outgoing 275, the design was considered to be nothing short of groundbreaking, and it would set the tone for Ferrari styling for years to come. At that time, Lamborghini had already introduced the mid-engine Miura to great acclaim, and many believed that all high-performance supercars of the future would be mid-engined. With the introduction of the Daytona, it was clear that Ferrari decided to stick to what made them famous for their next V-12 road car, asserting that the front engine/rear drive layout could still produce cutting-edge performance.
Lurking under the car’s hood was an all-new 4.4-liter, V-12 engine that gave the Daytona more than enough performance to back up its breathtaking looks. The engine was topped with six Weber carburetors, allowing for the Daytona to produce 352 horsepower with 315 foot-pounds of torque at 7,500 rpm. Its performance was incredible, as it could rocket to a top speed of 174 mph after reaching 60 mph in 5.4 seconds from a standstill. That top speed was 3 mph faster than the Miura P400, making it the world’s fastest production car at the time of its unveiling.
When new, the Daytona was praised by both customers and the motoring press alike, and perhaps one of the most well-known quotes about the Daytona’s performance came from noted racing driver and later automotive journalist Paul Frere. After reportedly taking the Daytona to 176 mph on the Italian autostrada in 1969, he commented that the radio was useless past 120 mph. He further noted that “if you go faster, it’s the engine that makes the music, the finest music of all to the ears of the enthusiast, and the music he can enjoy in a well-sprung car, fitted with such amenities as electric window lifters, air conditioning…and a really capacious luggage locker—a grand touring car par excellence.” This was great praise from a man who was certainly very familiar with Ferraris, as he took 1st overall, with Olivier Gendenbien, for Scuderia in the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he drove a 250 TR 59/60.
The Daytona remained in production through 1973, and 1,284 examples were produced in total, making it one of the most successful models the company had ever produced. Sadly, this would be the traditional Ferrari grand tourer for quite some time, as it was replaced by the 365 GT4 BB, which bore a mid-mounted, flat 12-cylinder engine.
According to noted Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, chassis number 16571 was completed on July 4, 1973, and was finished in Argento Auteuil (106-E-1) over a Pelle Nera interior (VM 8500), as it exists to this very day. In October of that year, it was delivered to the United States and Ferrari’s West Coast distributor, William Harrah’s Modern Classic Motors in Reno, Nevada. Two months later, it was purchased and subsequently delivered to James A Carelli, a dentist living in Coral Springs, Florida. Just nine months into Carelli’s ownership, it is noted that 16571’s original engine was replaced under warranty in August 1974. While the specific reason for the engine replacement is unknown, it is believed that the replacement was performed with under 7,000 miles on both the chassis and engine.
Carelli kept and continued to use his Daytona until 1974, when he decided to finally part ways with it. He listed the car for sale in his local newspaper in March 1975, and at that time, Roger Jones, of Newport Beach, California, was on a business trip in Coral Springs and saw Carelli’s listing for his Daytona, which stated an asking price of $20,000 and listed 7,300 miles on the car’s odometer. Jones negotiated a purchase price of $19,900 with Carelli, and he came back to Florida the following month to formally pick up and purchase the car.
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Robert Myrick Photography