1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Spyder

The Ferrari 365GTB/4 made its debut at the 1968 Paris Salon, and soon gained the unofficial name 'Daytona' in honor of the 1-2-3 finish by the Ferrari 330P4 sports prototype at that circuit in 1967. Design features included the long bonnet and short tail, as well as the full-width transparent panel covering the headlamps, though this was replaced by electrically operated pop-up lights to meet US requirements soon after the start of production in the second half of 1969. The design was courtesy of Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti, later the carrozzeria's director of research and development, who gave the car an elegant yet masculine appearance.

The V-12 engine gained four overhead camshafts during production of the 275GTB cars - thus equipped acquiring a '/4' suffix - and in the Daytona displaced 4,390cc. It had dry-sump lubrication and power output was rated at just over 350 bhp. It had 50/50 weight distribution and a five-speed transaxle.

The Daytona was not available with power steering. It did have servo assistance for the four-wheel, ventilated disc brakes. Air conditioning was optional.

The convertible Daytona, inspired by Luigi Chinetti's 275 GTB-based NART Spider, was first seen at the Paris Salon in 1969, with deliveries commencing in 1971.

At the time of its launch, the Daytona was the most powerful two-seater, road-going GT and the world's fastest production car. It had a top speed of over 170 mph. Approximately 1,400 Berlinetta coupes were built and just 123 Spider Convertibles. Production ceased in 1973.

This particular example completed assembly in December of 172 and was distributed in August 1973 to Chinetti-Garthwaite importership in Paoli, Pennsylvania. It was factory equipped with a radio, instrumentation in miles, and air conditioning. The Scaglietti coachwork was finished in Marrone Colorado (Colorado brown) paint a chocolate soft top, and the interior was trimmed with beige vaumol leather. In October 1973 the Ferrari was sold by Chinetti-Garthwaite to Orange Motors of Miami and then put on display at the Miami Motor Show.

In February 1974 the 365 GTS/4 was delivered to its first private owner, Robert Gittleman of Coral Gables, Florida, and by 1977 the car had passed to Tom Turnas of Sterling Heights, Michigan.

By 1978, the 365 GTS/4 was owned by Jake Weaver of Brandon, Missouri, and two years later it was sold to Terry Jones of Cerritos, California, who repainted the car and offered it for sale, at which time the odometer reportedly displayed 7,753 miles. Briefly passing through the dealership of Chicago-based Joe Marchetti in 1985, the spider was purchased by Dr. Tom Murphy of Evanston, Illinois. Dr. Murphy retained the Ferrari for over a decade, during which he presented it at the FCA International Concours d'Elegance at Monterey, California, in August 1994.

Steve Levy of Chicago acquired it in January of 2000. In September of 2008, he commissioned a comprehensive restoration. The exterior was refinished in proper Marrone Colorado paint, while the interior was trimmed with all new beige upholstery with black seat bolsters.

The car was then presented by Levy at the FCA's 45th Annual National Field and Driving Concours at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, in July 2009, winning a Gold award. At the XIX Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, Florida, in January 2010, the car won a Platinum award, and in July 2013 it returned to the FCA Concours at Elkhart Lake, winning another Platinum award.

Currently, the Spider has 17,674 miles on its odometer.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2017