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1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4

As the 1960s were coming to a close, horsepower and the so-called 'muscle car era' were reaching a pinnacle in the United States. Across the Atlantic, the European market was enjoying a similar euphoric era as styling and horsepower were taken to new heights, with wedge-shaped styling rampant throughout the industry and mid-engine placement being the hot new thing.

For Ferrari, the early part of the decade began with the sporty 250 GTO, the luxurious 250 GT/L 'Lusso', and the convenience of 2+2 seating with the 330 America, built alongside the 400 Superamerica. Ferrari reluctantly embraced the mid-engine 'movement,' first with a series of racing prototypes and eventually with the Dino 206 and 246. Encapsulating every aspect that was 'traditional' Ferrari was the 365 GTB/4, introduced in 1968 and produced through 1973. It was a front-engine exotic beauty penned by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina and built atop a (traditional) oval tube ladder-type frame. Its heart was a Tipo 251 Colombo-designed V12 engine with a 60-degree bank angle, hemispherical combustion chambers, single-plug ignition, and a displacement size of 4,390cc. It had a bore and stroke of 81mm x 71 mm, dual overhead camshafts with two valves per cylinder, and 6x2 barrel 40 DCN/20 Weber carburetors. With a compression ratio of 9.3:1, the engine offered approximately 350 horsepower at 7,500 RPM and a maximum torque of 318 lb-ft at 5500 RPM. The engine had an identical bore and stroke to the Tipo 245 engines installed in the 365 GT 2-plus-2, GTC and GTS models. It was lubricated by a dry-sump system with a 14-liter separate tank.

The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 could race from zero-to-sixty mph in 5.4 seconds and had a top speed of 174 mph.

The engine was backed by a five-speed manual transmission that was mounted in the rear for optimal weight distribution. The suspension was independent at the front and rear with wishbones and coil springs. The wheelbase measured 94.5 inches and its overall length was 174.2 inches.

The styling, penned by Pininfarina and executed by Scaglietti (on all examples except the first Pininfarina prototype), was fashionable, elegant, and athletic. The company's traditional rounded designs were shed in favor of a more contemporary, shared-edged appearance. Early examples had fixed headlights behind an acrylic glass cover. This design became obsolete when a new U.S. safety regulation banned headlights behind covers, prompting Ferrari to replace the design with retractable pop-up twin headlights in 1971.

Ferrari introduced its new model in 1968 at the Paris Auto Salon and the name was expected to be the 'Daytona' in celebration of the company's 1-2-3 finish at the 1967 Daytona 24 Hour race. Instead, Ferrari dubbed it the 365 GTB/4 but is commonly known as the 'Daytona.'

The bulk of production focused on the GTB/4 Berlinetta with 1,284 examples built between 1968 and 1973. Just 122 examples of the GTS/4 Spider were built from 1971 through 1973. A unique example (chassis number 15275) was delivered new to Philadelphia-area Ferrari dealer Chinetti-Garthwaite Motors and later given a 'Shooting Brake' body in England by Panther Westwinds according to Luigi Chinetti Jr.'s design.

Ferrari road-going models are often raced, and this was true of the 365 GTB/4. A specially prepared aluminum-bodied example was entered in the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1969 but failed to 'toe' the starting line after it was crashed during practice. This was followed by three batches of 'official' racing variants with five examples built of each 'batch.' The first batch was built in 1970, the second in 1972, and the final in 1973. Unique to these cars was lightweight bodywork comprised of aluminum and fiberglass panels and Plexiglas windows. The first batch of five cars used the same engine powering the road-going examples. The second and third batches of vehicles received modifications with outputs of 400 bhp (2nd batch) and 450 bhp (3rd batch). These cars were raced by privateers with accolades including a 5th overall at the 1971 24 Hours of LeMans, and GT class victories in 1972, 1973, and 1974. A 365 GTB/4 took the first five places of the GT Class in 1972. A 1973 car captured a class victory and 2nd overall in the 1979 24 Hours of Daytona.

The Ferrari 'Daytona' was the fastest production car in the world at that time and had the quickest acceleration when pitted against the Lamborghini Miura, Mercedes-Benz 350SL, Jaguar V12 E-Type and the De Tomaso Pantera.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe
Chassis number: 12925

This unique 365GTB/4 Daytona 'Spyder' Speciale was built by the Ferrari factory for a Sig. Rissi of Milan in 1969. It was first seen on the Pininfarina stand at the Paris Auto Show in October. It is the only Daytona designated as a 'Speciale.'

The car has had four owners, Sig. Rissi of Milan, The Matsuda Collection in Japan, a European collector and the current owners acquired it in 2010. It was driven regularly while in Japan and the current owners have participated in the Copperstate 1000. The car is Ferrari Classiche certified and has been chronicled in many magazines and books.

The car has many unique features including a removable zip-out rear window, a brushed aluminum roll bar along with unique bumpers and interior appointments. These features make it very different from the Ferrari Daytonas that followed. For 25 years it was a feature in the Matsuda Collection in Tokyo. The 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance was its first public showing in North America. The Ferrari Daytona was the last of the classic front-engined V12 Ferraris. In its day, it was the fastest road-going sports car on sale, capable of 180 mph.

Coupe
Chassis number: 12699
Engine number: B202

This 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona is equipped with a 4,390cc Tipo 251 DOHC V-12 engine with six Weber 40 DCN20 carburetors and delivering 352 horsepower at 7,500 RPM. It has a five-speed manual transaxle, four-wheel servo-assisted ventilated disc brakes, and an independent suspension with wishbones and coil springs.

This Ferrari is among the earliest examples of the 365 GTB/4, bearing Scaglietti body no. 38 and engine internal no. B202. It was completed on July 2nd of 1969 and wore Blu Ferrari (Ferrari Blue, code 20-A-185) over beige leather. It was a 'plexinose' example built for the Italian market.

The Daytona was delivered in February 1970 to Luciano Ravasio & Sons, the official dealer in Verona, Italy, and sold to local resident Luigi Ravizza. In June 1972, it was stolen, recovered in 1976, and returned to its rightful owner, Gianluigi Cernuschi of Milan. The car remained in Italy through the late 1970s, passing through a succession of owners.

Around 1980, the car was imported to the United States by Max Lagomarsino. It was modified for American use which involved fitting pop-up headlights, a dash-mounted VIN plate, and side marker lights. Perhaps around this time, the body was refinished in its current black livery.

In 1982, the car was acquired by Stephen P. Dean who drove it regularly for approximately 15 years. The car was then partially disassembled and various mechanical projects were completed. Since then, the car has remained in static storage. Currently, the car has 45,303 km on the odometer.

by Dan Vaughan

The 365 Series was introduced in the late 1960's and stayed in production until the early 1970's. The 365's were often powered by a Columbo SOHC 4390 cc V-12 engine with three Weber carburetors capable of producing around 300 horsepower. The front and rear suspension for most of the series was independent with double wishbones and coil springs. The 365 GT4 2+2 had an independent with transverse parallelograms and coil springs suspension. The 365 California had a live axle with coil springs rear suspension. The chassis was an oval tube ladder-type frame layout.

Disc brakes were standard on all the vehicles, as was the five-speed manual gearbox. Many of the series received standard options such as power steering and air conditioning, uncommon at the time. When most manufacturers such as Lamborghini and DeTomaso were creating vehicles with mid-engined design, Ferrari continued to use their tried-and-true front-engined, rear-wheel design.

In 1967 Ferrari dominated the Daytona 24 Hours race with a first, second, and third-place finish. At the 1968 Paris Auto Show, the public and press were expecting Ferrari's new Berlinetta to be dubbed 'Daytona'. They were proven wrong when Ferrari dubbed the vehicle the 365 GTB/4, however, the name Daytona is a common reference to the vehicle even to this day. Ferrari had intended on using 'Daytona' but it was revealed prematurely so the traditional Ferrari naming sequence was used.

During its production lifespan lasting from 1968 through 1974, 1383 examples of the Pininfarina designed 365 GTB/4 Daytona vehicles were created.

The famous coachbuilder Pininfarina was tasked with creating many of the designs for the 365 Series. The designs were not new, rather they borrowed many of the styling cues of the prior 330 GTC and 275 GTS models. The headlights were courtesy of the 500 Superfast. The result was a visually stunning automobile with proven Ferrari mechanics and performance.

GT represented Gran Turismo. GTB represented Berlinetta or coupe. GTS stood for open models which were either a Targa roof or a full convertible. '4' represented four-cam engines. 'C' represented 'Competizione' or 'Corsa' meaning 'to race'.

365 California

In 1966 Ferrari introduced the 365 California at the Geneva Auto Show as a replacement for the Ferrari 500 Superfast. The famous coachbuilder, Pininfarina, had been tasked with creating the body for the vehicle. The result was a two-door, two-seat, convertible. The 365 borrowed many of the mechanics of its predecessor including the five-speed manual gearbox, chassis, and suspension. The front of the vehicle was similar in design to the 500 with the remaining portions all new. With a top speed of 240 km/h, it was the fastest convertible in the world at the time. Disc brakes provided excellent stopping power for the 1300 kg vehicle. Production continued for only a year with a total of fourteen examples being created.

365 GT2+2

In 1967 Ferrari introduced the 365 GT2+2, only its second production four-seater vehicle. The vehicle would stay in production until 1971 during which around 800 examples being created.

The rear passengers had limited headroom but there was sufficient legroom for most passengers. The purpose of the vehicle was to provided performance and comfort. As a result, the vehicle was outfitted with electric windows, leather interior, power-assisted brakes, full carpeting, and optional air conditioning.

365 GTC

Near the close of 1968, Ferrari introduced the 365 GTC which stayed in production until 1970. During the production lifespan, 168 examples were produced. The 365 GTC was basically a 330 GTC with a SOHC 4390 cc V-12 engine. Visually, the vehicle was very similar to its predecessor except for the air vents in the front wings had been removed. In their place were black vents placed in the back corners of the hood.

365 GTS

The 365 GTS was a replacement for the 330 GTS. It featured a 4390 cc SOHC engine and had its cooling vents removed in favor of vents in the hood. Only twenty examples were created.

365 GTC/4

In 1971 Ferrari introduced the 365 GTC/4 as a replacement for the 365 GT 2+2. It sat atop a Daytona chassis and given an independent suspension. The same Daytona ventilated disc brakes were used. The gearbox was mounted in the front and the engine was the 4390 cc V12 but with six side draught Weber carburetors and wet-sump lubrication resulting in 340 horsepower.

The design was once again handled by Pininfarina. The two-door, 2+2 coupe had pop-up headlights and five-spoke alloy wheels. During its production lifespan lasting until 1972, around 500 examples were produced. Strict American safety and emission regulations were partly responsible for the demise of the GTC/4.

365 GT4 2+2

The 365 GT4 2+2 was debuted to the public at the 1972 Paris Auto Show as a replacement for the 365 GT 2+2 and the 365 GTC/4. It sat atop an enlarged 365 GTC/4 chassis and given the same mechanics. The larger chassis meant more interior room for the passengers, especially the rear passengers, and their luggage. The styling was once again assigned to Pininfarina. The design was different from the prior 365 models.

During its production lifespan lasting until 1976, 524 examples were created.

365 GT4 BB

The 365 GT4 BB, meaning Berlinetta Boxer, was introduced to the public at the 1971 Turin Auto Show. Its styling was similar to the P6 show car built in 1968. The engine was a flat-12 cylinder power-plant mounted longitudinally. The gearbox was mounted under the engine. This was a great design but ultimately created an unbalanced weight distribution with most of the weight over the rear axle. The weight distribution problem and the fact that the engine was mounted high in the vehicle resulted in a car that had poor handling and never achieved successful racing status.

The 365 GT4 BB was replaced by the 512 BB in 1976. The 512 BB was similar in design but featured a five-liter engine.

by Dan Vaughan