RM Paris 2015 Preview – 1969 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta – Euro-Spec Plexiglass Nose



365gtb4It is hard to believe that the austere and perennially grumpy Europe we know today was once the largest market for supercars like this 1969 Daytona.

This car may have itself marked a tipping point – when American sales of Ferrari and Lamborghini exotics would overtake the Continent for the first time. There was plenty of cash in American buyer hands, but the distribution of exotic imports was extremely limited until the mid-1960s. Unless you lived in Greenwich, CT or Malibu — there simply was no place to buy and service most European supercars.

Rapid distribution expansion by Ferrari followed on the heels of Porsche and Volkswagen starting to enter more than just New York or LA. Ferrari’s dealer network is still very selective today, mind you, but having a dealership at all is generally a great help in spurring repeat sales.

America was mad for the Daytona. It helps that its name is a nod to its 1-2-3 finish at the Florida 24-hour race. Sunny Florida lapped up the car in huge volumes, as did the other major wealth centers of the States.

The Daytona represented a brave step into the future for Ferrari, which sold the car alongside the decidedly retro 1969 Ferrari 365GTC.

Ferrari_365_GTC_front_20020707

The new tech and new style of the 365GTB was an instant hit with trendy tastemakers worldwide, but the US-spec flip-lamp cars are far more common than the Euro-spec vehicle for sale here.

Shrouded in plexiglass and lit in yellow, this was the height of racing knowledge at the time — and gives this Daytona a unique and very-modern look that is expected to bring a price premium. The car sells February 4th, 2015 in Paris at the RM Auctions gala.

1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta

 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 1 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 2 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 29 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 30 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 18 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 19 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 5 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 21 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 23 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 24 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 25 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 26 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 27 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 8 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 7 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 6 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 20 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 22 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 28 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 3 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 4 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 9 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 10 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 11 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 12 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 13 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 14 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 15 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 16

RM Auctions

Paris

4 February 2015

Lot 152

1969 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti

To be auctioned on Wednesday, February 4, 2015

€550.000 – €750.000

  • Chassis no. 12801

  • Engine no. B138

 http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1072228

352 bhp, 4,390 cc DOHC V-12 engine with six Weber carburettors, five-speed manual transmission, independent front and rear suspension with unequal length wishbones and coil springs over telescopic shock absorbers with anti-roll bars, and four wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 2,700 mm

• Formerly owned by Charles Jourdan, Pierre Bardinon, and Comte Chandon
• A full matching-numbers European-specification “Plexi” car
• Group IV-style modifications, installed in period by Ch. Pozzi
• Offered with a comprehensive history file, tools, and full set of books
• A thrilling Daytona!1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 17 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 34 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 33 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 32 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Berlinetta 31

The 1968 Paris Salon saw the introduction of Ferrari’s newest generation of grand touring berlinettas. The car was dubbed the 365 GTB/4, and it quickly picked up the moniker of “Daytona” from the general public in honour of the marque’s legendary 1-2-3 finish at the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona. Its shape was markedly different from the 275 series of Ferraris that preceded it, but it was still sumptuous none the less.

Its body was both angular and curvaceous at the same time, evoking a sense of speed unparalleled by anything else on the market at the time. It became an icon of both speed and style from the moment it was unveiled, and almost everyone who saw the car desired to put one in their garage—but only the privileged few could afford to do so.

The 4.4-litre Colombo-derived V-12 proved to be quite capable of providing its driver with all the speed he or she so desired, and when topped with six Weber carburettors, output stood at about 350 horsepower. This provided for a very impressive 0 – 60 time of 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 174 mph, the highest top speed of any production car ever produced at its introduction.

But this was no stripped-out racer built simply for speed. Like the other Ferrari berlinettas before it, the Daytona’s interior was wrapped in sumptuous leather and proved a wonderful place to be in for long journeys. The boot was more than large enough for a weekend’s worth of luggage for two, proving that it was versatile enough to tangle with other high-strung European sports cars on the track or even be used as a daily driver by a discerning enthusiast.

CHASSIS NO. 12801: SHOES AND CHAMPAGNE

Chassis no. 12801 was manufactured in July 1969 as a full European-specification Daytona with the early and desirable Plexiglas nose, finished in Rosso Rubino (106-R-12) with black (VM 8500) leather interior and grey carpet. According to information from the Ferrari factory, the car was originally equipped with engine no.

B138 and gearbox no. 59, and inspection by an RM Auctions specialist has indicated that both units remain with the car today.

The car, refinished in dark blue, was sold by Ets. Charles Pozzi, the French Ferrari importer, to the famous luxury shoe maker Charles Jourdan on 25 May 1970 and was temporarily registered as 67 WWF 75.

It was then registered in his ownership as 400 MN 26. It remained with Monsieur Jourdan until 3 March 1971, when it was sold to Joseph Zagori, a candy manufacturer of Paris and Marseilles, with 4,379 km and registered as 8052 WZ 75.365gtb4