The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona marked the end of an era. While the Lamborghini Miura had ushered in the mid-engined revolution, the Daytona was resolutely traditional in its conception—the last in a line of legendary front-engined V-12 grand tourers from Maranello that stretched all the way back to the 250 GTs of the mid-1950s.

Launched at the 1968 Paris Motor Show, the 365 GTB/4 soon became universally referred to as the “Daytona” in honour of the Scuderia’s one-two-three result at the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours. It featured the latest 4,390 cc Tipo 251 development of Gioacchino’s Colombo famous V-12. With a 9:1 compression ratio—8.8:1 on US-spec cars—plus dry-sump lubrication and six Weber carburettors, it was good for 352 horsepower at 7,500 rpm.

Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti came up with a design that remains instantly recognisable more than 50 years later, and beneath that Scaglietti-built body was Ferrari’s Tipo 605 chassis. The 2,400 mm wheelbase was the same as on the 275 GTB/4, but the front and rear track measurements were wider. Suspension was independent all round via wishbones and telescopic dampers, while the transaxle layout that had first been seen on the 1964 275 GTB was carried over.

While the Daytona did achieve competition success—Charles Pozzi-entered cars won their class at Le Mans in 1972, 1973 and 1974—this was primarily a roadgoing grand tourer, built to cover long distances at immense speed. Nothing emphasised that more than when Brock Yates and racing legend Dan Gurney drove from New York to Los Angeles in just under 36 hours in the infamous 1971 Cannonball Run. They averaged 80 mph, with Gurney noting that “we never once exceeded 175 mph”.

As renowned journalist Mel Nichols noted in Car magazine: ‘In the development of the front-engined, ultra-high-performing, two-seater road car, the Daytona is the ultimate.’

The car being offered today is chassis number 16711, a right-hand-drive example that was invoiced to UK distributor Maranello Concessionaires on 25 June 1973. Its original specification included air conditioning, Cromodora wheels with wider 9-inch rears, and head rests. Finished in Marrone Metallizzato with Pelle Beige trim, it was sold to its first owner in July that year via Sytner of Mapperley at a cost of £8,938.60.

The Daytona then passed in 1975 to an enthusiast in Dorset and remained in the same family until 1989, when it was offered at auction in Monaco. By that time, the Ferrari had covered only 7,968 miles, with the family stating it had been “well stored, regularly maintained and started every two months”.

It was bought at the Monaco sale by Gerald Carroll and became part of his impressive collection. After being treated to a painstaking restoration by Roger Bennington of the Stratton Motor Company, chassis 16711 was sold to historic racer Jonathan Baker, whose stable also included an Alfa Romeo T33. Baker used the Daytona as a road car and for the occasional Ferrari Owners' Club track day, before selling it in 2003.

A concours winner for its subsequent custodian, chassis 16711 was sold again in 2005 and was used by its new owner on two Tour Britannia rallies and the Gstaad Rally, proving that the Daytona’s performance credentials were still very much intact with a high-speed run on an unrestricted stretch of German autobahn. His daughter also drove it—albeit at a more sedate pace—on the Ladies Rally in Tuscany.

Having been resprayed red early in its life, this Daytona is now presented in the beautiful shade of Blu Chiaro with Tan leather. It was treated to a bare-metal respray in 2014 and its history file includes not only the original sales correspondence but also a wealth of newer invoices and receipts from marque specialists such as Bob Houghton, Stratton, Rardley, and Foskers.

Still fitted with its matching-numbers engine and gearbox, chassis 16711 was awarded Ferrari’s Red Book Classiche certification in 2015 and is supplied with a toolkit. Fastidiously maintained to concours standards and with a continuous history from new, it must be one of the very best Ferrari Daytonas available today.