The origin of the Ferrari marque began with open-top sports cars, powered by the company’s legendary V-12 engine positioned in the front—a trademark configuration that disappeared from Ferrari’s model range after the 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider. With 26 years of continual development from the 125 to the 365, the Daytona Spider is regarded by many tifosi as one of the finest cars to ever leave Maranello’s factory gates.

The Daytona Spider was mechanically identical to the more conventional 365 GTB/4, which itself shared much of its drivetrain with the legendary 275 GTB/4. Underneath the incredible body designed by Leonardo Fioravanti lay a tubular steel chassis in which was housed a monstrous 4.4-litre quad-cam V-12; keeping to Ferrari’s competition roots, the 352-horsepower mill was lubricated with a dry-sump system. In order to keep an ideal weight balance, a transaxle transmitted power to the rear wheels.

According to this car’s accompanying Ferrari Classiche “Red Book”, this Daytona Spider (chassis 15383) was first delivered in March 1972, via the official dealer M. G. Crepaldi Automobili. The Ferrari reached its first owner through another dealership, however, with Motorgui S.r.l. of Milan supplying the car to a resident of the Italian city on 4 July. The car had been registered with the targa “MI P 83722” in the preceding month.

The Scaglietti-built body was coated in Grigio Argento paint, while the cabin was upholstered with Nero Connolly leather. According to marque historian Marcel Massini, chassis 15383 was the 48th Daytona Spider built of the 121 examples made and one of just 14 examples to leave the factory with a Grigio Argento finish.

On 12 June 1974, Motorgui S.r.l. sold chassis 15383 again, with its second owner named as CEI S.r.l., a Milanese company producing hydraulic machinery. In September 1979, Emilio Giussani of Milan became the third owner of this Daytona Spider, and sold the car to Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, then based in Paris as the chairman of beauty and cosmetics company L’Oréal, in April 1980. The following month, the car was registered with the Italian registration “TO U 90877”. By 1981, chassis 15383 was reported to have been painted black and running with a rebuilt engine, later seen at a Ferrari Club event in Alessandria, Italy.

In March 1983, this Daytona Spider had crossed the Atlantic, and was for sale at the official dealer Bob Sharp Ferrari, in Danbury, Connecticut and later sold to Michael Weinstock of New York. By 1993, chassis 15383 had resurfaced, this time spotted in its factory-correct Grigio Argento, and in October 1994 the car was sold to John Winter of Florida. He instructed Bob Shanahan of Symbolic Restorations in San Diego to fully restore the car and repaint it in yellow. Offered for sale in the late 1990s, the Ferrari was sold at auction in 1998 to an unknown buyer.

Emerging in 2010 as part of a prominent collection in Burbank, California, chassis 15383 was certified by Ferrari Classiche, with its “Red Book” issued on 21 April that year. The car was sold at auction to a London-based owner in January 2011 and was later seen driving in a Ferrari driving event in Italy, then painted in yellow. Acquired six years later by the consigning owner, the car has been subject to a bare-metal restoration in a process spanning two years and involving Carrozzeria Zanasi with Joe Macari. The car’s engine and gearbox were rebuilt, with other mechanical components renewed, including suspension. The Ferrari was appointed with a lavish new red leather interior, while the exterior was finished in an attractive shade of gunmetal grey. The restoration finished in time for the Daytona Spider to participate in Cavalcade Classiche, the vintage Ferrari event in Rome, in 2019.

This attractive Daytona Spider is accompanied by its Ferrari Classiche “Red Book”, as well as a copy of the Ferrari Certificato d’Origine, ACI documentation, and a report by Marcel Massini. As one of just 14 examples of the car sold new in Grigio Argento, chassis 15383 is sure to draw attention from Ferrari tifosi and classic car collectors alike.