THE HIDDEN SPIDER

According to marque historians, chassis no. 15007 is the 40th of 121 original and authentic 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spiders produced. It was originally delivered to the noted Modern Classic Motors of Reno, Nevada, the West Coast Ferrari distributorship of William F. Harrah, wearing Italian Escursionisti Esteri license plates. Modern Classic Motors exhibited the car at the Los Angeles Auto Show in May of 1972, after which it was used as partial payment for another Daytona Spider – that which had been demolished for the film, A Star Is Born.

The current owner’s records indicate the first private owner as being a Robert Ferrard. The car was subsequently sold to the San Diego Ferrari dealer, and in 1977 was advertised for sale in the Los Angeles Times with 22,000 miles. It was subsequently sold through Ed Superfon’s VIP Toy Store to Mark Slotkin of Los Angeles, who advertised it for sale in June 1979, now with 25,000 miles accrued. Its next owners were Frank Weinrauch of Nevada, then O’Gara Coach of Colorado, who passed it to Mohammed Maruff.

In 1983 the car was sold via Grand Prix Classics of San Diego to Robert Toney, a teacher of construction at Merced College in Northern California. A longtime member of the Ferrari Club of America and passionate automobile enthusiast, he was regularly seen at various FCA events and concours d’elegance until his passing in 2002. Yet, Mr. Toney is known to have exhibited the Daytona Spider only twice, first at the Ferrari Club of America Annual Meet at Monterey in 1994, and again at the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance in 1997. The latter was the last time that the Spider had been seen by the public until its current offering. Since 1997 it has been in his family’s garage, and today it is being sold by that loving family, marking its first time on the open market in 33 years!

The car presently records 36,513 actual miles, at the time of cataloguing, and appears never to have been taken apart. The body was refinished in the original color of Rosso Chiaro and the interior reupholstered in tan leather in 1977; both of these finishes remain intact today. Inspection under the hood shows an engine compartment that appears satisfyingly original, including the original V-12 itself. Included are a reproduction tool set and a correct set of Daytona books, including spare parts catalogue, service handbook with U.S. supplement, and a green service handbook, as well as receipts from recent service work by Rex Nguyen Restorations in preparation for sale. The latter included flushing the fuel system, rebuilding the carburetors, and repairs to the electrical system, as well as paintwork to the lower part of the body and thorough detailing throughout.

In the words of Robert Toney’s sister-in-law, “I feel sad, and I still miss him and my sister. However, I cannot think of anything that would make him happier than having his favorite car taken care of by RM Sotheby’s staff, and being on display at the Monterey auction, on its way to a new owner who can take care of it.” Thus is offered today “The Hidden Spider,” one of the few Daytona Spiders currently on offer that can genuinely be described as “fresh to market,” and an unmolested treasure for a new collector to discover on open road or concours fields.