320 bhp, 4,390 cc DOHC V-12 engine with six Weber 38 DCOE59/60A side-draft carburetors, five-speed manual transmission, four-wheel upper and lower wishbone, coil-spring independent suspension, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 98.4 in.
At its heart, Ferrari’s 365 GTC/4 was graced with the 4.4-liter V-12 from the 365 GTB/4 Daytona. However, the 365 GTC/4’s engine was fitted with side-draft carburetors in order to create a sleeker and lower hood line. The new car also boasted a very similar chassis to the Daytona, which had been stretched by 100 millimeters to allow for extra cabin room.
The 365 GTC/4, which was wonderfully appointed with sumptuous Italian leather, ZF power steering, power brakes, and a radio, was made to soak up hundreds of miles at high speed. The suspension was also fitted with a hydro-pneumatic self-leveling device on the rear suspension, presumably in an effort to help accommodate its owner’s luggage. Only 500 examples were built over an 18-month period, making it much rarer than its predecessor.
Chassis 15197, a U.S.-specification 365 GTC/4, was delivered new to William Harrah’s Ferrari distributorship, Modern Classic Motors in Reno, Nevada, shortly after it was completed in 1972. It was sold later that year to an owner in Santa Monica, California. The car would remain in Southern California, and in 1980, it was listed in the Ferrari Owners Club USA’s newsletter as being owned, as of June 1980, by Michael R. Geller, a general contractor residing in Beverley Hills, California.
By 1984, the car had been purchased by Melvin Moultry, also of Beverly Hills, who showed the car at the Ferrari Club of America International Meeting in Carmel Valley, California. The following year, the car was featured in issue number 79 of the Ferrari Club of America’s magazine, Prancing Horse. Moultry showed his 365 GTC/4 at the Rosso Rodeo Concours on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in June 1995.
After 26 years of ownership, the car left Moultry’s stable in 2010, and at this time, it was decided that the car would undergo a full restoration. The restoration was tasked to Rod Drew’s FAI in Costa Mesa, California, who fully restored the car to an incredible standard and refinished it in its present color combination of Blue Sera over a Beige leather interior, at that owner’s request. By the time the restoration was completed in November 2011, receipts totaled to nearly $150,000, and it was clear that the restoration truly left no stone unturned in its endeavor to create one of the finest 365 GTC/4s on the planet. Following its sale in 2012 to yet another Beverley Hills-based enthusiast, the car was acquired by a collector based on Long Island. Recently, it has undergone a service by Autosport Designs, of Huntington Station, New York, and it remains in brilliant condition, ready for entry into concours events. It would be the perfect vehicle for a family of four who is looking to enjoy a Sunday drive in quintessential Italian style.
The 365 GTC/4 is considered by many to be a more usable iteration of the famed Ferrari Daytona, and like any four-seater Ferrari, it is an ideal grand touring automobile that combines the best aspects of Italian engineering and luxury. This example is truly one of the finest, and it would certainly satisfy any tifosi.