Admired for its outlandish performance and coupled with its road-going civility, the 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona,’ with four overhead cams, became the darling of sports car enthusiasts. It was generally agreed that, “You would sell your soul for it!” as Car and Driver quipped in their January 1970 issue. This race-car derivative borrowed the 4.4-liter, six-carburetor, V-12 engine from Ferrari’s race stable and added the five-speed transaxle for ultimate performance and control. The 356 GTB/4 was the most expensive and most powerful Ferrari production sports car of its time, with 352 hp, 318 foot-pounds of torque, and a flat-to-the-floor 174 mph. The design was quintessential Pininfarina – a symbiotic union of raw machismo with graceful elegance, resulting in a street-legal celebrity, as well suited to the cruising of Floridian beachfronts as it was the track of Daytona.

Ferrari only built 1,383 examples of the 365 GTB/4 and this car was number 1,379 – fifth to last in a four-year production run. It was completed on 12 December 1973 in Nero over Rosso leather interior – a superbly contrary color combination to the tradition of red over black or tan. Chassis 17607 was ordered to European specifications with air-conditioning and delivered to Switzerland via Ferrari importer Société Anonyme pour la Vente des Automobiles.

The Daytona was purchased in 1974 by its first owner, Diethelm Doll, the proprietor of a prestigious pharmaceutical company near Bonn, Germany. After two years, Doll had the car serviced by a local Mercedes-Benz garage he used for the corporate fleet, and unaccustomed to the machinations of a Ferrari sports car, the timing chain was adjusted incorrectly, inflicting serious damage to the engine to the extent that it necessitated replacement. Eventually the gearbox was also switched out.

A detailed report by marque historian Marcel Massini verifies that the Daytona was seen at the Nürburgring in 1993, and photographs are included in the comprehensive biography which accompanies the car. In 2010, Doll wisely commissioned Eberlein Automobile, a Ferrari Classiche-accredited atelier, to refurbish the 365 and at that time the correct-type gearbox and engine were expertly rebuilt, as is evidenced by the €45.000 invoice. In June 2014, Mark Moshayedi of Newport Beach, California, spotted the Daytona at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England and after purchasing the car exported it to the U.S. where it was treated to new carpets and signal lenses and a bare-metal repaint in its original color of Nero. In the summer of 2015, the resplendent 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 was acquired by the current owner who so revered the make and model, he immediately had it inspected and certified by Ferrari Classiche, for which the highly respected Red Book accompanies the car.

This delightful Nero over Rosso Daytona is in excellent condition and has had minimal use since its recommissioning in 2015. A late-production example of a celebrity model, this 1973 Ferrari comes with an excellent documented pedigree and should be seriously considered by the Ferrari devotee.