In the early 1970s, Ferrari developed a new platform to succeed the highly popular 365 GTB/4 Daytona. The 365 GT4 BB, revealed at the 1971 Turin Motor Show, brought with it Ferrari’s first mid-mounted 12-cylinder engine—nicknamed the “Boxer”, due to its 4.4-litre flat-12 configuration—and the Berlinetta Boxer model family came into being. Ferrari would later evolve the platform to make way for the 512 BB, then the Testarossa. The 365 GT4 BB itself was produced from 1973 to 1976, with 387 made. As a result of its limited production run, the car is especially coveted by Ferrari collectors and enthusiasts.

The example offered here, chassis 17883, was completed by the Maranello factory on 2 May 1974. The Ferrari was specified in Blu Dino over a “Jute”-style interior, configured as a European version for delivery to Italy—one of just 44 examples painted with this colour. Later that month, it was delivered the dealership Renato Nocentini’s Garage La Rotonda in Prato, near Florence. The Ferrari was soon sold to its first owner, Mr Pietro Rossi, the owner of an automotive body repair business in Perugia, who registered the car in May 1974 with the licence plates “PG 242146”. In 1978, the 365 GT4 BB was sold to its second owner, Mrs Antoniette Verlicchi, and after her passing in 1990 the car was procured by her relative, Mr Pietro Bottoni. In 1995 the Ferrari was acquired by Mr Roberto Danieli of Oriago di Mira, near Venice.

In 1998, the Ferrari’s stay in its Italian homeland temporarily came to an end as the 365 GT4 BB was bought by its fifth owner, Mr Ulrich K. Senoner of Munich, Germany. The Ferrari stayed in Germany until it was acquired at auction by the consigning owner in 2017. During the car’s stay in Germany, the Ferrari was subject to significant expenditure with the Italian car specialist Reinhard Schürer (invoices available to view on file) before being kept in storage for a number of years, and later being returned to running condition for sale at auction.

Certified by Ferrari Classiche and accompanied by its “Red Book”, this 365 GT4 BB has been found to retain its matching numbers engine and gearbox. The Ferrari presents in a resplendent shade of red, while the car retains its rare and desirable factory-fitted “Jute”-style interior and is offered with its original owner’s manual. This is a rare example of a well-documented, original 365 GT4 BB and a car that warrants inclusion in any comprehensive collection of Ferraris.