The Paris Salon of October 1968 marked an auspicious occasion, as Ferrari’s latest introduction signaled a significant new direction in Maranello styling. Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti had penned a dynamic, streamlined shape that beautifully veered from the bulbous cues of earlier decades, adding a fierce, shark-like profile to the traditional long-hooded, front-engine V-12 design.

Originally intended as a stopgap while the company developed a rear-engine 12-cylinder car, the 365 GTB/4 featured underpinnings similar to the outgoing 275 GTB with a modestly revised chassis and a dual overhead-cam engine bored out to displace 4.4 liters. It was the first Maranello production car to feature such an engine, and it was soon prized by tifosi as the last of the iconic front-engine V-12 berlinettas. The most powerful road going Ferrari yet produced, the 365 GTB/4 was unofficially dubbed with an unforgettable and appropriately stylish nickname, “Daytona,” in commemoration of Ferrari’s 1-2-3 finish at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona.

Chassis 13361 holds special provenance as the very first example of the American-specification Daytona, which most notably featured pop-up headlamps rather than the Perspex-covered fixed lamps used in Europe. Completed at the Maranello factory on April 20, 1970, this Berlinetta was ordered new by William Harrah’s Modern Classic Motors, in Reno, Nevada, then a principal importer of Ferraris in the western United States.

In addition to being the prototype of the American-version Daytona, this 365 GTB/4 also possesses unique ownership provenance, as it is believed to have been retained by Mr. Harrah as a personal car, associating it with one of the most heralded names in the collector car niche. According to the research of marque historian Marcel Massini, 13361 was furthermore utilized in Road & Track’s initial test-drive review of the Daytona model, which ran in the magazine’s October 1970 issue, a copy of which is included on file. As confirmed by the article, one of the test cars utilized was, indeed, the personal property of Bill Harrah.

By the early 1990s, the car had come into the possession of Cris Vandagrif’s Hollywood Sports Cars of Los Angeles, one of the area’s leading dealers of imported sports cars at that time. Mr. Tilley then purchased the Daytona from Mr. Vandagrif, and he immediately registered it with the current tags.

Serviced by Fast Cars Ltd., in Redondo Beach, California, this beautiful Daytona exhibits highly original presentation, including the original color livery, and it appears to be largely unrestored, though possibly repainted once. The glass retains the proper Securit watermarks, while the ancillary lamp hardware displays correct Carello components. The interior is very presentable and shows a nice level of patina from careful use. Likewise, the gauges, dash, and headliner also remain in good condition.

While the car was being photographed for the catalogue, 13361 was driven to location through the Hollywood Hills, and the car performed very well, even while being briefly stuck in some typical LA traffic. An RM specialist reports that the acceleration was smooth, as was the shifting once the transmission warmed up. The steering and brakes were also very strong. It is also noted by the Tilley family that of all the cars in the collection, this Daytona was a favorite of Mr. Tilley’s, as it was a very dependable and useable example.

Chassis 13361 is desirably equipped with factory air conditioning, a Blaupunkt FM/AM pushbutton radio, and handsome knock-off Borrani wire wheels, which ensure better brake cooling in addition to their elegant appearance. As an earlier example, this Daytona is also fitted with a wood-rimmed steering wheel, lending the car to the classic elegance of earlier Ferraris. This sensationally preserved, matching-numbers prototype of the American Daytona Coupe could be freshened to concours standards or submitted for preservation judging, and it firmly lives up to Road & Track’s original assessment as an “elegant machine that is unsurpassed in modern GT cars.”