Ferrari’s 365 GTB/4 acquired its unofficial “Daytona” moniker after Maranello swept the top three places in the 1967 endurance race of the same name. Enzo Ferrari was reportedly quite annoyed when the Daytona nomenclature subsequently leaked to the press during testing, and it was never officially applied to the model.

While much of the Daytona’s sleek, dart-shaped Scaglietti bodywork was steel, its low weight was typically maintained by the use of aluminum for the doors, hood, and trunk lid. Under the hood was a four-cam, 4.4-liter “Colombo” V-12, developing an impressive and unprecedented 352 horsepower. With a top speed of 174 mph, the 365 GTB/4 Daytona was Ferrari’s fastest road-going automobile to date, and it was one of the fastest automobiles in the world during the early 1970s. Le Mans-winning Ferrari driver and well-known automotive journalist Paul Frère claimed to hit 176 mph in autostrada traffic in 1969. “It’s the engine that makes the music,” he noted, “the finest music of all to the ears of the enthusiast, and the music he can enjoy in a well-sprung car, fitted with such amenities as electric window lifters, air conditioning . . . and a really capacious luggage locker—a Grand Touring car par excellence.”

Chassis number 14161, offered here, was completed by the factory on 5 March 1971, as a US-specification left-hand-drive model with instruments in miles, power windows, and factory air conditioning. Interestingly, this was one of only five 365 GTB/4s originally delivered in the striking shade of, Rame Metallizzato, a sparkling deep burnt orange-copper hue, best-remembered for its use on Bill Harrah’s infamous “Harrah Hot Rod” Daytona. In this car it was originally paired with an interior in Beige VM 3218 Connolly leather.

The car was sold in 1971 by Luigi Chinetti Motors of Greenwich to an American noted only as Mr. Walker, and likely came new to Michigan, as it is still fitted with 1971 Michigan plates bearing 1972 registration stickers. By 1975 it was in Bloomfield Hills, in the ownership of Bart J. McMullen, who subsequently refinished it in dark red and fitted a new interior with black seat “bars.” Mr. McMullen is believed to have sold the Ferrari to fellow Bloomfield Hills resident Terence E. Adderley later in the decade. Typical of his collecting, Mr. Adderley would go on to buy several further Ferraris, both new and vintage, but never sold this one; it has been in the collection now for over 40 years, likely one of the longest-term present ownerships of any 365 GTB/4.

The Daytona is largely as Mr. Adderley acquired it, and presents accordingly as a gently used, cosmetically refinished, and well-preserved 1970s sports car, with charming touches such as the steering wheel worn by fifty years of handling. Both the engine compartment and interior are clean, tidy, and in good order.

Offered with a tool roll, this is an especially appealing example of its type, benefitting from long-term care in one of the great American collections.