First appearing at the Paris Salon of October 1968, the 365 GTB/4 was Ferrari’s fastest road car to date, featuring the marque’s first production-based dual overhead cam 4.4-litre V-12. Whilst legend has it that Enzo Ferrari furiously cancelled the official use of the name Daytona (originally intended to commemorate the manufacturer’s 1-2-3 finish at the 1967 24-Hours of Daytona) after it was inadvertently leaked to the press, the nickname clearly matched the model’s shark-like Pininfarina lines, which heralded a new era in sports car styling. The Daytona appropriately went on to become Ferrari’s best-selling V-12 of the vintage period, and it remains one of the marque’s most celebrated models of all time: the last of the iconic front-engine V-12s.

This fabulous late 365 GTB/4 claims numerous desirable qualities, including a matching-numbers drivetrain, important ownership history, a minimal chain of ownership, and a well-maintained restoration that was completed in the mid-2000s. Completing assembly in February 1973, chassis number 16415 was equipped with factory air conditioning and finished in Blu Dino Metallizzato (Blue Dino Metallic) paint over an interior of beige leather. In March, the car was delivered new to renowned French importer Charles Pozzi, the official Ferrari agent who had posted a successful racing career during the late 1940s, driving Delahayes and Talbot-Lagos.

Mr Pozzi retained 16415 as a personal car, registering it under his wife’s name. The Daytona remained in the Pozzi family’s collection for almost 30 years, undergoing a complete restoration in 1982, during which Mr Pozzi’s dealership performed the mechanical work, whilst cosmetics were addressed by Carrosserie Andre Lecoq in Paris. Further mechanical freshening over the ensuing years included the addition of a new exhaust system in 1995 and a replacement of the air conditioning and clutch a year later. In 1997, Mr Pozzi’s mechanics also overhauled the transaxle, restored the drivetrain, and tuned the carburettors in preparation for a public offering.

Mr Pozzi’s long period of ownership finally concluded in 2000, when the Daytona was sold to an Italian enthusiast. This owner soon commissioned a cosmetic restoration by Carrozzeria Borelli in Italy, whilst Auto Elite was entrusted to perform mechanical freshening as needed. Chassis 16415 was then sold to the consignor in May 2004, where it was housed among his considerable collection of Ferraris.

Certified since then with the highly desirable Ferrari Classiche paperwork, this matching-numbers example of the revered Daytona looks every bit as intoxicating as the day it left the factory. Chassis 16415 has been owned by as few as three caretakers during the course of its life, including a long period of ownership by the influential Charles Pozzi, and it can be enjoyed for its outstanding V-12 performance or exhibited at discerning concours. The car’s factory-certified authenticity and unique ownership provenance will surely draw the fancy of judges, Ferrari experts, and casual aficionados alike.