Will you wake this Ferrari ‘Daytona’ from its 45-year slumber?

By Lizzie Pope

| 20 Dec 2019

This 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ Berlinetta is for sale

It’s been off the road for almost half a century and now this Ferrari 365GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ Berlinetta is looking for a new owner.

A project with immense potential, the Daytona will be offered next month by online auction service Collecting Cars.

And although it hasn’t been on the road since 1974, it goes to auction with its original engine and a raft of parts, just waiting to be reassembled and returned to its former glory.

The Daytona is being offered for sale by Collecting Cars

Extensive work has been carried out on the Ferrari’s body

Chassis number 14273 – a right-hand drive British model – was collected by its first owner from Ferrari’s factory in May 1971, then driven to the Monaco Grand Prix – a fine start to its life.

This was followed by a pair of running-in services that June and July at Maranello Concessionaires in Egham, and a 6000-mile service in August ’71, at which point the odometer read 5809 miles.

The Daytona remained with this owner until August 1972, and changed hands again in June 1974. But at that point its fortunes changed.

It’s not known exactly what happened, but the Ferrari had an accident that resulted in it going off the road and down a slope. It was later extricated by means of chains wrapped around it, which only increased the damage inflicted.

1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ Berlinetta detail

It was bought in its crashed state by someone who wanted to reimagine it as a 365GTS/4 Daytona Spyder, which saw its roof sliced off… But it was sold on, again, incomplete.

Events also overtook the Ferrari’s next would-be restorer, so with the car stored safely, progress stalled for almost 30 years.

But, as you can see, things have moved on since then. Having known about this car for several years, its current owner took it on in 2006 and has been busy in the intervening years.

Work undertaken in this ground-up rebuild has included specialist attention to repair the frames, metalwork carried out by Ferrari coachbuilder Alwin Hietbrink, the renewal of the body panels and a genuine Scaglietti front-end sourced, plus a new roof and rear end bought from Maranello Concessionaires. It has also been returned to its original Berlinetta configuration.

1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ Berlinetta project for sale

One thing that’s entirely original is the 365GTB/4’s 4.4-litre V12 engine, while the original instrument cluster is also present and ready to be reinstated, cradling the odometer that shows just 26,117 miles in 48 years.

In fact, the Daytona will be sold with box upon box of components that contain everything needed to finish its rebuild – it’s thought that its next owner is buying a giant jigsaw, as no part is believed to be missing. Indeed, it’s more likely there are duplicates than omissions.

With its bodywork and chassis restored, this Ferrari’s next owner will have to get stuck into the mechanical side of the refurbishment, plus the cabin will probably need to be retrimmed. He or she will also have to decide whether or not to return it to its original Argento Auteuil paint with a black Connolly leather interior and charcoal-grey carpets.

So if you want to start the new year with a new project, this could be the one for you. See the full listing on Collecting Cars.

The 35 greatest barn-finds of all time

5 reasons to buy C&SC’s Ferrari Greatest Hits special

Is this £5m Ferrari collection the best you’ll see this year?