The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 acquired its unofficial Daytona name after Ferrari swept the top three places of the 1967 race of the same name. Ferrari was reportedly quite put out when the Daytona name leaked out during testing, resulting in it never officially being applied to the model. In any case, the Daytona proved worthy of its namesake 12 years later, when a 1973 model, driven by John Morton and Tony Adamowitz, finished 2nd at Daytona in 1979, capping an extraordinary competition career.

When the Daytona was introduced at the 1968 Paris Salon, it had a tube-steel frame and its body featured a horizontal body-side crease below the level of the wheel wells. Early models had full-width plastic headlight covers, but U.S. regulations rejected covered lights, so elegant pop-up lights were created and fitted to all of the cars from 1970 onwards. The Kamm tail contained two taillights on each side, and aluminum was used for the doors, hood, and trunk lid. The Cromodora five-spoke wheels were standard and similar to the wheels used on Formula One cars at the time.

The price of the 365 GTB/4 rose from $19,500 to $23,940 throughout the model’s five-year production run. But the Daytona’s mechanical specifications delivered on its claim to be the fastest production sports car in the world, with a top speed of 174 mph. The four-cam Colombo V-12 engine displaced 4.4 liters and generated an impressive 352 horsepower.

One of the first endorsements of the Daytona came from Le Mans-winner (for Ferrari) and lifetime auto journalist Paul Frere. He reported 176 mph in autostrada traffic in 1969 and observed that the radio was useless above 120 mph. Still, as he said, “If you go faster, it’s the engine that makes the music; 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.”

Competition Daytonas won the Tour de France in 1972, their class at Le Mans in 1973 and 1974, and their class at Daytona in 1973 and 1975. The 1973 Le Mans class-winning Charles Pozzi entry, driven by Vic Elford and Claude Ballot-Lena, was driven back to Paris following the race, proving the Daytona’s remarkable reliability.

CHASSIS NUMBER 16931

Chassis number 16931 was completed by the factory on October 16, 1973, as a U.S.-specification model with left-hand drive, Borletti air conditioning, a Becker Mexico radio/cassette player, and Cromodora magnesium wheels. It was finished in Rosso Chiaro (20-R-190) over Nero (VM 8500), the classic livery for any Ferrari berlinetta.

The car was assigned to Chinetti-Garthwaite Inc., of Paoli, Pennsylvania, the renowned East Coast Ferrari distributorship owned by sports car impresario Al Garthwaite. On February 7, 1975, the Daytona was acquired by its original owner, John J. Turchi Jr., a contractor residing in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Turchi retained ownership of his Ferrari for over 15 years. In September 1991, it was acquired by a collection in California, and in their ownership, it underwent a complete mechanical inspection and a professional repaint in the original color, which cost over $45,000.

Numerous Daytonas are available for sale every year, with the majority being either concours restorations or well-worn drivers. It is rare to find an example that has been preserved so carefully over passing years, and one that remains, thanks to careful conservatorship, still every bit the world-beating supercar that it was in 1973.

This car is one such Daytona. It is a wonderfully original car in a condition that can only be described as remarkable. The black leather interior appears to have seldom been used, with only scarce creasing; the instrument faces and windows are clear; and the carpets and dash cover show only the lightest of age. Chrome still shines throughout, and even the original data tags, wiring, and fittings under the hood are clean and undamaged. Of course, the car still runs and drives nicely, as it should, having recorded only 12,650 careful miles in its lifetime.

This Daytona is accompanied by a collection of documentation that relates to its history and maintenance, as well as its original manuals in their factory pouch, the original warranty card and owner’s service book (with several pages made out to Mr. Turchi but never turned in), and a complete original tool kit. It has recently been certified by Ferrari Classiche, which is an all-important blessing of its authenticity, and it is accompanied by the proper Red Book.

For the enthusiast who missed the chance to purchase a Daytona new in 1973, here is certainly one of the finest opportunities to make the dream come true, with a car that is very much just as it was when delivered by one of the foremost dealers some 40 years ago.