The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 is still better known by its unofficial name, the Ferrari Daytona. This nickname was applied by motoring journalists after Ferrari’s 1-2-3 finish in the February 1967 24 Hours of Daytona, despite the popularity of the name it was never officially adopted by Ferrari, which is considered a bit of a PR snafu by many marque historians.

Built between 1968 and 1973, the 365 GTB/4 was fitted with a 352bhp, 4390cc DOHC V-12 engine with 6 Weber 40DCN20 carburettors, a 5-speed manual rear-mounted transaxle, 4-wheel upper and lower wishbone coil-spring independent suspension and 4-wheel hydraulic disc brakes.

This Columbo-derived V-12 produced enough power at the rear wheels to make the Daytona the fastest production sports car in the world, with a top speed of 174 mph. That said, Le Mans winner and popular automotive journalist Paul Frere took a Daytona to 176mph in 1969, famously reporting that the radio was essentially useless at any speed over 120mph (due to wind and engine noise), he didn’t consider this a problem and 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.”

The GTB/4 you see here was imported to Southern California in the early 1970s, making it a dry climate car and a fantastic example of the model. It’s due to hit the auction block with RM Auctions on the 16th of January 2014 and you can click here to read more, or register to bid.

Author Details Ben Branch Founder + Senior Editor Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more. Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. You can follow Ben on Instagram here, Twitter here, or LinkedIn here.





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