For any longtime readers, you have inevitably heard me wax poetic about the value of a European-specification car or truck. In most cases, the impact on value is relatively meaningless, or at the very least, it only matters to the handful of individuals collecting that particular vehicle. However, there are some cases where the designation as a European-market example pays big dividends, or adds several zeroes to an already high price tag. This 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider listed here on https Schaltkulisse.com is a perfect example of this phenomenon, as it is one of just 19 left-hand drive models built to European specs.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Araknid78 for the tip. The Ferrari Daytona is perhaps one of the best known and most sought-after Ferraris ever made. The car had it all – the pedigree of a successful competition track record, incredible styling, limited production numbers, and the legendary Colombo V12 under the hood. Speaking of the hood, the Daytona combined new-age styling with sharp edges and headlights mounted behind plexiglass enclosures while utilizing a traditional front-engine, rear drive layout, and while it was a grand tourer through and through, there was no denying the overwhelming sports car pedigree.
The interior remains one of the best ever conceived in any car, but it absolutely tops among Ferraris. In many ways, the Daytona and its main competitor, the Lamborghini Miura, were equally stunning introductions into the sports car scene, and while they both fetch considerable sums today, I would argue that the Daytona is slightly more iconic. From the replicas that were created to its permanent association with Miami Vice, the Daytona is recognizable as a Ferrari even to those who don’t follow vintage sports cars. The Daytona shown here, in addition to being one of just a handful of genuine Spiders built to European specs, is in absolutely stunning condition courtesy of a lengthy restoration.
This example also wears perhaps the most stunning shade of paint you could order a Daytona in – well, outside of my personal favorite, Verde Pino – known as Giallo Fly (which is just about the coolest name for anything.) The most significant differences between this and a U.S.-market car includes “….different carburation, camshafts, distributors and exhausts and it didn’t suffer the ignominy of being saddled with emissions control equipment and side markers,” according to the listing. This Daytona has been completely restored to the tune of $200,000 in recent invoicing, so bring your checkbook, first born, and a few organs to take this one home; if you have to ask what the price is, the short answer is, “too much. “
Glad to see it is not on Craig’s List.
Had a customer who owned a Daytona coupe. Same car with a hard top that you could just stand around and look at. At one time someone changed the color from the Fly Yellow to black. Car looked good either way. Art on wheels.
I think that this car might get the crown, if it sells, as the highest price paid for any car advertised on BARN FINDS???
This just about rivals a 69 Dodge Dart, bone stock.
I like Craigslist better than FBM but that’s me. Anyway. $2-3M? That’s my guess
Sadly, these cars become garage queens, and need to be driven at speed, so unless you live near the Nurburgring, or the Autobahn then what is the point. Beautiful car, but give me a pristine Jaguar XKE, and I would be perfectly happy.
SWEET! https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1045722263645390
Barn Find? Really
Location: Miami, FL, USA
My ’70 FIAT 850 sedan had the very same defroster vents!
The beauty of small displacement cars is you get to drive flat out a lot of the time without risking life, limb, and a view of the red “gumball machine” flashing in the rear view mirror!
Aye, there was a a “Fiat parts-bin specials” take-down for a while.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzbwT8f9mJk
this movie and A Star is Born cemented my love of the Daytona
when Kris Kristofferson pulled up to the house in that thing I was hooked for life …
And Raul Julia wringing the Daytona out was perfection …
Rather reminiscent of a riding instructor I had when I was riding a short-legged horse: “There’s a lot going on underneath you, but you’re not covering much territory.”
(I’m personally a 128 gal.) :D
Mary, I’m about to turn 90 and my wife (64+ years) and I have been driving mostly small FIATs – 600, 600D (3), 850 sedans (2), Nuova 500, Bianchina, a 500L in Italy and a couple of 127s on the Continent– since 1958 (Gaaa, now I REALLY feel old).
A couple FIAT 145s (Yugo) plus one killed by a ice-laden pine tree, an “1100” and a couple of New 500s thrown in for good measure.
Keep the faith, young lady!
Ciao!
Wow.. The profile, wheels, exhaust tips, long gated shifter and as mentioned supreme interior.
Blessed is the person who gets to click-clack their way up and down thru the gears in this stunning automobile. Thanks Lavery.
🇮🇹 🏁 🙏 🤲
Here we can see one of the quickest “at a glance” telltales distinguishing a genuine Daytona from a replica: notice there’s no obvious exterior door handle.
It’s there, but only as a tiny chrome toggle lever on top of the door at the rear corner.
I don’t know of any replica maker that ever bothered to source or reproduce that bit of unobtanium. They always go with a more obvious handle mounted lower in the door skin, typically the standard Pininfarina-issue teardrop style as used on later Fiat 124 and Alfa Romeo spiders, among others.
I remember a fly yellow Daytona conv blow by me on a back road many years ago. I believe it was owned by one of the Miller bros of the Gannett media empire (USA TODAY, etc). They loved and raced many a fine machine. All these years later I can still fondly recall the Daytona exhaust note-
WOW, JUST WOW …One of my all time favorite Ferraris.
The interior is sublime, well the whole car is just ….
I always show the Daytona and 246 GTS interiors to my brother as the standard when it comes to vintage perfection, with the 308GT4 a close third
The Miami Vice story was always a hoot with the McBurnie replicas pissing Ferrari off so bad they tried to sue and convinced the show into the Testarossa. Funny how they thought everyone believed they were real. The door handles as mentioned above, the more leaned back windshield, the fenders and headlights were the dead giveaways. Still, genius at the time to put body panels on a 1980 Corvette chassis. Heck, i would take a good condition replica lol. $1 million to $3 million for this beauty easy and not in the budget lol.
Yea, the car “looked” fantastic, but when Sonny jumped in and put that automatic trans in gear, and it did that little corvette automatic squat, well it ruined it for me :-(