1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta Alloy
With over 1,200 versions of Ferrari’s powerful 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ produced from 1969–1973, only five lightweight alloy competition cars, which dominated the 24 Hours of Daytona, were built. Further to those, Ferrari commissioned only one road-going version of the Daytona with an aluminium body, this very car.
Completed in June 1969, this Daytona was equipped with desirable Plexiglas headlamps and power windows, in addition to its tailor-made aluminium coachwork, and finished in Rosso Chiaro over a Nero leather interior. In September, the car was distributed for retail to the Bologna dealer Motor S.p.A. di Carla Allegretti, from whom it was purchased later that month by Luciano Conti, the founder and publisher of Autosprint magazine. Mr Conti’s company sold the Ferrari in September 1970 to Guido Maran of Verona, who in turn re-sold the car a month later to Carlo Ferruzzi of Ravenna.
In July 1971, the Daytona’s Italian registration was cancelled and the car was imported by a Japanese dealership three months later. Chassis number 12653 was then featured in the January 1972 issue of Car Graphic, a Japanese enthusiast magazine. In May 1975, the Berlinetta was purchased by Goro Guwa of Gifu, Japan, and in April 1979 it passed to Tateo Ito of Nagoya. Almost a year later the car was acquired by Makoto Takai, and he hid the car away for nearly 40 years. It was fabled and known by very few collectors to exist, but many true Ferraristi were unaware that such a special and important car existed at all.
Recently rediscovered in a barn-find state, the Ferrari had clearly been in storage for a number of years. RM Sotheby's sold this truly unique car at their Ferrari – Leggenda e Passione auction on the 9th September. It fetched €1,807,000. Photos: ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's