Highly sought-after early 'Plexiglas' model, Ferrari Classiche certified
1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 'Daytona' Berlinetta

• The 29th Daytona produced out of a total of approximately 530 plexiglass nose examples
• Delivered new in Italy
• Ordered new in 'Blu Scuro Dino'
• Full matching numbers confirmed by Ferrari Classiche Red Book
• Swiss registration document

Every Ferrari is, to a greater or lesser extent, a 'landmark' car, but few of Maranello's road models have captured the imagination of Ferraristi like the 365 GTB/4. The ultimate expression of Ferrari's fabulous line of V12 front-engined sports cars, the 365 GTB/4 debuted at the Paris Salon in 1968, soon gaining the unofficial name 'Daytona' in honour of the sweeping 1, 2, 3 finish by Ferrari at that circuit in 1967. Pininfarina's Leonardo Fioravanti, later the famed Carrozzeria's director of research and development, was responsible for the influential shark-nosed styling, creating a package that restated the traditional 'long bonnet, small cabin, short tail' look in a manner suggesting muscular horsepower while retaining all the elegance associated with the Italian coachbuilder's work for Maranello. One of Pininfarina's countless masterpieces, the influential shark-nosed body style featured an unusual full-width transparent Plexiglas panel covering the headlamps, though this was replaced by electrically-operated pop-up lights to meet US requirements soon after the start of production in the second half of 1969. Fioravanti later revealed that the Daytona was his favourite among the many Ferraris he designed.

Although the prototype had been styled and built by Pininfarina in Turin, manufacture of the production version was entrusted to Ferrari's subsidiary Scaglietti in Modena. The Daytona's all-alloy, four-cam, V12 engine displaced 4,390cc and produced its maximum output of 352bhp at 7,500rpm, with 318lb/ft of torque available at 5,500 revs. Dry-sump lubrication enabled it to be installed low in the oval-tube chassis, while shifting the gearbox to the rear in the form of a five-speed transaxle meant 50/50 weight distribution could be achieved. The all-independent wishbone and coil-spring suspension was a recent development, having originated in the preceding 275 GTB. Unlike the contemporary 365 GTC/4, the Daytona was not available with power steering, a feature then deemed inappropriate for a 'real' sports car. There was, however, servo assistance for the four-wheel ventilated disc brakes. Air conditioning was optional, but elsewhere the Daytona remained uncompromisingly focussed on delivering nothing less than superlative high performance.

At the time of its introduction in 1968 the Daytona was the most expensive production Ferrari ever and, with a top speed in excess of 273km/h, was also the world's fastest production car. Deliveries commenced in the second half of 1969 and the Daytona would be manufactured for just four years; not until the arrival of the 456 GT in 1992 would Ferrari build anything like it again. Only 1,300 Berlinetta models and 122 Spyder convertibles had been made when production ceased in 1973, only some 530 examples of the Daytona left the factory with the plexiglass nose.

According to its accompanying Ferrari Classiche 'Red Book', this very early Plexiglas model was delivered new in June 1969 finished in Blu Scuro Dino; it is the 29th Daytona produced and a desirable full-matching-numbers example. On file is a lengthy list of works carried out during the car's 1,500-hour professional restoration by Automobile Découverte SA in Switzerland. It is believed that the Ferrari has always been resident in Europe. Additional documentation consists of Marcel Massini correspondence showing the car has remained in Italy in the first years of its life. This plexiglass Daytona comes with Swiss registration documents.