1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Spyder Conversion

People who buy a “cut” Daytona don’t plan to show it; most shows won’t allow it on the field. The appeal is that it can be driven

by Steve Ahlgrim

Ferrari’s fabulous V12 front-engined sports car, the 365 GTB/4, debuted at the Paris Salon in 1968, soon gaining the unofficial name “Daytona” in honor of the 1-2-3 finish by the Ferrari 330 P4 at that circuit in 1967.

Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti 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 elegance. An unusual feature was a full-width transparent panel covering the headlamps, which was replaced in the second half of 1969 by electrically-operated pop-up lights to meet U.S. requirements.

The Daytona displaced 4,390 cc with 352 hp, 318 lb-ft of torque and dry-sump lubrication. A five-speed transaxle enabled a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution. The chassis embodied the long-standing Ferrari practice of oval-section tubing. The all-independent wishbone and coil-spring suspension was more recent, having...