The Daytona 365GTB14 was a proud, last-gasp statement by Ferrari in the superfast front-engined Grand Tourer stakes. It was named Daytona in honour of Ferrari's success in the American 24- hour race of the same name; 365 denoted the capacity of each cylinder; four stood for the number of camshafts. It is odd to think that when this sensational V-twelve supercar appeared, replacing the275GtB/4, it was greeted with a sense of disappointment. The world had been waiting for a mid- engined Ferrari to challenge the Lamborghini Miura, but what was shown at the 1968 launch was a conventional, front-engined
Grand Tourer clothed in a boldly elegant, muscularly handsome coup6 steel shell- with a classic multitube chassis frame - from the pen of Pininfarina. Early cars had Plexiglas covered lights, but most used retractable units that gave the Daytona a menacing squint from the front. At 3,5301b (1'60lkg) unladen it was a heavyweight, but it packed a punch to match: against the clock it would wind out to l74mPh (280kph), out of the reach of the more radical Miura, soaring to 60 (96) in a neck-straining 5.4 seconds. It would even do 70mph (112kph) in reverse, if you felt the need. If the Daytona wasn't exactly cutting-edge under the skin, neither was it technically backward. The engine was a magnificent 4.4-htre quad-cam V-twelve producing 352bhp at 7500rpm. For good weight distribution and traction, power went through a rear-mounted five-speed gearbox/transaxle unit while suspension was by classic wishbones and coils all round, stiffly set up to resist roll. Inside, it was comfortably functional rather than luxurious,
though electric windows and leather for the hip-hugging seats was standard. A few buyers wisely opted for air-conditioning too, because the cabin could get pretty stuffy when you were heaving away at the heavy unassisted steering around town. It was on the open road, of course, that the 365GTB/4 -often accused of being truck-like by its detractors - really sparkled: the steering shed its weight, the clunky suspension seemed to smooth out and the car simply flew. For many years it was the world's fastest road car. As word got around about the Daytona, buyers began to knock on Ferrari's door and, far from being a failure, the Daytona turned out to be one of the best-selling big Ferraris. When production ended in 1973, sales had reached 1,426, of which 165 were of the much-fancied Spider. Its replacement, the Boxer, never recaptured Daytona's muscular appeal.
Grand Tourer clothed in a boldly elegant, muscularly handsome coup6 steel shell- with a classic multitube chassis frame - from the pen of Pininfarina. Early cars had Plexiglas covered lights, but most used retractable units that gave the Daytona a menacing squint from the front. At 3,5301b (1'60lkg) unladen it was a heavyweight, but it packed a punch to match: against the clock it would wind out to l74mPh (280kph), out of the reach of the more radical Miura, soaring to 60 (96) in a neck-straining 5.4 seconds. It would even do 70mph (112kph) in reverse, if you felt the need. If the Daytona wasn't exactly cutting-edge under the skin, neither was it technically backward. The engine was a magnificent 4.4-htre quad-cam V-twelve producing 352bhp at 7500rpm. For good weight distribution and traction, power went through a rear-mounted five-speed gearbox/transaxle unit while suspension was by classic wishbones and coils all round, stiffly set up to resist roll. Inside, it was comfortably functional rather than luxurious,
though electric windows and leather for the hip-hugging seats was standard. A few buyers wisely opted for air-conditioning too, because the cabin could get pretty stuffy when you were heaving away at the heavy unassisted steering around town. It was on the open road, of course, that the 365GTB/4 -often accused of being truck-like by its detractors - really sparkled: the steering shed its weight, the clunky suspension seemed to smooth out and the car simply flew. For many years it was the world's fastest road car. As word got around about the Daytona, buyers began to knock on Ferrari's door and, far from being a failure, the Daytona turned out to be one of the best-selling big Ferraris. When production ended in 1973, sales had reached 1,426, of which 165 were of the much-fancied Spider. Its replacement, the Boxer, never recaptured Daytona's muscular appeal.
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