A US specification car, this 365 GTB/4 Daytona was completed on 6 May 1971 and sent to Modern Classic Motors, Bill Harrah’s West Coast Ferrari distributorship. He supplied it to the original selling dealer, the ever-colorful Francisco Mir in Santa Monica, who retained it until selling it to its first private owner in Los Angeles in January of 1975. The car was originally finished in rosso corsa with black interior, and wore Cromodora alloy wheels. In 1981, the car was listed for sale in the Ferrari Market Letter by a seller in Los Angeles, at which time it was described as a one-owner car. By 1995, the car had made its way to Texas, but returned to California in 2002 and was restored by Rod Drew’s shop, Francorchamps of America. During the restoration the car was repainted in yellow. A few years later, the car was sold by Fantasy Junction, at which time it had 9” Boxer rear wheels, European market headers, P6 cams, and a 3.90 final drive ratio.
The car remained with the same owner in the Chicago area for over a decade, until he sold it in 2019. The car’s current owner purchased the car in December of 2019 and has since obsessively sorted and renewed the car with nearly $150,000 of mechanical work by Patrick Ottis and a further $100,000 or so in cosmetic work including full undercarriage restoration, new interior, some paint touch up, and selective chrome work.
The extensive documentation from this period reflects the extraordinary attention lavished on this car. No system was too peripheral to receive sorting: windscreen wipers, washers, interior dome lights, trunk carpet, correct 38mm Pirelli-made webbing inside the seats, and leather luggage straps (supplied by Luppi in Italy, together with rest of the leather and carpets) were all part of the systematic pursuit of perfection. An extra matching hide of leather and several square feet of carpet were procured at the same time, just in case.
The mechanical work performed by Patrick Ottis included rebuilding the cylinder heads, carburetors, air conditioning system, braking, and suspension systems. This included both cosmetic and mechanical renewal: 481 individual parts received new cadmium plating and 175 individual parts received new black oxide. All the suspension bushings were replaced, as were tie rod ends, while the Koni shock absorbers were also rebuilt. The engine compartment and the engine itself were cosmetically restored, as were the clutch housing, torque tube, and transaxle, which was also resealed. The entire exhaust system, starter, hubs, axles, and parking brake mechanism were also restored. The steering box, distributors, and horn compressor were serviced and the clutch, pilot bearing, release bearing, wheel bearings, center bearing, and fuel pumps were replaced. The HVAC system received new heater valves and air conditioning compressor, and all the instruments were rebuilt and calibrated as well. The has been routinely serviced since the work was completed and has covered more than 2,000 miles since.
After the bulk of the mechanical work was performed, the car received significant cosmetic work as well, including complete restoration of the underbody, some paint touch up, rechromed window frames, all new body seals, new windscreen, and a complete new interior. In addition to new carpets and leather supplied by Luppi, the legendary upholstery shop in Italy, the insterior work also included restoration of the steering wheel, retrimmed dashboard, and about $8,500 of new parts fitted, including parking brake handle, most of the switchgear, defroster and heater vents and labels, hardware for the vent windows (hard mounted rather than glued, which always fall off), ash tray, rear view mirror, and even bolt covers for the seat belts. Dynamat was added to doors and trunk for thermal management, together with heat shield around headers, transmission tunnel, and floor pans. The Becker radio was also restored and new speakers fitted (in the existing enclosures), and the trunk carpet was also replaced (material from Luppi of course) and the spare wheel restored.
The result of all this effort is an absolutely spectacular Daytona. Not only is it visually stunning, but it is mechanically sorted to an exceptional level. The work was performed over more than 4,000 miles, and the present owner has put more than 6,000 miles on the car in fewer than four years of ownership. This progressive sorting has resulted in an exceptionally well-resolved example, while the combination of P6 cams, European exhaust headers, and 3.90 final drive provide ferocious acceleration. The transaxle is exceptionally fluid in its operation, the brakes are high and firm, and the chassis compliant and controlled. The air conditioning blows cold, and following a request from the owner, the windscreen wipers stay securely against the windscreen above 120 mph.
The car comes with four binders of documentation, a tote box full of original removed and spare parts, its original tool roll with tools and jack, manual pouch with manuals, and Massini report. This is, well and truly, an outstanding Daytona for the enthusiast seeking a no-excuses car that offers appreciably more performance than the already impressive standard Daytona.
