1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione
The 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans was a showdown between upstart Porsche and its legendary 917 and established winner Ferrari and its sleek 512 prototypes. Nine 512s and seven 917s squared off, with Porsche taking 1st and 2nd overall and Ferrari settling for 3rd and 4th. But what might have been the most impressive finish of the race was 5th position, claimed by this Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione. The car here was finished on April 28, 1969 as a steel-bodied road car — the third Daytona made, and never left the Ferrari factory. It was retained as a test mule for two years, and on April 26, 1971, Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team requested that Ferrari convert chassis no. 12467 to racing spec, with an eye on Le Mans. The steel body was retained, with an exposed fuel filler cap, fixed headlights, Plexiglass side windows, a front spoiler, and fender flares to cover huge 8-inch front and 9-inch rear wheels, along with a handful of other racing-spec modifications. Chinetti himself took the first stint in the race, with the Daytona climbing to 5th overall by hour 19, and the rest is history. The car would continue to be raced years later, notching a 2nd overall at its namesake race — the 1979 24 Hours of Daytona. An important piece of Ferrari history, the car is now up for sale by RM Sotheby's.
