1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Spyder

More than a decade after its restoration, this is still a spectacular car, as the generous results of the Monterey auction indicate

by Steve Ahlgrim

Ferrari chose the October 1968 Paris Salon to launch the Daytona. A year later, at the Frankfurt International Auto Show in September 1969, it showed a Spyder version of the car, now unofficially nicknamed Daytona.

The seductive, sporty drop top painted in a unique yellow and black combination was met with critical acclaim. Officially in some Ferrari documentation and literature, the car was referred to as a GTS/4, reflecting its status as a Spyder, though most cars were badged GTB/4.

Ferrari enthusiasts applied the title Daytona to the sleek new front-engined sports car after the Maranello automaker’s now-legendary 1-2-3 victory at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona. The win was so monumental that the marque’s diehard enthusiasts felt Ferrari’s replacement for the 275 GTB/4 should bear the name Daytona, which had been used internally at Ferrari, to commemorate the victory. Enzo Ferrari insisted, however, that the technical nomenclature be used as the...