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Collectors Corner - Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione


Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Competizione Series II s/n 15373

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Competizione Series II s/n 15373

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Competizione Series II s/n 15373

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Competizione Series II s/n 15373

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Competizione Series II s/n 15373

Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Competizione Series II s/n 15373

 

The "Competizione" versions of the 365 GTB/4 "Daytona" model were developed from the standard road cars. There were three series of five client competition examples built at the factory's "Assistenza Clienti" department in Modena, along with an earlier one-off all aluminium bodied car for Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team. The first series of five competition examples, built in 1971, had all aluminium bodies. They featured slightly flared wheel arches with wider wheels, aerodynamic "fences" on the front wings, a small chin spoiler, and a lack of quarter bumpers, as the main identifying features. The second series, produced in early 1972, had steel bodies with the aluminium bonnet, boot lid, and doors of the road cars, but with much increased flares to the wheel arches, to accommodate even wider wheels and tyres. The third series, produced in early 1973, were visually very similar to the series II cars, but had steel doors, with only the bonnet and boot lid in aluminium. They received carefully built and balanced engines to racing standards, and some performance details were enhanced by the homologation of special parts over the period of production.





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These competition examples proved to be very successful in the GT category, not only due to their power, but also reliability in endurance events. At the Le Mans 24 Hour Race in 1972 they filled the top five positions in their class, repeating the class wins there in 1973 and 1974. As late as 1979, they were still performing credibly with a second overall in the Daytona 24 Hour Race, an amazing result for a car that had been out of production for six years. The November 1974 issue of the American magazine "Road & Track" featured a track test of a competition version, recording the following times, a 0-60 mph time of 5.8 seconds, a 0-100 mph time of 12.6 seconds, a standing start quarter mile time of 14.5 seconds at a terminal speed of 107.5 mph, and a top speed of 186 mph. Not vastly different to the figures for the standard road version, but a vast difference in lap times would come about through the stiffer suspension, wider wheels, and racing tyres of the competition model. It also serves to show how good the performance of the standard car was, and how little straight line performance gain the homologated parts gave.  

Apart from the "factory" cars, there were 8 unofficial but recognised converted cars, mainly for the North American Racing Team, but one was prepared by Garage Francorchamps in Belgium, and a couple for private entrants in the USA. It really was the last of a generation of competition cars that could also be used on the road, and with only sixteen official models plus the eight unofficial variants, it is even rarer than the legendary 250 GTO.

Keith Bluemel
03/2009 

12547 is the Daytona Competizione Prototipo, built in alloy, in 1969 it was entered at Le Mans for Bob Grossman and Sam Posey, but it crashed in practice and was withdrawn. In 1970 it was driven by Ronnie Bucknum and Wilbur Pickett (dnf) in the Daytona 24 Hours race, it did not start in the 12 Hours of Sebring race, where it was entered for Harley Cluxton and Wilbur Pickett.

Series I - alloy

14407 was the 1st of the 15 Competition Daytonas built for the factory, it was sold to Charles Pozzi SA in Paris. It was heavily and successful campaigned.
In 1971 it finished 10th OA in the Tour de France driven by Jean-Claude Andruet and Roure. One month later it achieved a podium position, 3rd OA and 2nd IC in the 1000km Paris race at Montlhery, drivers Jean-Claude Andruet and Claude Ballot-Lena. In 1972 it finished 4th OA in the 4h Le Mans race, drivers Jean-Claude Andruet and Claude Ballot-Lena, but it did not finish in the 24h Le Mans race with drivers Francois Migault and Rouveyran. In the Spa 1000kms race in finished 18th OA and 6th IC, driven by Claude Ballot-Lena and D. Rouveyran. It was then raced at Montlhery (6th) by D. Rouveyran. In September 1972 it achieved its best result, a 2nd OA in the Tour de France, driven by D. Rouveyran and Francois Migault. Both drivers were at the start of the 1000km Paris race in Monthlery and at the finish line too, result 11th OA and 5th IC. In 1973 it was sold to Cyril Grandet, he raced the Daytona with Jean-Claude Geurie and Dominique Bardini in the 4h Le Mans (9th OA), 24h Le Mans (dnf), Tour de France (dnf). In 1973 it finished 4th OA in the 4h Le Mans, and in the 24h Le Mans it was 5th OA, 1st IC, driven by Grandet and Bardini.

14429 was the only one with a street exhaust and no wheel arch extensions needed because the car was like 12547 on regular street wheels and tires.

14437 was sold to Scuderia Filipinetti, it finished 4th OA in the 1971 Tour de France with Vic Elford and Max Kingsland, but did not finish the 24h Le Mans race due to an accident, in 1977 it finished 5th OA in the 24h Daytona with Paul Newman, Forbes-Robinson and Milt Miltner. 

14885 was delivered to Chinetti and entered by his N.A.R.T. and raced in 1972 by Sam Posey and Ronnie Bucknum in the 24h Daytona (dnf),  "Coco" Chinetti and Bob Grossman finished 8th OA and 2nd IC in the 12h Sebring race.

14889 was also delivered to N.A.R.T. it was withdrawn from the 24h Daytona race in 1972, then ran the 12 Hours of Sebring, Sam Posey and Tom Adamowicz (13th OA, 3rd IC), 6h Watkins Glen, David Hobbs and Sam Posey (dnf), 1000km Paris, Jean-Pierre Jarier and Jaques Laffite (9thOA, 3rd IC). In 1973 the car was upgraded to Series III specs, and entered by N.A.R.T. in the 24h Daytona, Bob Grossman, Luigi "Coco" Chinetti jr., Wilbur Shaw Jr. (5th OA, 4th IC), 4h Le Mans Francois Migault and Lucien Guitteny (5th OA, 2nd IC), 24h Le Mans, Bob Grossman and Lucien Guitteny (dnf) and finally in the 6h Watkins Glen, Bob Grossman and Don Yenko (15th OA and 7th IC).

Series II
15225 was delivered in 1972 to Scuderia Filipinetti it finished 7th OA and 3rd IC with Mike Parkes, Lafosse and “Cochet” in the 24h Le Mans race, Vic Elford and Stone didn’t make the finish line in the Tour de France. In 1977 the new owner Swiss Nicola Buehrer won the French Hillclimb Championship.

15373 was delivered to Garage Francorchamps, in 1972 it finished 8th OA, 4th IC in the 24h Le Mans race driven by Derek Bell, Teddy Pilette and Richard Bond.

15667 was delivered to Charles Pozzi SA in Paris, this car won the Tour de France laurels in 1972 driven by Jean-Claude Andruet and "Biche", previously having won it's class (5th OA) in the 24h Le Mans, with Jean-Claude Andruet, Claude Ballot-Lena and Francois Migault, and the 1000km Paris (10th OA, 4th IC)  Jean-Claude Andruet, Claude Ballot-Lena. In 1973 Dolhem and Serpaggi finished 9th OA, 3rd IC in the 24h Le Mans race. 

15681 was delivered to Maranello Concessionaires, it was a dnf (engine) in the 1972 24h Le Mans race, driven by Peter Wetsbury, John Hine and Mark Konig. In the Ownership of JCB it was 1st IC in the 1972 9h Kyalami driven by Brown and  Frank Sytner. In 1973 it was raced in the 4h Le Mans (6th OA, 3rd IC) with Willie Green and Neil Corner and did not finish in the 24h Le Mans with the same drivers.

15685 was delivered to N.A.R.T. which was the entrant in the 1972 24h Le Mans (6th OA, 2nd IC) driven by Sam Posey and Tony Adamowicz, and the 6h Watkins Glen (6th OA, 1st IC) Jean-Pierre Jarier and Gregg Young. In 1973 it ran the 24h Daytona (dnf) with Arturo Merzario and Jean-Pierre Jarier. After the Daytona race it was sold to Kenneth Starbird. It was raced in the Virginia City hillclimb and in 1975 at Riverside (16th OA) and in 1976 in the 24h Daytona (6th OA), whilst in 1977 it was a dnf in the 24h Daytona. Drivers were Jeff Kline, Chris Cord, Milt Miltner, Jim Adams, Dick Barbour, John Cannon and Tony Adamowicz.

Series III
16343 was delivered to N.A.R.T., it was entered by the North American Team in 1973 in 24h Daytona (acc) Claude Ballot-Lena and Jean-Claude Andruet, and in the 1974 24h Le Mans (acc) Paoli and Couderc, it was sold in 1975 to Vic Loh and raced by Interscope in the 24h Daytona race (7th OA, 1st IC) by Jon Woodner and Phillips. In 1981 it was sold and raced by Crevier in Daytona (dnf, fuel line fire) by Al Unser, Pete Halsmer and Joe Crevier   

16363 was delivered to Charles Pozzi SA, the Daytona was entered in the 1973 4h Le Mans (3rd OA, 1st IC) driven by Andruet and Bob Wollek, and in the 24h Le Mans (6th OA, 1st IC) Claude Ballot-Lena and Vic Elford. 

16367 was delivered to Fransisco Mir from Diagnosis & Services it was entered by D&S in 1973 in the 24h Le Mans race (dnf, clutch) for Nestor Garcia Veiga who teamed up with drivers Luis Ruben di Palma, Monguzzi and Waco. In the 1973 6h Watkins Glen 16367 finished 13th and in the following year’s race it crashed.

16407 was delivered in 1973 to N.A.R.T. and raced by the team in 24h Le Mans (dnf) driven by Sam Posey and Milt Minter, 6h Watkins Glen (14th OA), in 1974 in the 24h Le Mans race with Ethuin and Guitteny where it finished (11th OA, 5th IC), it dnf in the 6h Watkins Glen race with Hiss and Cudini, and was withdrawn from the 1975 24h Le Mans. In 1977 Robert Carradine an actor, musician and driver, owned 16407 and he raced it in company with Morton, Wood and Adamowizc under the Otto Zipper banner, it even finished in  2nd OA in the 24h Daytona in 1979. 

16425 was delivered to Garage Francorchamps, in 1973 it finished 12th in the 1000km Spa race, and 20th in the 24h Le Mans driven by Richard Bond and Jean-Claude Andruet.

The "Unofficial" Daytona Conversions
12467 N.A.R.T. had a street Daytona converted to race specs in 1971, it finished 5th OA in the 24h Le Mans, driven by Bob Grossman, Luigi "Coco" Chinetti Jr. and Bob Grossman, in 1972 it was raced at Daytona (15th OA, 6th IC) with Bob Grossman and Reynolds, in the 12h Sebring (19th OA, 5th IC) with Ingle and Reynolds, and Watkins Glen (11th OA, 5th IC) with di Lorenzo and Reynolds.

13367 was delivered as a street Daytona with Plexiglas covered headlight to Milan, in 1974 it was converted for Chinetti by Sport-Auto in Modena and Diena & Silingardi. It was sold to Dr. Harry Jones and raced by him in 1974 in the 4h Le Mans (7th OA)  partnered with Marcel Mignot, and in the 24h Le Mans (16th OA, 9th IC) entered by N.A.R.T. In 1975 at the 24h Daytona (dnf) with the same drivers plus Cyril Grandet, the 12h Sebring (9th OA), and the 24h Le Mans (13th) together with Gurdjian, in 1977 the car was sold to Preston Henn, in 1978 it dnf in the 24h Daytona and in 1979 it was the Ms. Budweiser car and finished in the 12h Sebring (17th OA) with Janet Guthrie, Lynn St. James and Bonnie Henn.

13855 was created by Sport Auto Modena for N.A.R.T. and entered by the Chinetti Team in the 1972 24h Le Mans (9th OA and 5th IC) driven by Jean-Pierre Jarier and Claude Buchet. 

14065 was sold as a street Daytona to Ron Spangler, then sold to Kirk F White, converted to Group IV specs by H&M (Holman & Moody) and Traco, the car was raced in the 12h Sebring with Marathon Oil, Coca Cola and Prancing Horse Farm sponsorship, it was driven by David Hobbs and Scott, it retired with transmission problems.

14107 was a street Daytona delivered to Harley Cluxton via Chinetti Motors in 1971 ... the a/c compressor was removed, 512M rain wheels fitted, velocity stacks installed, roll bar & front cooling ducts added, Harley Cluxton and Bob Grossman finished 12th OA and 5th IC  in the 1971 12h Sebring race, after the race the car was re-converted to road specification.

14141 was converted by Traco for N.A.R.T. it ran in 5 great races. The 1972 24h Le Mans (dnf) with Luigi "Coco" Chinetti Jr.  and Masten Gregory, in 1973 in the 24h Daytona (2nd OA, 1st IC) with Milt Minter and Francois Migault, the 24h Le Mans (13th OA, 6th IC) Chinetti Jr and Migault, in 1974  the 24h Le Mans (6th OA, 2nd IC) with Heinz and Cudini, and in 1975  the 24h Daytona with Milt Minter and Claude Ballot-Lena.  N.A.R.T. was always the entrant.

16717 was a conversion in 1975 for Ecurie Francorchamps, the car finished 12th OA in the 1975 24h Le Mans with Jean-Claude Andruet and Teddy Pilette.

To this list one should add the 365 GTB/4 15965, which was delivered to someone who’s identity is unknown in 1972 ...  it was then rebuilt when owned by Daniel Ward by Michelotti with an alloy body for N.A.R.T. both entered the car in the 1975 24h Le Mans for Jean Pierre Malcher and Patrick Langlois, but it was withdrawn prior to the race, along with the other NART cars, as part of Luigi Chinetti’s protest.