Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona (very first) Prototype by Scaglietti
In the late 1960s, it seemed as if the performance car world was at a crossroads. With the introduction of Lamborghini’s P400 Miura and its revolutionary mid-engined design, some thought this design would be the future for the upper echelons of performance cars, and that front-engined cars would begin to fade from popularity.
Spurred on by the success of the Miura, Ferrari knew that the replacement of the 275 GTB/4 needed to be something spectacular and new in order to take the fight to Lamborghini. Rather than move to a mid-engined format, it was decided that the front-engined V-12 platform would remain, alongside coachwork penned by Pininfarina. Quite simply, if it works for you and your clients, why go about reinventing the wheel? After all, this is what Ferrari had built their reputation on, and there was no one better at building twelve-cylinder, front-engined GT cars than Ferrari. They were not to be outdone by this team of renegades at Lamborghini, headquartered just down the road from Maranello!
Chassis number 10287 was the genesis of that new model of Ferraris and the Scuderia’s fighting back against the Lamborghini and the Miura. At first glance to the casual observer, the car offered here seems to tread the line between a 275 GTB/4 and a 365 GTB/4 Daytona. Visual cues to both can be seen and some design elements seem to have blended together, but this car is far more than a design study to determine Ferrari’s future. A total of six 365 GTB/4 prototypes would be built, but this example, as the first, remains the most recognizable, the most unique, the most significant, and is undoubtedly the most desirable.
Chassis number 10287 is that of a Tipo 596 chassis, the same type which was used for the 275 GTB/4, made of tubular steel and a wheelbase measuring 2,400 mm (a wheelbase length shared by both 275 GTB/4 and 365 GTB/4). At its heart is a completely unique Lampredi engine, one that would not be seen in any other Ferrari road car at the time. Designated Tipo 243 internally, it is fitted with dry sump, three-valve heads rather than the usual four valves per cylinder, dual ignition, twin spark plugs per cylinder, and is topped with six Weber 40 DCN18 carburetors. The block itself is based on that of a 330 GT but has been bored out to 4,380 cc. What is worth noting about this completely unique and radically redesigned engine is that it bears similarities to the engines found in the 330 P4 prototype racers, the race car that won numerous races and earned its place in the history books after their memorable 1-2 finish with a 412 P coming in third at the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona. These racing cars also have double inlet valves with one exhaust valve per cylinder.
Aesthetically, the design in front of the windshield was similar to that of a 275 GTB/4, albeit with a slightly stretched and flattened nose, still boasting covered headlights and a bonnet with a central bulge similar to a 275 GTB/4. The shape of the tail section of the bodywork is instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with a Daytona, utilizing 275 GTB/4 boot hinges and a full-width rear chrome bumper. Chassis number 10287's side profile is most evocative of the production Daytona, and allegedly what Enzo Ferrari loved most about this particular prototype, featuring a near identical rear ¾ section and roofline. Looking at the nose and bonnet, similarities can be seen between this and Jaguar’s E-Type.
Once completed in early 1967, 10287 saw extensive factory testing at the Modena Autodrome over the course of that year. It was first registered on May 8, 1968, wearing Italian number plates ‘Roma B 85391’ through the official Ferrari dealer in Rome, Motor S.a.s. di Carla Allegretti e C, noting a sales price of 8,000,000 Italian Lira. It is interesting to note that, at the time, this was similar in price to a new 275 GTB/4, but by that time, the production version of the 365 GTB/4 Daytona had yet to be introduced, this being about five months before the 1968 Paris Auto Salon.
