By the end of the Sixties, the motorsport world had warped into a new era of aerodynamic experimentation and extreme power. A colossal battle between Ferrari and Porsche produced awe-inspiring, mid-engine, 5-liter World Sports Car Championship machines that reached astonishing speeds… and sudden and dramatic ends. Within this context, Chinetti focused on not only the WSC machines, but also the GT cars that filled out the endurance race field. In 1969, he had a prototype, race-version Daytona that was completed barely on schedule for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, requiring him to personally drive it over the Alps to arrive in time for the start. Unfortunately, that car crashed during practice and was unable to start the race. The only other time a Daytona completed a race, was when a converted road-car finished mid-field at Sebring in 1971. With his pride and instincts still intact, Chinetti was undaunted entering the summer of 1971. A Daytona road-car, several years old, VIN 12467, was located and rapidly modified, in basic fashion, for the Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.), and entered in the 24-Hour French classic. Out of the box, with negligible time to practice or develop the machine, ‘12467’ rolled onto the grid, piloted by Chinetti’s son, Luigi ‘Coco’ Chinetti Jr. and co-driver, Bob Grossman.

Coco, who had expected to drive a 5 liter 512 S, was somewhat dismayed to find himself behind this road-derived car. He playfully, yet with some sneer, labeled it a ‘taxi’ and set out to hunt down the low-slung 5-liter machines. Through the night, ‘12467’ powered along, its strong, yet heavy, chassis providing some cushion from the constant hammering of the old circuit. When the clock struck 4 PM the next day, the record shows that ‘12467’ finished a stunning fifth position overall, behind only the aerodynamic and powerful WSC machines, and a full eight laps ahead of the GT cars that it would be classified against in the future. Enzo Ferrari did not attend most races, but was keenly aware of not just the results, but also the fine details of the performance of each machine, driver, and team. In light of this, history suggests that Enzo himself took note of the extraordinary performance of ‘12467’, giving it special recognition within the incomparable Ferrari racing legacy.

• April 28, 1969VIN # 12467 , with steel body, constructed at Ferrari Factory, Maranello, Build Sequence #3, Scaglietti body “#003”. ( Build sheets kindly provided to KBFAA by Marcel Massini)
• September 2,1969Assembly Date for Original Engine Installed in 12467.
• April 9,1971Serviced at Ferrari Factory Assistenza Cliente, Modena.
• April 1971Converted to Comp Specifications.
• June 5, 1971Two days before it was shipped to Le Mans, Luigi Chinetti paid $11,630 to “FERRARI AUTOMOBILI MODENA” for the purchase of 12467; Chinetti writes on check “FULL PAYMENT OF 365/DAYTONA #12467 FOR LEMANS.”
• June 7, 1971Luigi Chinetti is invoiced 200,000 lire by Ferrari for the shipping of 12467 to Le Mans. Translation: ‘Your vehicle 365/GTB4 VIN # 12467 from our Factory in Maranello to Le Mans’.
• June 11, 1971Work was invoiced by Sport Auto Modena, founded and owned by Diena and Silingardi. Written on the invoice is “Pagato”, which translates as “Paid”, and a signature which appears to be that of Aldo Silingardi.
• June 12-13, 19715th Place Overall at 39th Running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (drivers: Luigi Chinetti Jr., Bob Grossman).
• July 27, 1971Ferrari Invoices Luigi Chinetti for “lavori effettuati per preparazione vettura alla 24 Ore di Le Mans.”
  Translation: ’work (s) done to prepare the vehicle for the 24 Hours of Le Mans’.
• November 17, 1971On this date, the “Manufacturers Statement of Origin to a Motor Vehicle” was issued to “Grossman Motor Car Corporation”, for “COMPETITION FERRARI, 1971, 365 GTB-4 RACING CAR, Serial Number 12467”
• 1971Sold to Bob Grossman, Nyack, NY,
• 1971Sold to Jim and Clive Baker, Atlanta, GA Competed: Baker Motors Ring-Free Oil Team
• 19726 Hours of Daytona- 16 OA, 3rd IC
• 197212 Hours of Sebring - 19 OA, 5th IC
• 19726 Hours of Watkins Glen- 11 OA, 5th IC
• May 1, 1973Ferrari Document “Vettura Situazione del 1-5-1973 GTB/4 Competizione - GT Speciale GR.4. Tot. 18 4/71 - 6/73” created.
  Translation: ‘Car Situation 5/1/1973 GTB/4 Competition - GT Special GR.4, Total 18, 4/71 - 6/73’
  12467 is listed on document as: Translation;
  BUILDER - SCAGLIETTI;
  MATERIAL - STEEL AND “NORMALE” [referring to the windows of a regular road car, or GLASS];
  ‘DATE CONSTRUCTED - APRIL 1971;
  NOTE - LEMANS 1971 AS A GROUP 4 PROTOTYPE (A NORMAL CAR) USED FOR THE FIRST MODIFICATION [meaning that a road car was used for the first conversion to group 4 specification – verses a chassis designated from the start as a race car];
  CLIENT - CHINETTI (DIENA) [Chinetti, the client and Diena referring to Sport Auto Modena, founded and owned by Diena and Silingardi. (full sheet kindly provided to KBFAA by Marcel Massini)
• 1973Sold to Harley E. Cluxton’s Grand Touring Cars, Inc., IL, USA
• 1973Sold to Herb Wetanson, NY, NY, USA
• 1974Sold to Daniel P. Kingsford, Princeton, NJ, USA
• 1975Sold to William Kontes, Vineland, NJ, USA
• 1977Sold to David Gunn, Suffield, CT, USA
• 1977Upgraded to Daytona Comp Series 3 specs, including flared fenders to accommodate larger tires, by Alberto Pedretti’s Wide World of Cars, Spring Valley, NY
• 1984Sold to William Kontes, Milville, NJ, USA
• 1984Concours: 3rd IC, FCA Concours Lake Lanier Island, class 24 William Kontes
• 1993Sold to private collector and vintage racer; engine block cracked
• 1993Engine rebuilt completed by Grand Touring Cars Inc., Scottsdale, Az. (Harley Cluxton III) to Series 3 specs using new engine block (original engine block remains with car - please see photos above)
• 2005Remains with private collector and vintage racer until sold to present owner

“It was the only car we had to drive. It would have been nice to have an LM with a Daytona engine, but it (12467-ed.) was a nice strong racecar. We did well and it won a number of GT events. It had enough power to compete and while it was not the lightest car it had a great top speed, so where it lost in the tight stuff, it made it up on the Mulsanne straight. So no matter how much the others could make-up, we knew it would do roughly 180 mph at the top and keep it ahead over the long haul. I knew Enzo since I was five years old and (he and-ed.) dad were quite pleased for me and with the performance.” - Luigi Chinetti Jr.

By the end of the 1971 season, the requisite 500 road cars had been completed for homologation. The first of three batches of official Ferrari-factory-prepared 365GTB/4 Daytona Competiziones entered the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans. The racing world watched, as a phalanx of the new cars took fifth through ninth place overall, once again behind only WSC machines, and swept the GT Class podium. ‘12467’ would go on to place within the top 5 spots in the 2.5-liter- plus category at the 6 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen.

It is hard to conceive of the Ferrari legacy without Luigi Chinetti. In the 1949 Le Mans, he took the wheel of an open-air 166MM for all but 20 minutes of the 24-hour race. In a seminal move, he would soon go to America and convince Enzo Ferrari of the vast potential market for his cars in the new country. Maintaining his passion for competition, he added four letters to the Ferrari lexicon: N.A.R.T., for North American Racing Team. His last overall victory at Le Mans came in 1965, with a N.A.R.T.-entered 250 LM.

Despite maintaining the same front-engine mechanical layout of predecessors, like the 275GTB, Pininfarina knew the importance of moving forward with Ferrari’s Daytona design. While the Daytona would maintain the great simplicity and elegance that was intrinsic in all Pininfarina designs, it was nevertheless an extreme departure from Ferraris penned by the great Torinese design house. With the Daytona, Pininfarina abandoned the soft, voluminous forms that had always defined their front-engine Ferrari GT designs, and instead pushed into the future. The resulting modernist vision married form and function, with an aggressive edginess that no previous Ferrari road car had ever exhibited.

Whereas the Daytona’s predecessor, the 275GTB, was the automotive equivalent of Sophia Loren – the epitome of feminine beauty, sinfully voluptuous with soft, round curves and big, alluring eyes - the Daytona is undeniably masculine and primal, exuding the sleek, confident air of a champion - a heavyweight prizefighter in a tuxedo. Despite its intimidating dimensions, the Daytona still manages to appear taut, lithe, and dynamic, with Pininfarina’s strong, sculpted proportions balanced by elegant, restrained surfaces. This dynamic contrast pulls all the lines rearward, as on the streamlined body of a shark. The greenhouse, incredibly long, light, and airy with its fastback, complements that aesthetic.

All this demonstrated the state-of-the-art aerodynamics of the era, beginning with a round, sharply-raked windshield, transitioning to a short roof that snaps over the driver’s head, flowing rearward and terminating in a truncated, aerodynamic Kamm tail. This aggressive, functional purity is emphasized by a most radical design change, one applied at the nose. The approachable and friendly expressions of the 275’s traditional oval grille and round eyes have been supplanted by a low, Can-Am-style predatory nose, with a full-width rectilinear grille and slim horizontal lamps that wrap around the body sides, creating a sinister sneer. One fleeting glance at a Daytona Competition in your rearview mirror and it is clear - this is a car with bad intentions, as the taut edges and malicious mouth speak directly of the power and fury beneath the bonnet.

“The allure and the power of the Daytona Competition’s design are undeniable as it one of the most pure, brutal, raw and powerful front engine car designs the world has ever seen.”