330 GTC vs Daytona | FerrariChat

330 GTC vs Daytona

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by -CD-, May 3, 2019.

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  1. -CD-

    -CD- F1 Rookie
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    Jun 7, 2005
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    Christian
    Hi all,

    can‘t help myself, got hooked on both classics decades ago
    but only drive both one time, times ago and the Daytona was in
    bad condition so perhaps my faded feelings didn‘t judge well my daily head
    comparison... :D

    As for the look, i love the 330 GTC for it‘s classic 60ties style
    and prefer it much over a 365 GTC because of the side vents
    and i like the feeling in the airy cabin a lot and it’s a real smart classic but on the
    other side there is the Daytona, also born in the 60ties
    but a complete different animal, iconic, avantgarde and in my eyes one of
    the coolest cars ever build.

    As for driving i don‘t remember very well, Daytona felt heavy in low speed
    but as it was a bad example and engine runs worse i didn‘t drive it very long.
    The GTC, not engine, was more like a Pagode, feeling was compact and nice to drive.

    But it would be great to get some impressions from owners and drivers
    how they both drive today in good condition in comparison.

    Thanks a lot!

    Greetings Christian
     
    of2worlds likes this.
  2. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
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    Brian Crall
    Your memories are pretty spot on with one exception. The Daytona in good running order was a Saturn V missle.
     
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  3. Daytonafan

    Daytonafan F1 Rookie

    Oct 18, 2003
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    I love both cars, and whilst the Daytona is the one I know by far the best, the first Ferrari I drove on public roads was a 330GTC.
    Comparing the two the GTC is much the easier car to drive and on a tight and twisty road probably handles a little better too.
    Perhaps surprisingly when you consider the 330 is supposed to be the more comfort oriented I find the seats more supportive in the Daytona and the generally larger cockpit of the Daytona better suited to my 6ft 2" frame.
    The biggest thing though is the Daytona is so much more exciting to drive which is almost all down to the 4 cam engine and the extra power (and noise) it produces. It is the harder car to drive which makes it the more rewarding one too.

    In an ideal world I would have both in my garage (specifically my Dad's old 330GTC) but if I could only have one it would be the Daytona everytime.
     
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  4. Italian Tuneup

    Italian Tuneup Karting

    Apr 16, 2019
    80
    Europe
    Full Name:
    Stefan
    Hi Christian,

    I would highly recommend to drive a well sorted Daytona with an electric power steering. It transforms the car from a heavy truck around town to (almost) a well usable daily driver. These modern systems work really great. IMHO no artificial steering feel as some people are saying. Mine has a switch to turn it off and the result is not a more direct feeling without power steering, just much more heavier.

    And because it is speedo controlled, switching it on or off at 80 km/h is not noticeable as the support fades away the faster you go.

    But I know.... It´s a deadly sin to put power steering in a Daytona ;)
     
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  5. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Apr 28, 2003
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    Texas!
    There's little doubt the 365 motor is better than the 330. That said, the GTC wins in the looks department. No personal experience, but what I've been told the 365
    GTC is the best of all worlds, vents be dammed.
     
    -CD-, miurasv and 375+ like this.
  6. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Oct 17, 2001
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    Joe Mansion
    Only driven the GTC once. But that drive was enough to realize it was a soft car compared to the Daytona. The Daytona was fun, fast, loud and required a bit more work than the GTC but was more rewarding in pleasure and experience. I always read the brakes on the Daytona were not good but the one i drove, the brakes were perfect for the B roads we were on. I also think the Daytona is much better looking the the GTC which is pretty in an Alfa spider sort of way, not smack in the face WOW..
     
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  7. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
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    Brian Crall
    365 GTC with the SOHC motor with its torque and gearing was very impressive in the stop light Grand Prix but the loss of the fender vents killed it for many.

    The DOHC 6 carb and gearing of the Daytona was a very long legged car with standard gearing. I remember a test drive merging with traffic on a slightly slow group on the freeway in 1st and by 3rd they were very small dots in the rearview.
     
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  8. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Apr 28, 2003
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    Memory is funny, isn't it. How much horsepower did a Daytona have? Less than 400? Lot for the time, but I saw something the other day where a Dodge has almost 800 hp off the showroom floor. That's nuts for a street car.
     
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  9. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Apr 28, 2003
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    Texas!
    I just remembered. At one point, I owned a 550 Maranello and a 330 GTC. The GTC was the better cruiser. But the Maranello was by far the better runner, as it should have been. On occasion, a buddy would drive the GTC, and I'd follow in the Maranello. I had to really hang back in the Maranello to the point where it was no fun.
     
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  10. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
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    But a very big difference. For a variety of reasons cars of the period were thrilling to drive. Modern Supercars to me are as fun as a video game. Yawn.

    I don't think a Hellcat wold have that same problem but for most there is a huge disconnect between the between the engineering department and the drivers seat. One upon a time Ferrari understood the importance of that connection very well. For me it ended with the Enzo. Technology became the end all and be all, screw the driving experience.
     
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  11. -CD-

    -CD- F1 Rookie
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    Thanks a lot for the postings! :)

    Today i picked up the 308 from service and had a closer look
    on a 330 GTC and a Daytona, didn‘t drive but sitting in the GTC was as i remember
    very very nice, love the interior and the cabin feeling a lot!

    Drives will follow!

    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
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  12. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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  13. llink

    llink Karting

    Nov 18, 2013
    161
    Northern California
    I love the look and the way both cars drive, but they really are very different beasts. As others have stated, the 330 GTC is a more subtle car, elegant to look at, high greenhouse with excellent visibility all around the car when driving, handling is more nimble and the power is adequate at 300 hp with a 0-60 time in the 7 second range. Great around town and fun on a twisting road. Phil Hill said it was his favorite Ferrari for around town driving or something to that effect.

    The 365 GTB is a more savage car, louder and more visceral, 350 hp with a 0-60 time in the low 5 seconds range. Iconic car from the 70's. Harder to maneuver at low speed, but pretty adroit handling when at speed, and will run all the way to 170 mph if you're daring enough to do that in a 50 year old car. I've only been a passenger, but I was thrilling to see and hear the car redlining. It's quite a machine and seems like if you had one you would take it out with a purpose and not just tool around town like you easily could do in the 330 GTC.

    They made 600 of the GTC and 1280 of the GTB, so the GTC is rarer but both are pretty expensive these days. My goal is to own both of them at some point, but probably not at the same time as good clean examples of each car run north of $600K. Back to work. . .
     
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  14. miurasv

    miurasv F1 World Champ

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    #14 miurasv, May 3, 2019
    Last edited: May 3, 2019
    The 4 litre 330 GTC was a less aggressively styled and less racy Coupe version of the long nose with torque tube 3.3 litre 275 GTB Berlinetta with similar chassis, underpinnings and 5 speed transaxle, but with slower steering using a 1:20 ratio as opposed the the quicker 1:17 steering ratio of the 275 GTB.

    The 4.4 litre 365 GTB/4 Daytona was the bigger engined evolution of the racy, dry sumped, DOHC 275 GTB/4, itself, of course, a development of the 2 Cam (SOHC) 275 GTB.
     
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  15. Daytonafan

    Daytonafan F1 Rookie

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    The thread prompted me to see if I had any photos of the Daytona with the 330GTC back in the day, which unfortunately I don’t. I do however have this one next to one of the three 330GTS’ that my Dad owned. As a Spyder the Daytona is definitely the nicer place to be than the 330GTS for a long distance with the top down. The occupants are much more exposed to the wind in the GTS with its upright windscreen and short windows.
     
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  16. VinnieVintage

    VinnieVintage Rookie

    Oct 31, 2018
    44
    That red 330 GTC is beautiful. I love how it looks both poised and aggressive. The view of the hips on that blue 365 --- so friggin' sexy.

    Thanks for sharing.

    VV
     
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  17. Bluebottle

    Bluebottle F1 Veteran
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    Both stunningly beautiful cars. By comparison, today's offerings are crass. Maranello was the last beautiful Ferrari. The current crop look like something out of a cheap sci-fi movie.
     
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  18. Doctor Mark

    Doctor Mark Formula Junior

    Dec 15, 2005
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    I have owned both. Go for the Daytona without question. GTC has a great greenhouse with superb visibility but the power of the Daytona is SO much better.
     
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  19. Drew Altemara

    Drew Altemara Formula 3

    Feb 11, 2002
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    I think the GTC is the better driving car because it is lighter. The Daytona is heavy but more powerful. I just don't care for the look of the GTC. But a lot of people do.
     
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  20. colombo2cam

    colombo2cam Formula Junior

    Jan 31, 2019
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    Ted
    There are only two things that are similar on these two models 1) the manufacturer 2) their relative price point in the market place. They are both wonderful and yet so so different. The 330 is light and easy to drive and makes wonderful noise. If you were going for dinner or on a road trip this is the choice. The Daytona is a powerful brute that begs to be DRIVEN and the noise is over the top. If you were going on a spirited ride on great roads there is nothing better. Hop in - strap in and hold on.

    In summation - GET BOTH
     
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  21. SCantera

    SCantera F1 Veteran
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    Aug 4, 2004
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    Christian.....I agree that the "GET BOTH" a 330 and a Daytona is the winning choice. Course both would require a $1.2m+/- investment and annual costs of ownership. So that leads to other options.

    A 365 GTC combines the best of both the 330 and the Daytona. The Type 245 engine is much stronger than the 209 in the 330. Although I never have driven a 365 GTC I did own a 365 GT and a 330 GTC at the same time. The 365 engine spins more freely and has significantly more torque than the 33o. There have been statements made that the 365 GTC is as fast as a Daytona up to 100 mph. I can't verify but it wouldn't surprise me if true. I realize that the 365 is missing the more attractive side vents. Does performance trump aesthetics for you? It goes both ways. At one time I considered "moving up" from my 330 to a 365 but chose not to make that move.

    The alternative choice....is combine vintage w/ more modern to get both. Combine a 330 GTC with a 550 Maranello. To me the 550 is the modern Daytona. Like the Daytona the 550 has plenty of power. Add power steering, great handling, real brakes and a functional a/c system. A 330 and 550 would cost about the same [or less] than a 365 GTC. I have had my 330 and three different Maranello versions over the last 14 years. First a 550...which I really liked. Then a 575 F1....which I didn't like as much. And now a 575 Superamerica....which I love. And it's a convertible too!

    My 330 GTC is still my favorite car that I have ever owned. I owned my first from 76-85 and drove it over 100,000 miles. My second is part of my modest collection. I have made some modifications to improve the mechanicals......alternator, fans, upgraded a/c and a few more. Makes the GTC an even better car to drive.
     
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  22. colombo2cam

    colombo2cam Formula Junior

    Jan 31, 2019
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    New plan get all 4
     
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  23. -CD-

    -CD- F1 Rookie
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    Power isn‘t important to me, my F12 tick that box excellent and your 550 Maranello advise is a good
    one, i had one and loved it and i can feel your love to the open air Superamerica and i finally mixed both up
    with a 550 Barchetta!
     
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  24. Bluebottle

    Bluebottle F1 Veteran
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    and a 250 GTO and a California while you are about it!:D
     
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  25. Ed Niles

    Ed Niles Formula 3
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    Sep 7, 2004
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    Edwin K. Niles
    Never had a 330GTC, but had a 365GTC. My legs are short, and I had a hard time reaching the pedals. Are the 330's the same? I have owned Daytonas, drove Ken Starbird's comp Daytona from Monterey to LA (Highway 1), and I have driven a friend's 330 in an event. Sorry folks, but the Daytona wins in my book.
     
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