Daytona-Why does it command high value

the 365 gtc is not a "daytona." daytona is 365 gtb4. the 365 gtc4 was another car produced around the same time, with back seats and not as quick (or as celebrated).

the daytona was produced in pretty low numbers and for its time was a "super car." it was the fastest mass produced car of its time (i think R&T got it to 175 mph) and it was a front engine, 2 passenger v-12. real question is how can so much car be bought for so little? i'd guess it will be there within 3 to 5 years.

the 365 gtc/4 on the other hand has a few handicaps compared to the daytona. it's got back seats, is heavier, is not as good looking and not as fast. i personally love the car, and think it's one of the best sounding cars ferrari ever made. and at $50-60k, it's an amazing deal for an early 70s, front engine v-12 ferrari. but when that engine needs work, with those side mounted webers, watch out. the maintenance costs are known to by eye-watering. forza magazine did a great write up on the car - try to find it

 

"and did not not earth-cracking performance figures."

NY to LA in 33 hours isn't too bad...

 

The new issue of Octane has a comparison test between a Daytona and a C/4. I haven't read it yet so I can't vouch for its value, but the fact that the C/4 was misidentified on the magazine's cover (!) as a 365 GTC tends to call its credibility into question.

 

And subsequently referred to by Yates as "possibly the best road car ever." (Quoting from memory).

 

First, stupid question do not exist. I think you confused some different models here, as the 365 GTB/4 Daytona is a totally different car than the somewhat older 365 GTC. About 1,280 Daytona coupes and 123 Spyders were produced between 1969 and 1973. Back then it was more than any other Ferrari model, but by todays production figures it is not a massive amount. In contradiction with what you mentioned about the performance: the Daytona was the fastest car money could buy in those times, period. Faster than a Miura and anything else. In my opinion, a good to concours example of a Daytona is still a very good buy in todays market. A lot of car for the money for sure. I have never driven one, but I don´t think a Daytona is a very good daily driver by todays standards because there absolutely no power assistance anywhere in the car. As a result of this it is a heavy ride.

 

Actually compared to a 275 gtb, I think that a Daytona is undervalued.

Just my 2 cents, DrTax

 

Well said!

 

http://home.earthlink.net/~f365gtc4/365gtc4.htm

 

Absolutely.

 

Amen. Especially after earth rumbles while stuck in traffic next to a "Daytona." Priceless.

 

Maintenance is not a problem if you buy a driver that has been taken care of. Brakes are a bit of a problem. Good for 30 years back, now you have to keep your distance and anticipate traffic. Best (street legal) sounding car. 7700 rpm in the early seventies is incredible. Have not used my radio yet. Gobs of torque makes it an easy drive. Have driven my car in the rain, and the car leaks everywhere. Have driven it in the snow (not salt). Maybe not such a good idea. Steering is heavy, especially at parking speed, but great feeling at speed. You really drive from arc to arc. You sit almost on the rear axle with all of the car in front of you.

This car has a really timeless design and knows no bad angles. Compared to the 275, the airy greenhouse avoids the claustrofobic feeling of many vintage Ferraris. More like the Lusso and the Maranello.

For 20 years this was the fastest production car. So, many reasons why these cars don't depreciate.

 

I agree with DrTax. Daytona is probably undervalued compared to 275gtb prices. Having owned and driven various Ferrari models, I don't think many street Ferraris compare for pure straight line pull and high speed cruising. I currently own and drive frequently a 275gts and a Daytona Spider conversion.( I prefer open cars). Like the 275gtb, the 275gts has a two cam engine that has very modest low end torque. The Daytona, however, is a four cam/six carb stump puller. Properly set up, the Daytona has incredible acceleration in every gear right up to redline (7000 rpm my limit).
Anyone considering purchasing a vintage Ferrari should find a reputable mechanic close by. My experience(past 21 years) is that you take care of a vintage Ferrari as you would your own health,i.e. you get frequent check ups, you pay for the best care possible, when something feels out of sorts, you immediately see a specialist. The cost for the best care will seem insignificant in the long run. ( My experience with vintage Ferraris, Dino,275gtb,275gts,Daytonas is that they will cost you far less in repairs than more contemporary Ferraris,308gts,328gts,3.2Mondial will cost you in lost value.)

 

I have to agree that Daytonas are great on the highways, with plenty of power to rival most modern cars. I remember having a real "aha!" moment of enlightenment when I first drove one. The only major drawback I've discovered is that it is tough to negotiate super windy roads with tight corners - it's perhaps not the best car for these types of conditions.

 

How about a nice 550 or 575? All the luxury and comfort of a modern car with that great front engine 12 cylinder sound?

Rick

 

All true. You have to remember several things about the Daytona, it was in it's day "King of the Road", and it ain't bad now either. Also it was really the last of the Enzo era cars. And for those of us old enough to remember when they were new, with the emmissions regs and the state of the art of technology, we really believed that when they quit production we had just seen the last of the REALLY fast cars. So for some of us they hold great sentimental value even if we don't own one. And take it from someone that has worked on them for years, the motor is bullet-proof, I have witnessed them take more than any motor should, and just keep coming back for more like a faithful dog. There is nothing like merging with traffic on the freeway in first gear, shifting to second, and standing on it in a Daytona. I'm sitting in my shop looking at a beautiful yellow one right now, and it feels good.

 

IMO, a Daytona is fast, but only "average" looking....too 70's muscle car for my taste....and it is a bit more "trucky" feeling than some other models..

 

Your F50 had to be more than a 275, right?
How available are vintage cars over there, and what would the import process be like if you had to?

 

Come on, these would look great together

Seriously, though, it's the age-issue. Do you settle for the next best thing now, or do you wait to buy the one you really lust after? Since reselling isn't the most difficult thing in the world, and the market for cars in this range isn't as speculative as the 1mm+ cars, what do you have to lose? Enjoy the car for a couple of years and then pass it on and get the 275. As many on this board say - life is short, go for it! The only thing that would make me think differently is if importing was cost prohibitive.

Though I too prefer the 275 styling to that of the Daytona, I think the Daytona is a great car. And after running with one and having it overtake me a few times, I can tell you that the sound is exquisite.

 

Rifledriver, FYI, according to the literature of the time, Enzo was actively involved in the developement of the Boxer as he personally wanted to beat out his Lambo rival's Muira which had overshadowed the Daytona at the time. The Boxer was the last of the wooden buck hammered bodies too. So while the Daytona may have been the last of an era of Enzo's front engined 12s, the Boxer was the first and last of the new era of Enzo's mid-engined 12s.

 

It's just the overwhelming sense of occasion whenever you see / hear / sit in / drive a Daytona...

Huge charisma & presence (the car equivalent of Sean Connery, I always think...)

And it's still enormously fast, even by modern standards (helped by the fact that very very few people try to 'take it on').

John

PS The Daytona in the Octane article is mine ! They concluded that, by comparison, the GTC/4 is 'half the price, but certainly not half the car'.

Seems fair enough. I adore the GTC/4 too.

My only complaint with Octane is that - having been loaned my $100,000-plus automobile - they haven't had the courtesy to send me a complimentary copy of their $7 magazine.. What a bunch of amateurs !

 

John, That's a lovely car! I have mixed emotions about Octane. I've been a reader since issue #1, but the editorial content is somewhat inconsistent and those postage-stamp size photos are practically invisible to a geezer like me.

Well, now that I "know" the owner of the Daytona in the article, reading it will be that much more pleasureable!

Jack

 

Thanks Jack.

I know what you mean. One of the standard postage stamp-sized pictures they now use is of my offside rear wheel !

The other car in the article - the ruby 365 GTC/4 - is an absolute beauty. It's just come out of a 2 year ground-up rebuild, and won its class at the UK Ferrari Owners Club National Concours last month (beating three Daytonas in the process...).

John