Advice needed-Looking at a Daytona

I think there was about 71 plexi glass nose cars built. I think the black lines were silk screened on the glass. Replacements were very expensive and difficult to obtain. It is sort of defacing the car to go about changing things from their original build.
ch

 

I have no idea exactly how many plexi nosed cars were built, I have never seen any definitive number stated. Daytona production during 1969 and into 1970 was extremely slow. Perhaps 100 cars were built in the first full year of production which only really started in May of '69. There were no official US imports to the US until 1971 when the popup light solution was standardized in production.

Production took off for 1971 model year cars. By that time the FIAT mandated changes to the production process were coming on line and overall production volume more than doubled. Before FIAT, Ferrari actually built a small number of production cars. In 1969 I believe they built about 600 cars total. That includes 365GTC, 246 Dino, 365 GT 2+2, 365GTS and 365GTB/4 models.

As to availability of the plexi nosed parts, I honestly dont know. It really doesnt seem like a difficult to make piece. No complex curves. The lines are silk screened on. I have a hard time seeing it as being terribly expensive.

I imagine that someone may have chosen to convert it. Perhaps it was imported in teh early to mid 1980s and the DOT required it to be converted? My car was imported in the early 1970s and no such conversion requirments existed, but in the 1980s it may have been required to modify it to DOT standards?

But I am sure it was not delivered like that. I want my Ferrari's as Enzo and Pininfarina designed them.... not as the US DOT mandated. Add car design to the list of things the US Govt. SUCKS at!


Terry

 

I have been told that the pop-up lights are more functional than the plexi covered lights. Any truth to this?

 

Naaaaaaa. Unless you consider having a choice of high beam and low beam some sort of important issue.

With the plexi nosed cars, you run high beam all the time. On high beam you can see "ok". Not like modern Litronic headlights or anything... but you can see well enough to drive with no major issues. I imagine that like most vintage cars you would seriously overrun the headlights at anything over 100mph.

Low beam on the plexi nosed cars.... thats just not done. Not unless you want to run off the road at the next curve! Seriously, low beams are totally worthless and I never use them.


Terry