1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder

This 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 is one of 122 Spyders manufactured during three years of production and was completed in December 1971. Chassis 14813 was delivered new via Modern Classic Motors to the Berkeley, California, Ferrari dealer, the Griswold Company, in March 1972 for a San Francisco record producer who purchased it as a replacement for a 330 GTS that he had returned to the factory in 1970 due to mechanical flaws. The car was driven in various Ferrari Owners Club events through the 1970s before incurring damage after losing a wheel at Laguna Seca in 1978. Due to dissatisfaction with various cosmetic elements from the time of the car’s delivery, the original owner elected to expand repairs into a more extensive refurbishment in 1979 that included a repaint with a color change from the original Giallo Dino to red. The car remained under its first steward’s ownership until 2004, when it was sold to a Chicago owner who retained it for two decades. After a 2023 mechanical freshening, it was purchased in 2024 by its current owner, who subsequently had it repainted in black and fitted with a matching soft top. Power is provided by a 4.4-liter Colombo V12 that breathes through six Weber carburetors and is paired with a five-speed manual transaxle. Additional features include servo-assisted ventilated disc brakes, four-wheel independent suspension, 15” Borrani wire wheels, tan and black leather interior upholstery, air conditioning, and power windows. This Daytona Spyder is now offered on dealer consignment in Emeryville, California, with a copy of its original sales invoice, owner’s literature, photos from the 1970s, invoices dating back to the 1970s, and a Texas title that lists the car as a 1972 model.

The 365 GTB/4 was introduced in coupe form at the 1968 Paris Auto Salon and was joined at the following year’s Frankfurt Auto Show by a convertible variant, which entered production in 1971. Like its fixed-roof counterpart, the Spyder featured Scaglietti-built bodywork incorporating a steel shell with aluminum hood, trunk, and door panels riding on a steel-tube chassis with a fiberglass inner tub.

Originally finished in Giallo Dino, this example received damage to its left quarter panel, inner wheel arch, and A pillar during a 1978 race at Laguna Seca, and photographs showing the damage can be seen in the photo gallery below. Also viewable are photos of the car during a subsequent 1979 repaint in red, and a memorandum from the original owner stating that no body panels were replaced during the project, which also included removal of the rear side markers. The car was again refinished in its current shade of black in 2024, at which time a replacement black convertible top was fitted.

The Borrani wire wheels are secured by three-eared knock-offs and are wrapped in 215/70VR15 Michelin XWX tires that were mounted in 2023. A 15” Cromodora alloy spare is wrapped in Pirelli Cinturato rubber. Servo-assisted braking is handled by ventilated discs at each corner, and the calipers were overhauled in 2003. The brake fluid was flushed in 2023. The inner and outer tie rod ends were replaced by Patrick Ottis in Berkeley, California, in September 2025.

The cabin was re-trimmed in 2003 using materials from Luppi in Modena, Italy, and features tan leather with black accents over the bucket seats and door panels as well as black “mouse fur” dashboard trim. Additional features include color-keyed carpeting, Spyder-specific roller-blind sun visors, a gated shifter, air conditioning, and power windows.

The three-spoke steering wheel sits ahead of Veglia Borletti instrumentation including a 180-mph speedometer, an 8k-rpm tachometer, a clock, and gauges monitoring fuel level, coolant temperature, amperage, oil temperature, and oil pressure. The five-digit odometer shows 34k miles, approximately 100 of which have been added under current ownership.

The 4.4-liter Tipo 251 Colombo V12 features a 60° bank angle, dual overhead camshafts on each cylinder bank, a dry-sump lubrication system, and six Weber carburetors. The carburetors were rebuilt in 2017, while a mechanical freshening by Patrick Ottis in 2023 included a rebuild of the water pump, repairs to the rear main fuel filter cannister, cleaning of the spark plugs and carburetors, and repairs to the smog pump.

The all-synchromesh five-speed manual transaxle is mounted at the rear of the car to optimize weight distribution and incorporates a limited-slip differential. The four-wheel independent suspension comprises unequal A-arms, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, and anti-roll bars at each end. The Koni shock absorbers were rebuilt during a suspension refresh performed by Patrick Ottis in 2023. The selling dealer notes that evidence of repair can be seen on an area of the inner right quarter panel.

The original sales invoice from Modern Classis Motors in Reno, Nevada, is dated March 1, 1972, and lists the original color combination of Giallo Dino over beige leather. Additional documentation includes a stamped warranty booklet listing service dates in Berkeley, California, through 1972 and memoranda from the first and second owner, with the latter noting that he stored the car in his living room.

Photos of the car during the 1970s depict it in its original shade of Giallo Dino as well as during the late-1970s refurbishment changing its color to red.

The Texas title notes that the VIN certification has been waived.