Brute force with Italian elegance
When you think of Ferrari in motorsport, Formula 1 likely springs to mind. But behind the factory effort, privateer teams like NART, Écurie Francorchamps and AF Corse have played a huge part in building Ferrari’s racing reputation – often behind the wheel of ultra-rare, factory-built GT cars based on Ferrari road models.
One of the most iconic has to be the 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione, a lighter, faster, race-tuned version of the already legendary road-going Daytona. Just 15 factory cars were built by Ferrari’s Assistenza Clienti division between 1971 and 1973, split into three series, each with subtle but meaningful upgrades in bodywork, aerodynamics and power.
The Series III cars packed serious punch. Producing 450bhp from a 4.4 litre V12 with ram-air induction, sharper cams, custom pistons and race-spec exhausts all added around 100bhp more than the road-going version. Despite keeping much of the original Daytona’s structure and suspension, these ‘Comp’ cars were all about performance.
The example featured here was the first Series III Daytona Comp, built in late 1972 and delivered to Luigi Chinetti’s NART team in early 1973. It was painted Rosso Chiaro with black trim and later fitted with NART’s signature blue-and-white racing stripes. This car saw action at some of the world’s biggest endurance races, including Le Mans, the Daytona 24 Hours and Watkins Glen, often battling big-block Corvettes and Porsche 911s.
After a colourful stint with Interscope Racing and appearances in IMSA, it eventually retired from frontline competition in the early '80s. It’s since been restored, raced in historic events like the Tour Auto and Goodwood, and displayed at Pebble Beach. With only a handful ever made, a strong competition pedigree and standout looks, the Daytona Competizione remains one of Ferrari’s most compelling GT racers, blending brute force with Italian elegance in a way few others ever have.
This iconic 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione is currently available through Sotheby’s Sealed auctions. It’s expected to fetch between $5.5-$7.5m. Photos © Robin Adm / RM Sotheby’s