A big trend in recent years has been transforming race cars back to street legal status. The process is easy for muscle cars because of parts availability, but finding NOS parts for a Ferrari Daytona is another story. So many classic Italians have been restored, it’s hard to imagine what they were like on the track. That’s why we applaud the owner of this 1971 Ferrari 365.
In the late 60’s, customers were demanding a hardcore 365 in order to go racing. Enzo responded with 15 aluminum bodies known as the 365 Competizione. This inspired 11 privateer teams to transform production cars to Competizione specs, which is the story behind this car.
It was purchased from the Paris dealership of Charles Pozzi, and immediately prepped for the track. Upgrades included 9″ and 11″ wide wheels, fender flares, dive planes on the nose, and tuning the carburetors for sustained top speed. Big cams and side pipe exhaust are a recipe for aggression, and it gave the car a mean soundtrack.
The first race was the 4 hours of LeMans in 1972 ending in an 8th place finish overall. Not bad considering it was competing with the world’s fastest GT cars. It earned other successes before being converted back into a street car, which it was for three decades.
Upon researching the car’s history, Ferrari historian Michael Sheehan purchased it in 2007 with the intention to make racing great again. A full restoration to 1972 LeMans specs involved a rebuild of the numbers matching drivetrain. The engine build alone was $54,000, using forged internals to yield 455 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to modern shocks, sway bars, and brakes, it is eligible to race in the historic classes at Monterey, Sebring, and of course: Daytona. Stay with us for complete coverage of Mecum’s Monterey Auction next month.
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