To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Arizona event, 17 - 18
January 2019.
Estimate:
$600,000 - $650,000
- The third of five examples rebuilt to the order of Luigi
Chinetti
- Attestation of Historic Interest issued by Ferrari
Classiche
- Commissioned as a personal car for Luigi Chinetti's wife,
Marion
- Displayed at the 1980 Turin Motor Show and the Le Mans
Museum
- Long-term care by renowned collector Jon Shirley
- Documented by marque authority Marcel Massini
Perhaps best known for his work on behalf of the carrozzeria
Vignale, Giovanni Michelotti was one of Italy's most prolific
sports car designers, penning both series-built and one-off
coachwork designs for various firms through the 1950s before
founding his own concern. The stylist was responsible for the
visual cues of numerous early Ferraris, as well as later
production-based models from Triumph and BMW.
Among Michelotti's most interesting work, he created an exceptional
series of five open cars during the mid-1970s based on the Ferrari
365 GTB/4 Daytona, largely at the behest of NART principal and U.S.
importer Luigi Chinetti. Though these cars were individually built
with myriad distinguishing details, the body designs were
essentially the same, sharing an angular wedge-styled shark-nose
motif that emphasized a single unwavering beltline from tip to
tail.
Chinetti commissioned the first of these cars in 1974, presenting
it at that year's Turin Motor Show, and the initial design featured
cut-down doors, molded bumpers, and a targa top. The second car,
chassis no. 15965, was commissioned as a competition example to run
the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans, though Chinetti ultimately withdrew
all the NART entries that year following a disagreement with the
race stewards.
In 1976, Chinetti ordered three more Daytonas from Michelotti to be
configured to road specifications, and the featured car, chassis
no. 14299, was the first of these. The car began life as a standard
Daytona coupe equipped with air conditioning and power windows, and
specified for the American market. Completing assembly in May 1971,
the 365 GTB/4 was finished in Grigio Ferro (Iron Grey) and
upholstered with Rosso Vaumol leather. The car was then retailed
through Chinetti's Connecticut-based distributorship and purchased
by a Dr. Silva.
Sometime over the next four years the Daytona was traded back to
Chinetti, and he submitted it to Michelotti in 1976 for use on his
three-car order. Michelotti re-bodied 14299 in the style of the
1974 Turin show car, though the cut-down doors and vent windows
were de-emphasized. The spider was fitted with five-spoke alloy
wheels and a tan soft top, and it was painted in a two-tone scheme
of dark blue over grey. The interior was re-trimmed in orange-hued
leather, while the dashboard layout was re-configured using the
original car's Veglia Borletti gauges. A color-matched hardtop was
fitted to complete the finishing touches.
In 1977 the NART Spider was delivered back to Chinetti and he added
script reading "Marion" in honor of his wife, to whom he gave the
car as a present. Three years later Chinetti loaned the Daytona to
Michelotti for presentation on the designer's stand at the 1980
Turin Motor Show, after which the car was displayed through 1982 at
the Le Mans Museum in France. Two years later the spider was also
presented at the La Baule Concours d'Elegance.
In 1985 the 365 GTB/4 returned to the U.S., and as Mrs. Chinetti
had passed away in the interim, the importer chose to sell the car.
The spider was then purchased by Los Angeles-based dealer Marty
Yacobian, and he presented it at the 1986 Palm Springs Concours
d'Elegance. In January 1990 the car was sold to Richard Gorman of
North Miami, Florida, and he in turn sold it to Marv Tonkin,
brother of the well-known Oregon-based Ferrari dealer Ron
Tonkin.
In September 1991, the minimally driven Daytona special was
acquired by the highly respected Jon Shirley, whose world-class
collection has garnered numerous awards at the finest events
worldwide, including the first Ferrari to ever win Best of Show at
Pebble Beach. The unique Ferrari remained in Mr. Shirley's
collection for 22 years, being consistently maintained as needed
while enjoying the company of his production Daytona Spider and
alloy 275 GTS/4 NART Spider, among others. Later in Mr. Shirley's
ownership the spider was certified by Ferrari Classiche with a
unique Attestation of Historic Interest, an honor bestowed on cars
that are deemed to possess important competition or show history
subsequent to when they were first sold by Ferrari.
After being purchased by the consignor in August 2013, this Ferrari
was presented at the Cavallino Classic in January 2014, winning an
award for Design Distinction. A few months later the car garnered
an Amelia Award at the 2014 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, and
it returned to the Florida-based concours in 2018. The spider has
accrued roughly 3,000 miles of rally use during the consignor's
ownership, including participation in the Copperstate 1000.
Offering rarity and a unique glimpse of Michelotti's interpretation
of the celebrated Daytona, this handsome one-off Ferrari is steeped
in the provenance of the famed Luigi Chinetti, and would make a
great acquisition for the Maranello completist searching for
particularly unusual coachbuilt examples. Still displaying just
5,479 miles accrued since the 1976 rebuild, the spider is sure to
draw interest at FCA gatherings and major concours d'elegance, or
may be appreciated for its sublime styling, a tribute to the genius
of the great Giovanni Michelotti.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az19.
