The Ferrari 365 GTB fixed head coupe and GTS Spyder open top was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1968 to replace the 275 and 330 series.

Although the car's official title was the 365 GTB, Ferrari’s replacement for the 330 was always known through its nickname of the Daytona,to honour Ferrari's incredible 1-2-3 line abreast finish in the Daytona 24-hour race of 1967.

The name Daytona was a familiar one in the United States, where Ferrari hoped the car would appeal most,although the title was always unofficial the model was never described as a "Daytone" in any of the company's literature.

Ferrari called in renowned designer Leonardo Fioravanti of the Pininfarina studio to style the Ferrari 365 GTB 's aerodynamic body.

Fioravanti's achievement was to design a car with a massive engine in the nose that still looked sleek by lengthening the bonnet and installing the engine as far back as possible.

This combinaation produced the distinctive shark-like styling which became a feature of the car.

To offset the extra length at the front, Fioravanti restricted the rear overhang to the bare minimum.

At first, for the European market, the headlights were hidden behind glazed panels, but cars sold in North America and other territories had pop-up items instead.

The basis of the Daytona was the 275 GTB/4 chassis with independent wishbone front and rear suspension.

To balance the whole package, a rear axle-mounted gearbox transaxle was adopted, with a rigid torque tube connecting it to the engine.

First used in the 500 Superfast, the 365 GTB/4 was the most significant engine Maranello had ever developed, with an output of 262kW (352bhp) that could achieve a 278km/h (174 mph) top speed.

This extra power was welcome as th Daytona was a heavy car, weighing more than 1600kg. However the 365 GTB/4 had more than enough power to take the Daytona . The 4.4-litre (268 cu in) direct overhead camshaft V 12 was not new, derived from the familiar Colombo-designed unit that could be traced back to the earliest models.

Regarded as being among the greatest front-engined GT’s of all time, the Daytona caused a sensation when launched in 1968, was bigger, better, faster and prettier than the 275 GTB4 it replaced.

Just 122 open-top Spyder versions were produced between 1969 and 1973, badged as 365 GTS/4s.

The 365 GTS/4s. specification was the same as for the coupe, although the majority of cars came with wire spoke wheels.

The 365 GT was a remarkable package that ultimately managed to satisfy every kind of Ferrari owner, proving to be both a comfortable grand tourer and a sports car.

During its production run, the 365 Daytona accounted for more than 50 per cent of Ferrari sales .