1970 Ferrari Daytona Spyder

There is nothing sexier then a Ferrari “red head”…

1970 Ferrari Daytona Spider

The Daytona story began in 1966, when Pininfarina designer Leonardo Fioravanti laid eyes on a naked 330 GTC chassis. “It struck me as something unique,” he remembered. “I wanted to follow its shape and dimensions, while paying close attention to the aerodynamics.”

Fioravanti presented his renderings to Sergio Pininfarina, whose entreaties to Ferrari to build a midengine V-12 model had been continuously rebuffed. When Sergio saw Fioravanti’s stunning proposal for a new front-engine design, he accepted it warmly.

Complying to the convertible market, Ferrari had Pininfarina design the Daytona Spider and limited production to just 122 cars. At the time, the Daytona was known as the top dog, holding a speed record of 180mph, and being described as the ‘the best sports car in the world’ by Road & Track.

The Spider was no doubt a continuation of the iconic 250 GT California Spyder and 275 GTB/4 Spyder, which were made at the request of Luigi Chinetti. Unfortunately, The 365 would end this trend as the next round of Ferraris were mid-engined, leaving little room for a soft top and a V12 in the same space. Not until the nineties was the idea revived the 348.

Design & Styling

The Anti-Miura Production Car

The cars followed Fioravanti’s general lines. They employed the front of the Ferrari 275 berlinetta and the rear of what would be the Daytona. Pininfarina then altered the nose to get a more modern look and the “lightness and rake” he desired.

Unlike Lamborghini’s new Miura, the Daytona was a traditional front-engined, rear-drive car. Eventually the Daytona was replaced by the mid-engined 365 GTB Berlinetta Boxer in 1973. But today, the car represents the last of the great front engine Ferrari GTs before this layout was revived in the 1990s.

Interior


Technical Specs

Technical Specifications

The engine, known as a Tipo 251 and developed from the earlier Lampredi V12 used in the 275 GTB/4, was a 4.4 L (4390 cc, 267.9 cid) DOHC V12 with a 60° bank angle, 365 cc per cylinder, 81 mm (3.2 in) bore and 71 mm (2.8 in) stroke, featuring six Weber twin carburettors (40 mm Solex twin carburettors were used alternatively). At a compression ratio of 9.3:1, it produced 352 PS (259 kW; 347 hp) and could reach 280 km/h (174 mph). 0-60 mph (97 km/h) acceleration was just 5.4 seconds.[citation needed] For the American version, slight modifications were made – the compression ratio was reduced to 8.8:1 and the exhaust system was equipped with a large central silencer, necessitating visible alterations to the primary pipes.
The 5-speed manual transmission (transaxle concept) was mounted in the rear for optimal weight distribution, and a 4-wheel independent suspension featured wishbones and coil springs.

  • Year:
    1970

  • Color:
    Red

  • Engine
    4.4 L (4390 cc, 267.9 cid)

  • Type:
    1970 Ferrari Daytona Spider

  • 0-60 mph:
    5.4 seconds

  • Top Speed:
    280 km/h (174 mph)

  • Transmission
    5-speed manual transmission

  • Body/Chassis
    Convertible (Spyder) Left Hand Drive

Cool Facts

In the 1980s, the car gained new notoriety on the first two seasons of NBC’s hit television series Miami Vice. The black car used in the series was a replica built on a Corvette chassis. Ferrari execs were not pleased that their company and one of their products was represented on TV by an imitation car. The Daytona replica was eventually destroyed on-screen and replaced with a Ferrari Testarossa, the company’s newest model during the time.

In 2004, the Daytona was voted top sports car of the 1970s by Sports Car International magazine. Similarly, Motor Trend Classic named the 365 GTB/4 and GTS/4 as number two in their list of the ten “Greatest Ferraris of all time”.

A red Daytona Spyder was one of the “stars” of the 1976 movie Gumball Rally. Other films in the 1970s featuring Daytonas were A Star is Born, The Long Goodbye, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Swiss Conspiracy, and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. In 1988, a Daytona was featured in Rain Man.



 

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