Ferrari 365 GTB/4 NART Spider Competizione

Vehicle Overview

In order to understand the significance of this particular car, it is important to discuss it within the scope of siblings. Four 365 GTB/4 Spiders were rebodied by Michelotti at the request of Chinetti for NART: one in 1974, the car presented here, chassis no. 15965 built in 1975, and two built in 1980. That first car was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1974 and featured a Targa style top with cut down doors, molded bumpers, and pop-up headlamps. The 1980 cars were styled in a similar fashion, but slightly more restrained in design. This second Michelotti Spider is arguably the most exciting and interesting of the lot. The basis for this project would be a standard, European-delivery 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, a type-A specification Daytona fitted with air conditioning. Chinetti specifically sought a car to compete in Le Mans, chasing victory at the fabled race some 10 years after his team had clinched the last overall victory for Ferrari in 1965. Like the first car, chassis no. 15965 also boasted rollbar and Targa top, to ensure greater structural rigidity. Interestingly enough, this would be the last dual-purpose Ferrari racer designed from scratch. After the completion of the conversion in early 1975, chassis no. 15965 was shown at that year’s Geneva Motor Show as the star of Michelotti’s stand, finished in an unusual and eye-catching red, white, and blue livery. Immediately thereafter, the car was shipped to Diena in Modena to be prepared for Le Mans. There, its original engine was replaced with a competition-spec Group IV Daytona engine from chassis no. 15685, which boasted high-lift camshafts, racing headers, and a higher compression ratio, and was fitted with side-mounted exhausts. This is the same engine that piloted that particular Daytona to a 6th overall and 2nd in class at the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans.