1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta sat in a condominium garage for a quarter century under a tarp, and now it’s for sale in unrestored condition. This vehicle will make its auction debut at RM’s Amelia Island, Florida sale, March 14. Offered on behalf of its first and only owner, this timewarp Daytona, chassis no. 14385, surfaced last month following two-and-a-half decades in a downtown Toronto parking garage.
Affectionately dubbed “The Condo Find Daytona,” or “the Disco Daytona,” in reference to the eight-track tape of “Disco Rock” still stuck in its K-Tec player, the Daytona was an impulse buy for Toronto businessman, Patrick Sinn. A delayed flight from Geneva to Toronto in 1971 saw Sinn take the chance visit to the Geneva International Motor Show, where he instantly fell in love with the Ferrari. Such was his desire to purchase an example of his own that Sinn postponed his return trip and immediately travelled to the Ferrari factory, where he ordered a closed version of the popular model, finished in Rosso Rubino over Nero.
Sinn took possession of chassis 14385 in the summer of 1971 and spent a month touring in his Ferrari Berlinetta in Europe before bringing the car back to North America on board the Queen Elizabeth II. Over the ensuing 18 years, he derived great enjoyment from driving the car, accruing more than 90,000 kilometers. Then, in 1989, a family emergency required Sinn to urgently travel to Asia for business – a trip he anticipated would originally last a few months, but stretched into six years. Before departing, he put his beloved Daytona up on blocks and covered it, before leaving it hidden in plain sight, tucked away in the corner of his condominium parking garage.
Although he returned to Toronto in 1995, business pursuits kept him from driving the car; as such, Sinn’s Daytona remained in this position up until just last month – November 2014.
At 77 years of age, Sinn has now made the difficult decision to the part with the car, offering it for auction at RM Auctions’ Amelia Island sale in March. Accompanied by incredible documentation, a complete tool set and manuals, and that “Disco Rock” 8-track, the vehicle which cost approximately $18,000 in 1971 is expected to command in excess of $600,000 at the March sale.
