The Daytona Delivery - Ferrari 365 GTB/4

Lately, at Farland Classic Restoration, we've seen a big batch of BMWs and more Mercedes-Benz 280SLs than you can shake a stick at. While the smaller projects always add up, we also recently completed the extensive color change and restoration on the 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona. We've shipped this classic prancing stallion to our long-time client, who was kind enough to buy the shop a fantastic BBQ lunch for our efforts. Now we figure it's time to get you all caught up. Join us for the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Delivery!

The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona has been an ongoing restoration here at the shop; if you'd like to learn more about some of the history of this famous chassis, you can check out our blog here. 

When this front-engine V12 first rolled into the shop, the legendary Colombo engine had seen better days. The "repaint red" exterior showed some light wear throughout, and the tan/red interior had to go as we knew we'd be working the exterior into a new shade of blue. 

We began as always with the documentation and disassembly. Our techs carefully pulled every part from the red relic and documented each piece before storing each in the countless rows of shelving we keep upstairs. As we dug deeper into this project, we were happy to see so many numbered panels and parts coming off the car. From the Pininfarina factory, many of these early production Ferraris were labeled on every panel to ensure consistency and accuracy throughout the build process. In our case, the magic number was #1252. Below you can see a great example of this numbering on the decklid.

Once everything had been pulled apart, our body team started getting into faded red paint and straightening the elegant Pininfarina bodywork. We also began to get some more insight into exactly what this owner wanted. Our team keeps in constant communication with customers as we work. With the customer’s guidance, we perfected the blue hue to ensure this V12 would look its best alongside the Ferrari 308 GTS we restored for this client previously. He also mentioned wanting the dealer-installed A/C, a more substantial radio with a subwoofer, and some other general safety features. Once we'd landed on the proper Blue Pozzi-inspired color, our staff did some test fenders to ensure the color looked consistent overall and would read correctly in all weather conditions. Meanwhile, the metal master and body techs were carefully beginning to measure and re-measure all the fitment, from entire panels to those small bumperettes on the front and rear. Once we'd done the general fit, it was time to move into the epoxy primer.

In the photos above, you can see that we went through epoxy/paint on the tougher-to-reach areas first, the doorjambs, the trunk, and through the seals around the engine bay. In every Ferrari Daytona, the engine bay is a very specific black color. In this case, the bay was in pretty good shape and didn't need too much re-addressing. 

Once our paint pro laid down the color in those tougher-to-reach areas, we allowed everything to cure before installing the doors, decklid, and trunk. From there, we laid down the lighter blue epoxy primer before the Blue Pozzi could come to light. You can see that Epoxy Blue in the photo below.

Once the Daytona had come out of the paint booth, we gave the paint proper time to cure and set before our exceptional detailer got into sanding and polishing the paint for a mirror finish. While the paint crew looked over the Blue Pozzi, one of our skilled custom techs, Josh, built a custom interior backing piece that matched the style of the original interior but provided room for the radio and larger A/C systems to ensure this Grand Tourer could cross the country in style. 

While we love to handle every element of a car while it's in, this client also has some great relationships with our friends down the block at New Image PPF. After ensuring all our panels were straight and the gaps were consistent, we carefully moved the car into New Image's care as they laid down a paint protection film over the entirety of the 365 GTB/4 to ensure that Farland Finish looks its best for years to come! 

When the Prancing Stallion made its way back to 3800 S. Kalamath, the restoration became an all-hands-on-deck affair, to reinstall and carefully ensure every part made it back onto the elegant design. During this time, we found some smaller issues during the initial "shakedown." One of the most pressing was the original door pins were worn, which allowed the rear side of the doors to sag a bit and caused some minor panel gap issues on the rear half of the doors. That simply won’t do. The team worked to identify the correct pin diameter and recreated new pins with the originals as a guide to give the doors the proper fitment and seal. 

By this point, many aspects of the car had come together, and it was ready to roar. Our technician Josh was often the man behind the wheel as he'd done everything from the mechanical work to that custom rear parcel shelf. At this point, we felt it was time for the big shakedown, as we knew the car only had a few more days around the shop. 

As many know, we are just about 20 miles from the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater out in Morrison, Colorado. We recently took the electric Porsche 912 out for range testing and knew the warm Colorado weather wouldn't last long. Pat and Josh jumped into the Daytona early one Friday morning and ran to the hills behind the powerful Colombo V12. We took tons of great shots and plenty of video for you to check out below.

Once we'd done some Shakedown, we noted a few minor issues that needed addressing. Some of these included adjusting the exhaust hanger fitment, touching up the driver's door trim, and perfecting the pop-up headlights to make sure they operated in tandem. Then it was back to the detail bay. Our detailer gave the car one final cleanup, and with much fanfare, the car was loaded up onto the trailer. 

We said our goodbyes to this classic Ferrari and wiped away the tears of seeing a good friend leave. A bit later, we got word from the client that the car had arrived and was immediately sent out for a photo shoot to highlight that concours level Farland Finish. The owner has already driven the car over 500 miles, and we were blessed to be able to finish another classic Italian for this beloved client. He quickly returned the favor with a BBQ lunch for our team.

Now with our bellies full and another Ferrari Restoration under our belt, we're ready for more! If you have a classic needing restoration, detailing, paintwork, or that specialized repair, we hope you'll think of Farland Classic Restoration at the top of your list. If you'd like to learn more about our restoration process, check out our instagram or email us at info@farlandcars.com. Thanks for stopping by!