Here at The Coolector, we spend an inordinate amount of time swooning over vintage Maranello metal, but every so often, a machine comes along that completely resets the benchmark for collector-grade automotive royalty.

Among the pantheon of front-engine, open-top grand tourers, few hold a candle to the iconic “Daytona” Spider.

While a total of 121 factory-built 365 GTS/4 examples ever rolled out of Modena, the vast majority were shipped across the Atlantic for the American market.

That makes this particular specimen—heading to the auction block via RM Sotheby’s with an estimate of £1.95m+—an absolute unicorn. It is chassis number 15911, the 16th of just 18 Daytona Spiders ever built to full European specifications.

Born in Bologna, Star of the Screen

When Ferrari conceived the 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider, it followed in the footsteps of legendary low-volume open-air cruisers like the 275 GTS/4 NART Spider.

Leaving the factory gates in May 1972, this European-spec left-hand-drive masterpiece was finished in a timeless Grigio Argento paintwork paired with a supple Nera Connolly leather interior, complete with factory air conditioning and power windows.

* Chassis Unit: No. 15911 (16th of 18 European-spec Daytona Spiders)
* Engine Specs: Classic short-block Gioacchino Colombo V-12
* Paint & Interior: Original Grigio Argento over Nera Connolly leather
* Status: Ferrari Classiche Certified (Matching chassis, body, & engine)

Sold new through Motor S.a.s. in Bologna to its first owner, Avvocato Lodovico Constantino Giardini, the car didn’t just cruise the local Italian countryside—it became a movie star.

According to renowned Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, chassis 15911 featured in the 1975 film The Swiss Conspiracy before being passed along to its second custodian, Elio Paterlini, in May 1976.

Paterlini proceeded to cherish, drive, and preserve this open-top icon for an astonishing three decades.

Extraordinary Preservation Meets Red-Headed Pedigree

What makes this particular Daytona Spider worth its staggering £1.95m+ valuation is its unrepeatable state of preservation.

Kept largely under the radar by just two long-term owners for over forty years, the car was famously featured in a 2007 issue of Ruoteclassiche magazine in a head-to-head battle against a Maserati Ghibli SS Spyder, and later showcased at the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena in 2016.

“While the seats received a sympathetic retrim in their original Nera shade a few years back, the original factory trim on the dashboard and soft top remains untouched—a physical time capsule of 1970s Italian motoring excellence.”

To ensure the mechanicals matched its cosmetic brilliance, the car was routinely maintained by elite marque specialists Autofficina Bonini Carlo, with a thorough service carried out recently in late 2024.

More importantly, in 2009, the car received the holy grail of collector validation: full Ferrari Classiche Certification, confirming it retains its original factory chassis, bodywork, and numbers-matching V-12 engine.

The Sunset of a Golden V-12 Era

The Daytona Spider marks a monumental turning point in Ferrari history.

It stands as the final open-top production model to house a direct derivative of Gioacchino Colombo’s legendary short-block V-12 engine, making it a definitive end-of-an-era machine.

Historic Metric	Significance
Total Global Production	121 Units Built Worldwide
European Allocation	18 Units (Chassis 15911 is #16)
Provenance Milestone	Featured in Ruoteclassiche & Enzo Ferrari Museum
Estimated Value	£1.95,000,000+ (RM Sotheby’s)

Uniting unrepeatable European rarity, silver screen provenance, and a superlative high-octane soundtrack, this 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider by Scaglietti isn’t just an investment-grade automobile—it is a breathtaking monument to Italian grand touring that would stand as the absolute crown jewel in any global collection.

---