BLENHEIM, ON.- An all-original 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta, which recently emerged from 25 years in storage, will make its auction debut at
RMs 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, Sinns 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.
Were thrilled to have been selected by Mr. Sinn to present his Daytona at our Amelia Island sale. Its almost unheard of that you have the chance to purchase a 100 percent original car, from its original owner. Its definitely a once-in-a-lifetime find and opportunity, made all the more valuable by the extensive documentation accompanying the car, says Gord Duff, Car Specialist, RM Auctions. This is the best Amelia Island lineup to date, and we are honored to have been entrusted with the sale of such amazing and rare automobiles, including a previous Best of Show winner, returning to Amelia Island for the first time since its victory in 2012.
The Condo Find Daytona joins a growing roster of blue-chip collectibles secured for RMs Amelia Island sale at the Ritz-Carlton. Additional highlights of the official auction of the Amelia Island Concours dElegance include:
· a spectacularly restored 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Aravis Cabriolet by Gangloff, chassis 57710, which returns to Amelia Island after receiving Best of Show honors at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours dElegance (Est. $2,500,000 - $3,250,000);
· a matching-numbers 1970 Maserati Ghibli Spyder, chassis AM115/S 1087, offered from two decades in the collection of Amelia Island Concours dElegance Founder and Chairman, Bill Warner. Beautifully presented in Blue Medio Metallic with a Bianco leather interior, the Ghibli is accompanied by Maserati factory documentation (Est. $700,000 - $900,000);
· a well-known 1927 Stutz Vertical Eight Black Hawk Two-Passenger Speedster, chassis AA-C18-86501, a true American sports car of its era, formerly part of the Harrah Collection (Est. $400,000 - $550,000);
· a matching-numbers 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC, chassis 09659, offered from the estate of gentleman collector, Don Mann, and showing less than 13,000 kilometers from new (Est. $650,000 - $750,000, offered without reserve); and,
· an authentic 1953 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster, chassis E53F001274, superbly restored by marque experts (Est. $300,000 - $400,000).