In 1971, Luigi “Coco” Chinetti (Junior) and Bob Grossman drove Luigi Chinetti’s N.A.R.T. Group 4 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona to a fifth-place overall finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. This July, the car returns to la Sarthe for Artcurial Motorcars biennial auction at the Le Mans Classic.
The car, chassis 12467, was one of only 15 competition models produced and one of three development prototypes with special modifications to allow its homologation for racing. The car, which in addition to finishing fifth overall at Le Mans won the Index of Thermal Efficiency award, continued in racing through the 1973 season, competing at such venues as Sebring, Daytona, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta.
The car has had at least a dozen owners — all in the U.S. It was offered for sale at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction in 2014 and at the Keno Brothers’ Rolling Sculpture auction in New York City in 2015, but bidding did not reach the consignor’s reserve price.
Artcurial expects the car to sell for $8 million to $9.3 million at the auction, a two-pronged event featuring racing, flying and yachting vessels at a morning sale and collector motor cars in the afternoon.