Ferrari 365 GTC / 4

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Ferrari
Ferrari 365 GTC / 4
Ferrari 365 GTC / 4
365 GTC / 4th
Production period: 1971-1973
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Coupe
Engines: Petrol engines :
4.4 liters
(235–250 kW)
Length: 4550 mm
Width: 1780 mm
Height: 1270 mm
Wheelbase : 2550 mm
Empty weight : 1750 kg
Previous model Ferrari 365 GT 2 + 2
successor Ferrari 365 GT4 2 + 2

The Ferrari 365 GTC / 4 was a 2 + 2-seater street sports car by the Italian car manufacturer Ferrari , which was built from 1971 to 1973. Outwardly, the car was similar to the 365 GTB / 4 “Daytona” , with which it was also similar in technical terms. However, it had a revised drive unit and a separate body. The unusual shape of the passenger cell earned the car the nickname “il Gobbone” (“the hunchback”) or “banana” at the presentation. The 365 GTC / 4 was overshadowed by the sensational “Daytona” for a long time and is sometimes referred to as the “forgotten Ferrari”.

Model history

The 365 GTC / 4 was designed as the successor to the Ferrari 365 GT 2 + 2 . When developing the car, Ferrari relied largely on the technology of the "Daytona".

Drive technology and chassis

The 12-cylinder engine

The 365 GTC / 4 took over the chassis and running gear from the “Daytona”. The engine was basically identical: both cars were powered by the 4.4 liter twelve-cylinder engine designed by Gioacchino Colombo , which had four overhead camshafts. However, the engine was modified in several ways for use in the 365 GTC / 4. While Ferrari used downdraft carburetors in the "Daytona" , there were six double flat-current carburettors from Weber (type 38DCOE59 / 60) in the 365 GTC / 4 . They sat on the outside of the cylinder heads and enabled a lower bonnet than the "Daytona". The wet sump lubrication and modified cylinder heads were also new. The power of the engine amounted to 340 hp in the European version; the export models for the US market, on the other hand, only made 320 hp.

The five-speed transmission of the 365 GTC / 4 was essentially the same as that of the Daytona. While it was connected to the rear axle drive there ( transaxle ), on the 365 GTC / 4 it was at the front of the engine. It protruded far into the passenger compartment and was covered by a wide center console. Together with the engine positioned far back, this arrangement of the transmission ensured that a significant part of the weight was concentrated in the center of the vehicle. The weight distribution was almost balanced with a ratio of 51 (front) to 49 (rear).

The car had independent suspension on double wishbones , coil springs and hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers. A hydraulic level control was added at the rear.

body

Rear view of the Ferrari 365 GTC / 4
Ferrari 365 GTC / 4

The body of the coupe had been completely redesigned. It was similar in layout to that of the "Daytona"; however, the two models did not have a single body part in common. The structure was designed by Pininfarina ; the executive designer was Filippo Sapino.

Sapino designed a hatchback body with a long, flat bonnet, a short passenger compartment and a sloping roofline that ended in a cut-off rear crest . The belt line was curved. Like the "Daytona" in its second version, the 365 GTC / 4 had pop-up headlights . “Il Gobbone” was the first Ferrari to have pop-up headlights installed from the start. Sapino did not adopt the indicators protruding into the side of the fenders, which were a special distinguishing feature of the “Daytona” and influenced the design of some other vehicles, such as the Rover SD1 . Instead, the 365 GTC / 4 had a wide radiator grille that was surrounded by a black rubber bumper. Turn signals and auxiliary headlights were in the radiator grille. This shape of the front end was stylistically at odds with the flowing lines of the vehicle and was a concession to the safety regulations in the United States.

The GTC / 4 was primarily developed and produced for the US sports car market; Most of the approx. 500 vehicles produced were also delivered there. The marker lights mounted on the flanks also have their origins in the US approval regulations. The design of the front end was later adopted by several other sports cars; One of them is the first series Matra Bagheera, presented in 1973 . Despite all the similarity, the design of the 365 GTC / 4 was mostly perceived as less aggressive compared to the “Daytona”.

The bodies of the 365 GTC / 4 were built by Pininfarina and not by Scaglietti as in some earlier Ferrari models .

inner space

Interior with additional leather upholstery. The gearbox is located under the center console.

The 365 GTC / 4 was nominally designed as a 2 + 2-seater. There were very small emergency seats behind the driver's seats, which, however, were hardly suitable for transporting people. The rear seat backs could be folded down to create additional storage space for luggage. The interior of the 365 GTC / 4 differed in some details from the earlier Ferrari sports car. The dashboard had been redesigned. The five-speed gearbox did not have the open shift gate typical of Ferrari, but a leather bag that enveloped the shift gate. In addition, there was no Nardi wooden steering wheel , nor was it offered as an option (as in the “Daytona”, for example). Air conditioning and power steering were part of the standard scope of delivery; leather upholstery on the seats was subject to a surcharge.

Performance

The top speed of the 365 GTC / 4 was 260 km / h, the car accelerated from 0 to 100 km / h in 6.7 seconds.

Judgments of the press

Contemporary press reports were mostly not impressed by the design of the 365 GTC / 4. The car was nicknamed "Il Gobbone" when it was presented. On the other hand, the technical level of the car was praised. It was perceived as a civilized and practical implementation of the Daytona.

Special bodies

Unlike the “Daytona”, the 365 GTC / 4 was only available ex works as a coupé; Ferrari did not envisage a convertible version or any other body shape. However, some bodyworks made subsequent changes on behalf of individual customers.

Spyder

It is certain that the car with the chassis number 14963 was subsequently converted into a Spyder. Several conversions are mentioned in various publications, but only this chassis is documented.

Conversions by Felber

The Swiss automobile manufacturer Felber designed a shooting brake as a one-off based on the 365 GTC / 4. With the chassis and drive technology unchanged, the vehicle was given a completely new body based on a design by Giovanni Michelotti . The two-door station wagon had a tailgate with a rear window that could be opened separately and was painted brown with a white roof.

On the same technical basis, Felber constructed the Beach Car , a buggy- like recreational vehicle that had neither a roof nor doors. It was a unique piece that was developed on behalf of a customer from the Middle East. Giovanni Michelotti took over the production of the vehicle in Turin.

Both vehicles were based on one and the same chassis. In 1976, the beach car was first developed and presented at the Geneva Motor Show. Then the body was dismantled again and mounted on the station wagon's 16017 chassis. This was presented to the public in Geneva in 1977. After the salon, the beach car body came back onto the chassis. The station wagon is no longer preserved today, while the beach car has changed hands several times and now belongs to a Swiss collector.

Distribution and today's market value

The 365 GTC / 4 was manufactured from 1971 to 1972. The information on the scope of production usually varies between 500 and 505 vehicles; however, individual sources claim that up to 570 vehicles were made.

The production of the 365 GTC / 4 is split between chassis numbers 14179 to 16289.

The 365 GTC / 4 was slightly cheaper on the German market than the “Daytona”. The German Ferrari importer Auto Becker in Düsseldorf offered the “Daytona” in 1972 at a price of DM 77,533.50, while the 365 GTC / 4 only cost DM 75,091.50.

Just as the 365 GTC / 4 was overshadowed by the “Daytona” during its production time, this also applies to today's used car market. In 2011, a 365 GTC / 4 costs less than half of a “Daytona” coupé. The price for a 365 GTC / 4 in excellent condition was around 135,000 euros in 2011, while a “Daytona” in the same condition cost around 300,000 euros. By 2017 the price for an excellent “gobbone” had more than tripled; now it was 435,000 euros.

literature

  • Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1996 . 1st edition Stuttgart 2006 (Motorbuch Verlag). ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3
  • Kevin Brazendale: Encyclopedia Automobile from Alfa Romeo to Zagato. Augsburg (Bechtermünz) 2000. ISBN 3-8289-5384-0 .
  • Brian Laban: Ferrari . 1st edition 2006. London (Parragon Books). ISBN 1-40547-015-1 .
  • Halwart Schrader , Georg Amtmann: Italian sports cars . 1st edition Stuttgart 1999 (Motorbuch Verlag). ISBN 3-613-01988-4 .
  • Halwart Schrader , David Lillywhite: Classic Automobiles . 1st edition Stuttgart (Motorbuch Verlag) 2005. ISBN 3-613-02552-3 .
  • Wallace Wyss: The Mystery Ferrari . In: Prancing Horse No. 70, p. 19 ff.
  • The missing link . Article in: Ferrari World, issue 60, No. 1/2006
  • Ferrari 365 GTC / 4 : Test in: Road & Track, Issue 7/1972, p. 33 ff.

Web links

Commons : Ferrari 365 GTC / 4  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Laban: Ferrari, p. 69.
  2. ↑ Brazendale: Encyclopedia Automobile. P. 181.
  3. ↑ Wallace Wyss describes the 365 GTC / 4 as the "Mystery Ferrari". Prancing Horse No. 70, p. 19 ff.
  4. ↑ Amtmann, Schrader: Italian Sports Cars, S: 138.
  5. ↑ Brazendale: Encyclopedia Automobile. P. 181.
  6. ↑ Model history of the Ferrari 365 GTC / 4 on the website www.365gtc4.com (accessed on October 21, 2011).
  7. ↑ www.aronline.co.uk (accessed October 21, 2011).
  8. ↑ Braun / Fischer / Steinert / Storz - Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946
  9. ↑ Wyss: Prancing Horse No. 70, p. 20.
  10. ↑ Laban: Ferrari, p. 69.
  11. ↑ Road & Track, Issue 7/1972, p. 34.
  12. ^ Schrader, Lillywhite: Classic Cars, p. 170.
  13. ↑ Auto Catalog No. 15 (1971/72), p. 25.
  14. ↑ Road & Track, Issue 7/1972, p. 34.
  15. ↑ Braun / Fischer / Steinert / Storz - Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946
  16. ↑ Illustration of the Felber Shooting Brake
  17. ↑ Illustration of the Felber Beach Car .
  18. ↑ Braun / Fischer / Steinert / Storz - Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946
  19. ^ Schrader, Lillywhite: Classic Cars, p. 170.
  20. ↑ Model history of the Ferrari 365 GTC / 4 on the website www.365gtc4.com (accessed on October 21, 2011).
  21. ↑ Wyss: Prancing Horse No. 70, p. 19.
  22. ↑ Oldtimer Markt , special issue prices 2011, p. 110.
  23. ↑ Oldtimer Markt, special issue prices 2017, p. 116.