Photography by Jayson Fong
You’d be forgiven for being completely confused if you saw this dramatic sports car making its way through busy London traffic, and it’s something that happened more than once when I trained my lens on it. Weird and wonderful, the Daytona 365 GTB/4 Shooting Brake is truly a one of a kind Ferrari, striking to look at and the kind of automobile that has the ability to make heads turn everywhere.
In all honesty, that is probably exactly what American property Bob Gittleman was after when he commissioned Luigi “Coco” Chinetti Jr. to create this shooting brake, the spiritual successor to the Vignale-bodied 330GT and famous 250 ‘Breadvan’. Until the company unveiled its modern FF, Ferrari wagons were only for the committed: built by Panther Westwinds in Surrey, England, the resulting conversion cost the equivalent to four standard Daytonas.
Although not to everyone’s taste, there is no denying that it is a machine that stimulates curiosity…and it’s all about that glassy rear end. With a tailgate almost entirely made of glass and polished wooden decking on the interior—and the addition of gullwing glass doors as the only way to access the rear—it’s hardly the most practical estate. But a closer look at the details with the sun reflecting off the glass doors and chrome surround, I couldn’t help but be continually drawn to its strange charm and dedication to form over function.
The differences to the standard Daytona don’t stop at the rear as the interior has been completely redesigned, with centrally-stacked instruments and the wooden decking finding itself as part of the trim. Although with a face similar to the standard car, the exterior was significantly restyled, retaining only the windscreen, A-pillars, doors and bonnet from the original car. However, it also retains the all-important Ferrari V12, complete with a sensational sound guaranteed to turn heads on the street.
Recently, this unique piece of coachwork has had a complete restoration by the original builders Panther Westwinds and now back in prime form and is just about as authentic as you can get. Scheduled to be auctioned by Gooding & Company in Pebble Beach this August, it’s the perfect opportunity to get your hands on a charming and truly unique Ferrari.
Would you drive this one-of-a-kind Ferrari wagon?
