Unique Ferrari estate car converted from a Daytona speedster in the 1970s is set to sell for £750k
The one-of-a-kind luxury motor is due to be sold later this month in California
A ONE-of-a-kind Ferrari estate car which was built in England is expected to sell for £750,000 later this month.
The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona was one of the most desirable and quickest cars of the 1970s - boasting a top speed of almost 175mph.
But a customer of American Ferrari dealer Luigi Chinetti Jr decided he wanted something a little different from the sports car.
So Chinetti came up with the idea of turning the red Ferrari into a 'shooting brake' and commissioned Surrey-based Panther Westwinds to carry out the ambitious overhaul.
The car dealer later said: "We were distributors for Panther Cars in those days.
"We'd been over there and it was a nice high quality shop. I said: 'Why don't we make the first Ferrari made in England?'"
In 1974, the car was completed at a cost of FOUR TIMES that of a standard Ferrari Daytona.
The finished model, which was now black, was rebodied with a straight back from the B-pillar to the rear Kamm tail.
Inside was a stunningly finished interior with the dials moved into a central console.
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There was a large non-opening rear window and a pair of upward-opening glass panels to get into the boot while the front of the car had a revised grille. The 'cargo deck' was fitted with rich wood panels.
It was then delivered to its Florida-based owner, Bob Gittleman, with the car appearing in a number of car magazines.
Under the bonnet of the Ferrari is a 4.4-litre engine developing 352bhp.
This gave the standard Daytona a 0-60mph time of less than six seconds and a top speed of 174mph. At the time it was the world's fastest car.
The Ferrari Daytona shooting brake returned to Europe in 1999 when it was bought by a Belgian collector.
In 2013 it was bought by a Brit who carried out a comprehensive restoration with the help of Andrew McKenzie, who helped built the car in the 1970s.
And last year it was one of the star cars at the Salon Prive Concours d'Elegance held at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.
After a spell in the UK, the car is now heading back to the USA where it will be sold by Gooding & Company at the auction house's high-profile Pebble Beach sale in California on August 20.
The unique Ferrari has been given a guide price of around £750,000.
Gooding & Co said: "Uniquely combining the outstanding technical specifications and prodigious performance capabilities of the original Daytona, the finished vehicle evoked vivid images of the pre-war era's upscale custom-built and luxurious hunting vehicles and the sporting life.
"With less than 4,500 miles indicated and offered in concours quality throughout, this spectacular, one-of-a-kind coachbuilt Ferrari is eligible for the best concours events and shows worldwide and is ready to enchant all who are lucky enough to experience it firsthand."
Ferrari Daytona Shooting Break
THE unique motor's facts and figures are:
Price: £750,000 (estimated)
Engine: 4.4 litre Colombo V12
Horsepower: 352bph
0-60: 5.4 seconds
Top speed: 174mph
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