Quand la 365 GTB/4 fut présentée en 1968 à Paris, la presse la surnomma directement 'DAYTONA'.
   Les livraisons ne commencèrent qu'à la mi 1969.
   Ce fut la première Ferrari construite en quantitée suffisante pour satisfaire les normes US. La version européenne fut commercialisée en premier. Ce n'est qu'à la mi 1970 que les premières voitures légales pour les EU furent livrées. Et ce n'est qu'en 1972 que les livraisons furent suffisantes pour la demande américaine.

   It was first introduced to the public at the Paris Auto Salon in 1968 and replaced the 275GTB/4 but, although it was also a Pininfarina design (by Leonardo Fioravanti), the Daytona was radically different. Its sharp-edged styling resembled a Lamborghini more than a traditional Pininfarina Ferrari. The Daytona name commemorates Ferrari's triple success in the February 1967 24 Hours of Daytona with the 330P4. While it was initially used as a pre-production internal denomination, Ferrari still insists that this was never the model's official name and as such should not be used when referring to the car in any true manner.
   Unlike Lamborghini's new Miura, the Daytona was a traditional front-engined, rear-drive car. Customers were disappointed that Ferrari stuck with this layout unlike with the race cars, and the Daytona was replaced by the mid-engined 365 GTB Berlinetta Boxer in 1973. Today, the car represents the last of the great front engine Ferrari GTs before this layout was revived in the 1990s.
   The engine, known as a Tipo 251 and developed from the earlier Lampredi V12 used in the 275 GTB/4, was a 4.4 L (4390 cc) DOHC V12 with a 60° bank angle, 365 cc per cylinder, 81 mm bore and 71 mm stroke, featuring six Weber twin carburettors (40mm Solex twin carburettors were used alternatively). At a compression ratio of 9.3:1, it produced 352 bhp DIN (259 kW) and could reach 280 km/h (174 mph). 0-60 mph acceleration was just 5.4 seconds. For the American version, slight modifications were made - the compression ratio was reduced to 8.8:1 and the exhaust system was equipped with a large central silencer, necessitating visible alterations to the primary pipes.
   The 5-speed manual transmission (Transaxle concept) was mounted in the rear for optimal weight distribution, and a 4-wheel independent suspension featured wishbones and coil springs.
   Early Daytonas featured fixed headlights behind an acrylic glass cover. This particular setup was completely abandoned in favor of pop-up twin headlights when lobbying efforts by the CAS led to a variety of new safety regulations for U.S. road traffic in 1970, one of which concerning minimum ride height.