Ferrari Corso Pilota Classiche : A Classic Love Story

Shark-nose 365 GTB/4 "Daytona" is a study in classical beauty

As a product of the late-1960s, the “Daytona’s” exquisitely sculpted form with its long bonnet – under which lurks a storming V12 engine – and shark-like sweeping nose are all-natural, with none of the outrageously enhanced embellishments that is so common today.

Ferrari’s wonderfully balanced designs are sublime studies in classical beauty. They don’t evoke that “look-at-me” reaction in the same vein as empty vessels making the most noise (visually), but rather, slide into your mental DM before taking root and arousing the most impure thoughts.

See also: Touring the Ferrari Classiche "Workshop of Wonders"

With the instructor watching from the passenger seat, I resist caressing the “Daytona’s” flanks at I walk by before sliding into the driver’s seat – as it is, there’s enough consternation as he sees me pinch myself.

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He shouldn’t be surprised by our passion of course, because it’ll be hard to top this fantasy, Ferrari Classiche immersion for full-blooded fans like us, as today’s track experience on Fiorano in the historic Ferraris follows the tour of the Classiche “Workshop of Wonders”.

Even then, my hands linger for an extra heartbeat on the thin, wood steering wheel like a lover’s caress, before I flex my wrist in anticipation of operating Ferrari’s trademark open-gated 5spd manual, all the while basking in the ambience of the driver-focused cabin.

The Ferrari Corso Pilota Classiche (or Classic Driving Course) is open to clients (enquire through your respective Ferrari dealers) who wish to rekindle their love for a purer and more engaging driving feel from a simpler, more analogue era.

Some owners use their own classic Ferraris for the driving programme, where they’re taught to push both car and driver to their limits.

The historic cars in the fleet lets participants sample the different generations of Ferrari’s technical evolution, and includes models like the “Daytona” (1968-1972), 308 GTB/GTS (1975-1985), 3.2 Mondial (1986-1988) and 550 Maranello (1996-2002) – all manual and visceral of course, not that we’d have it any other way.

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Happily for us, we’re here to drive the “Daytona”, not just admire it. I delicately balance the clutch and throttle as we ease the “Daytona” out of the pits and onto the Fiorano circuit, with first-date butterflies in this patina passionista’s belly churning up a storm.

From the analogue dials to the steering, pedals and open-gate gear-shifter, the driving experience is satisfyingly mechanical, with not a digital component in sight.

In fact, you don't realise what sort of bad habits you've picked up driving a modern sportscar and relying on its electronic aids until you're trying to drive an old'un enthusiastically.

With little power assistance, it’s hard work driving it fast, unlike the stupefying, effortless speed of modern sportscars.

Piloting the “Daytona” is a true labour of love that rewards a committed and confident hand at the helm. It requires positive, precise inputs before it starts taking you seriously as a driving soul-mate and after one lap, you quickly learn how desensitised you’ve become, no thanks to modern sportscars and their battery of electronic aids.

It’s a back-to-basics reboot to a time where all your senses need to be attuned to everything the “Daytona” is doing. It’s no different from the honeymoon period in any relationship, as you ease into each other’s moods and peculiarities and soak-in everything about your partner.

However, familiarity with the “Daytona” never breeds contempt.

The tactile touch of the controls, the “Old World” aroma within the cabin (of oil, fuel and seasoned leather) and most importantly, the thunderous rapture of the 4.4-litre V12 when the carburetors fill their lungs with air as pedal-meets-metal all score highly on this author’s emotional Richter scale.

At the start, you avoid being too forward and overly familiar, but then it quickly becomes apparent that the “Daytona” is prepared to give as good as it gets.

Don’t sniff at this old’un, because it’s got all the credentials of a proper sporting machine, with 352hp and 431Nm on tap from the naturally-aspirated V12 and a tested top speed of approximately 290km/h… and this is from half-a-century ago! 

Its performance is relentless, with the driver sitting right smack in the eye of this perfect storm. You’re always in the thick of the action, with a constant flow of communication between man, machine and the road.

There are no electronic nanny aids for assistance, with only one’s butt feel, throttle control and good sense keeping you out of potentially expensive situations in the continent-crushing collectible.

Unlike modern sportscars, the “Daytona” doesn’t flatter you and play to your ego, so overcooking things can lead to heartstopping moments, especially in corners with little run-off!

It does teach you a lot about control, both mental and physical, as you learn to be judicious in your actions with smoother gear-shifts, throttle application and steering.

It heightens one’s senses as you read and interpret all the minutiae in the car’s reactions, so you appreciate what’s going on even when she says, “Nothing’s wrong!”

(L-R) 308 GTS, 365 GTB/4 "Daytona", 550 Maranello

You could accuse me of looking at things through retro-tinted glasses, but the Corso Pilota Classiche fleet gives you a snapshot of Ferrari’s peak performers and evolutionary leaps across the respective eras.

In the same way we learn and grow from past relationships, where Ferrari is today and where it’s headed are a product of where it’s come from… and this is a hallmark of all good love stories.

PHOTOS BY Ferrari