Paul Schwartz's 365GTB Daytona


I had completed an 8 year restoration of a 1956 Austin Healey 100M which achieved a Gold award by the National Club.  It was so perfect I didn't want to drive it.

I was lamenting to a friend that my goal to some day have a Ferrari was not to be in my lifetime.  I have been working on and restoring cars since I was 17 years old.  My friend shook his head and said, "All you have to do is sell the Healey and your '69 Jag. XKE and with a few bucks you are close to a Ferrari Daytona or Lusso.

So the momentum got going.  First I gave this pristine Healey to Fantasy Junction for consignment.  About a month later a  gentleman saw my car in this show room and wanted my car.  The owner of Fantasy Junction called me that he had a potential buyer.  This individual had a 19,500 mi. Daytona that he wanted to sell.  It was one of 60 cars in his collection and his cars were only a few towns over. The deal was that he would buy my car at full price if I would buy his Daytona.  It sounded like the planets were
aligning.

A few days later I was driving home from work when I saw a red dot about 1/2 mile in front of me.  But it was an unusual shaped red dot so I sped up to see what it was.  To my surprise it was a Daytona.  I hugged the back of the Daytona with my car to enjoy its beautiful lines.  I continued to follow it to the off ramp to my town and then followed it into the local gas station.

I got out of the car and introduced myself to the driver.  He asked me if "I was a Ferrari guru" and I told him I might be buying one of these cars. I asked him if he had time to answer a few questions.  He was very agreeable and I started to study the car as it stood by the gas pump.

I was amazed at how gorgeous it was and noticed the silver nose.  I told him that the car I was going to see in two days also had a silver nose.  It had a Lemans interior and my possible future Daytona also the same interior.  It also had the same mileage as the car I was to see.  The owner said, "Are you Paul?”  I said that was my name and went on to say, "my god this car has the same 9" rear Cromodora wheels as the car I am supposed to see".  The owner went on to say "Paul..." and I kept telling him all the similarities this
car had and I guess they all must look like this!  The owner then put both hands on my shoulders, turned me around and said, "listen now, I am supposed to buy your Healey and you are supposed to buy this car".  What??  I was dazed and just looked at him my adrenaline still rushing.  I now believe that such a thing as the elemental whimsies of the fates exists.

He asked me if I would like to go to his house for a glass of wine and talk about the cars.  It turns out his house is 5 minutes away from mine.

At his house with wine in hand I just kept going around this car. He finally asked me what I thought about the trade.  It was a no brainer for me.  I told him his car was "perfect" and he will never find a better Healey so lets do the deal.  This older very refined man (I was a young 49) jumped in the air and said, "I like that kind of no nonsense thinking, lets do it!"

I sold the Healey to him and traded up for the Daytona in August 2002.

This is the first car that I have owner that is truly a time capsule.  It is very original and still smells new when you open the door.

I am doing cosmetic work on it now such as recovering the dash; I've finished the rear suspension, and the like.  I feel like this Daytona will be my last car...but I've always loved the lines of a Lusso

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