The 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans marked the end of an era.

It was the last time the legendary 5-litre "big bangers" would do battle at the Circuit de la Sarthe and no fewer than nine Ferrari 512s lined up against seven Porsche 917s.

The German marque came out on top with 917s finishing 1st and 2nd, while the 512s had to settle for 3rd and 4th.

Following them home in an outstanding 5th position overall was this very special Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ Competizione.

This hugely significant piece of Ferrari history was built on 28 April 1969 as a steel-bodied roadgoing model, and was only the third production Daytona ever made.

Fascinatingly, it never left the factory, and was retained by Maranello as a development prototype, serving as a test bed for, among other developments, a new type of wiper system.

The machine’s early history only got more interesting when, on 26 April 1971, after two years in Ferrari’s ownership, Luigi Chinetti’s fabled North American Racing Team instructed the ...