More than half a century after Luigi Chinetti Jr. commissioned the original Ferrari Daytona Shooting Brake, Dutch coachbuilder Niels van Roij Design has unveiled a contemporary interpretation of one of the most celebrated one-off Ferraris ever created. Known simply as the Daytona Shooting Brake Hommage, the bespoke grand tourer made its world debut at the Royal Automobile Club’s Woodcote Park ahead of appearances during the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The original 1972 Shooting Brake occupies a unique place in Ferrari folklore. Commissioned by North American importer Luigi Chinetti Jr. and realised by Panther Westwinds, it transformed the elegant 365 GTB/4 Daytona into a dramatic sporting estate that has become one of the most recognisable coachbuilt Ferraris of the modern era. Rather than attempting a faithful recreation, Niels van Roij has sought to reinterpret its character.
This latest creation is based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, retaining the donor car’s front-engined V12 architecture while replacing every exterior body panel, apart from the doors. More than 15,000 hours were devoted to the design, engineering and construction programme, with hand-formed aluminium bodywork replacing the original panels. The defining feature is an uninterrupted roofline that flows into a clean, sculptural shooting brake tail, echoing the proportions of the Chinetti original without directly copying its design.
Bespoke LED headlamps reinterpret the Daytona’s amber nose treatment using carbon-composite 3D-printed elements, while the rear lighting is concealed behind a full-width glass panel integrated into the tail. Even the luggage compartment has received the coachbuilt treatment, featuring six CNC-machined aluminium runners set into a carbon-fibre floor, with engraved details visible only through the rear glazing.
Polished alloy wheels reference the chrome wire wheels of the original 365 GTB/4 Shooting Brake, while satin silver brake calipers and a quartet of exhaust outlets emerging from a carbon-fibre diffuser allow the naturally aspirated V12 to remain the star of the show. Inside, cognac leather covers almost every surface, complemented by carbon-fibre trim and hand-shaped aluminium structures beneath the upholstery.
‘The 1972 Daytona Shooting Brake stands as one of the purest expressions of coachbuilt freedom,’ said Niels van Roij. ‘With the Hommage, we did not seek to recreate it, but to reinterpret its essence through a contemporary lens.’
The Daytona Shooting Brake Hommage joins an expanding portfolio of bespoke commissions from Niels van Roij Design, including the Breadvan Hommage and several Rolls-Royce-based shooting brakes. It also serves as a reminder that, while the great era of Italian coachbuilding may have passed, there remains an appetite for highly individual, meticulously crafted interpretations of some of Maranello’s most evocative grand tourers.
For more info, see nielsvanroij.com
