Cars
The Forgotten Ferrari 1971-1972 365 GTC/4 “Gobbone”
This article discusses how a car's nickname can influence its popularity and reputation, using the example of the Ferrari 365 GTC/4, also known as "Gobbone" (Hunchback).
What would you say if I told you that a car’s legendary status can depend, in part, on its nickname? After all, discretely telling your friends “I got my hands on a Daytona” is surely going to win you more admiration than telling them you’ve bought yourself a “Gobbone” (the nickname earned by the Ferrari 365 GTC/4, which translates as “Hunchback”).
Cars, like people, can sometimes find themselves forever saddled with an unfortunate nickname. The lovely Ferrari 365 GTC/4, on account of its unusual curved lines, was dubbed “Gobbone” (the Hunchback).
In fact, the 365 GTB/4 Daytona has always been lavished with more passion, love and attention than the 365 GTC/4, which was introduced alongside it in 1971, replacing the 365 GT 2+2. And this is despite the fact that the GTC/4 boasted the same refined mechanics, the same 4.4-liter, 12-cylinder engine (fed by 6 Weber carburetors and equipped with four overhead camshafts), put out 340 HP (320 in the case of the US version), and, like its sister car, was dressed in Pininfarina bodywork. Indeed, even though the 365 GTC/4 was undoubtedly penalized by its lack, to an extent, of what English speakers call the “wow effect” — that “certain something” that captures everyone’s attention and clears away everything in its path —, it is hard to justify its descent into the state of oblivion in which, even today, it still seems to be trapped.
