1971 Ferrari Dino 246 GT

Consistently ranked highly among the most beautifully styled and captivating sports cars ever conceived, the Dino was an inspired product of Ferrari’s highly successful V-6 racing-engine development program of the 1950s and 1960s, named in honor of Enzo Ferrari’s son, Alfredino. Renowned Ferrari engineer Carlo Chiti and his team continued to develop the Dino V-6 powerplant, which propelled the Dino 156 F2 car to victory on its racing debut in 1957. The greatest successes for the new powerplant came in Formula 1, however, with popular British driver Mike Hawthorn taking the 1958 driver’s title, followed by American ace Phil Hill claiming the driver’s and helping secure the constructor’s championship in 1961.

In particular, the 2.0-litre 206 GT and 2.4-litre 246 GT/GTS road cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s enabled Scuderia Ferrari to meet the FISA-mandated 500-car production requirement to homologate the Ferrari Dino V-6 racing engine for Formula 2 competition during 1967 and beyond. To accomplish this, Ferrari partnered with Italian industrial giant Fiat, striking a deal whereby Fiat would produce a Ferrari-designed 2.0-litre, V-6 engine – later upsized to 2.4 litres – which would power Fiat’s Pininfarina-built Dino Spider and Bertone-bodied Dino coupe from 1967.

Ferrari’s own line of Dino V-6 road cars was rooted in Pininfarina’s radically styled Dino 206 S Speciale concept first shown at the 1965 Paris Motor Show. The Dino Berlinetta GT appeared at Torino the next year, complete with a transverse mid-mounted V-6 powertrain. The first production Dino, designated 206 GT, debuted at Torino in 1967, featuring sinewy bodywork penned by veteran Pininfarina stylist Aldo Brovarone, and produced by Ferrari’s longtime coachbuilding partner Scaglietti, over a tubular steel chassis frame with fully independent double-wishbone underpinnings. The Dino’s importance to Ferrari history is indisputable, heralding the first mid-engine production car ever offered by Ferrari and the launch model for the new Ferrari-based Dino marque.

The definitive 246 GT arrived for 1969, officially debuting at Torino, although production had already begun. Nearly identical in outward appearance to the prior 206 GT, the 246 GT featured a slight wheelbase extension, yielding enhanced passenger space. The engine block was now made of cast iron. Main body panels were now formed in steel. A 15 PS boost, courtesy of a substantial engine displacement increase to 2,418 cc, sharpened performance, including 0–100 km/h sprints in the seven-second range and 225-plus km/h top speed. The Dino 246 was built in three distinct series, defined by several running changes during production: “L” for Lungo (Long Wheelbase), “M” for Modificato (Modified), and “E” for Evoluzione, the final and most refined variation.

Beautifully presented and offered from a Swiss private collection, this 1971 Ferrari 246 Dino GT, bearing chassis 02258, is an original left-hand-drive model, completed on July 7, 1971, and sold new to its first owner by Italcar SpA in Torino, Italy. Subsequent history includes a restoration and an interior color change from the original black to the current beige upholstery. Desirable features include a Becker Europa AM/FM/SW radio. Confirming its authenticity, the Dino was certified by Ferrari Classiche on April 8, 2015, and issued its Red Book.

The current owner acquired the car in April 2015. Maintenance has been performed exclusively by Gohm Böblingen, the official Ferrari dealer in Böblingen, Germany, with detailed invoices documenting the Dino’s mileage, which displayed just under 32,000 km at the time of cataloguing. With its beautiful presentation, Ferrari Classiche certification, and documented maintenance history, this Dino 246 GT represents an outstanding example of one of the most beautiful and significant road cars ever produced at Maranello.