1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GT

Completed at the Ferrari factory in March 1973, this desirable European-specification Dino 246 GT was originally finished in Verde Pino Metallizzato (106-G-30) with beige leather upholstery and equipped with Cromodora wheels, instrumentation in kilometers, and manual windows. According to Matthias Bartz’s definitive Dino Compendium, just 35 Dinos were ever painted in this elegant medium-green finish.

As new, the Dino was delivered to the official Ferrari distributor M. Gastone Crepaldi S.a.s. in Milan and sold to its first owner, a resident of Como. In 1976, the 246 GT was exported from Italy to the US, where it was sold to Pamela Quigley of Dana Point, California. The Dino remained in Ms. Quigley’s care for over 35 years; however, since the late 1980s, it has been kept in static storage. Presented in largely untouched condition, the unrestored 246 GT possesses a fantastic time-warp appeal.

According to the consignor, the vast majority of the patinated green paintwork is the original factory-applied finish, with a few minor areas of blending and touch-up evident. The only deviations from its original appearance are the US-specification side-marker lights on the rear quarter panels – presumably added when the car arrived stateside in the mid-1970s.

The interior retains the factory-original beige leather, and the body number (1272) stamped on the rear trunk hinges and the coolant reservoir-mounting tab, and is also written in chalk on the rear trunk panel. As would be expected of such an undisturbed example, the Dino retains its original owner’s manual and tool roll.

Attesting to the car’s fascinating provenance is an extensive file of documentation that includes service and shipping records, an original Bill of Sale, old California registration documents, and a history report compiled by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini. The car itself possesses many special details that speak to its transcontinental journey, from a sticker on the tail panel from Frigerio Gomme – a Milan-based tire store – to the 1970s-era blue and yellow California license plate hung over the original Italian registration.

Given its rare factory color scheme and well-documented history, this European-specification 246 GT is a deserving candidate for either a high-point concours restoration or, for the preservation minded, a sympathetic mechanical recommissioning. Whatever the future holds in store for this unique Dino, its current appearance is virtually guaranteed to draw a receptive audience wherever the car is seen.

Interesting unrestored Dinos do not come along very often, and with the passing years it is increasingly unlikely that very many wonderfully original examples will remain to be found. For the collector who has been searching for an essentially untouched 246 GT with a rare original color scheme and sporting European specifications, this is an opportunity to be seized.