Lot details
Registration No: AWU576K
Chassis No: 03074
Mot Expiry: May 2012

The Dino brand was born of Enzo Ferrari's desire to produce an affordable sports car to compete with the likes of Porsche's 911. It was reserved for models powered by engines of less than 12 cylinders and employed for certain Ferraris and Fiats between 1966 and 1976. The name was a tribute to the Commendatore's son Dino (Alfredo), who sadly died in 1956 at the age of just twenty-four following a battle with muscular dystrophy. Although common in the world of sports car racing by the mid-60s, a mid-engined configuration for a road car was a bold move - one Ferrari was keen to make, but not yet ready to apply to his 12 cylinder-powered cars, in case his customers struggled with the naturally more challenging handling generated by such layouts. The Dino brand provided him with the opportunity he sought and he had Sergio Pininfarina build a mid-engined concept car for the 1965 Paris Motor Show. It was duly badged Dino - not Ferrari. A refined Dino 206S was then shown at the Turin Show of 1966. The response to this radical new concept was suitably positive and, following a fairly protracted prototype phase, the first production version - the 206GT - came into being in 1968.

The newcomer was powered by a transverse-mounted, all-alloy DOHC 2.0-litre engine of V6 configuration (hence the 206 name), the output of which was 160bhp. The car was the first to be sold by Ferrari with electronic ignition - a system developed especially for the Dino's high-revving engine by Magnetti Marelli. Just 152 206GTs were produced between 1968 and 1969 - all were left-hand drive. They featured fully independent suspension and disc brakes all round and were clothed in lightweight aluminium bodies. It was clear to the car's many fans that it could easily handle more power, which it received in the form of the 246GT. The 2418cc DOHC engine featured alloy heads on an iron block and produced 195bhp. Motor magazine's road test of 1971 recorded a time of 7.1 seconds for the 0-60mph dash and a mean top speed of 148mph. The height of the revised Dino remained the same, but the wheelbase was extended by 2.1 inches and, for cost reasons, the body was now primarily steel with some alloy panels rather than aluminium throughout. The factory's policy of branding the cars Dinos rather than Ferraris continued and Ferrari badging was never applied at source - many owners have, however, added them retrospectively. Some 3,761 246 GTs and GTSs were produced between 1969 and 1974, when the model was superseded by the 308 GT4.

The Dino on offer is a right-hand drive 1972 example finished in Fly Yellow complemented by a Black leatherette interior. It has reportedly had just three owners from new, the most recent of which purchased 'AWU 576K' from our October 2008 sale. It has subsequently lain virtually unused, with the odometer remaining at a little over 33,000 unwarranted miles. It was first registered in Eire, moving to the mainland later the same decade. Then, known to the Dino register, it is understood to have formed part of a private collection for the next thirty years. Prior to entering the current ownership, chassis 3074 was apparently treated to a bare metal respray, refurbished interior and mechanical overhaul. The vendor currently considers the bodywork, trim, engine and transmission to be all "very good". This delightful Dino comes complete with photographic and documentary evidence of the restoration and is MOT'd into May 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: Since the catalogue went to press we have been informed by Tony Willis of The Maranello Concessionaires Archive that this lot was supplied new to Southampton on 9th February 1972. Initially road registered as 'TLF 3' and featuring factory-fitted electric windows, its first owner is understood to have been a Mr Colin.