1969 FERRARI DINO 206 GT

1969 FERRARI DINO 206 GT
Chassis no. 00338
Engine no. 00338
Sold for US$ 572,000 Including Premium
Bonhams Auction, Carmel, California
Coachwork by Carrozzeria Pininfarina/Scaglietti
*Race-proved Berlinetta with transverse rear-engined V6 technology
*Highly-original long-preserved museum-standard car
*Now very rare opportunity to acquire this miniaturized GT Ferrari
THE FERRARI DINO GT COUPE
The purebred circuit-racing series of Dino V6 engines was introduced as early as 1957. Named after Mr Ferrari's only legitimate child Alfredo ('Alfredino', affectionately shortened to 'Dino'), design of the engine series was initially master-minded by the legendary Ing. Vittorio Jano of pre-war Alfa Romeo 6C, 8C and later Lancia fame, before Ferrari was presented with Lancia competition assets in 1955. The great engineer had then served as a technical consultant to the Maranello factory, while Mr Ferrari presented poor Dino – a very well-liked and well-qualified engineer who died in 1956 after suffering muscular dystrophy for much of his short life – as having master-minded the new V6 power unit's unusual 65-degree vee configuration. A facsimile of Dino's hand-written signature, 'Dino' would be cast into the new engines' cam covers.
The initial 4-cam V6 racing engines powered Mike Hawthorn to victory in the 1958 Formula 1 World Championship, they won Formula 2 races and also featured in a very rarefied series of front-engined sports-racing cars. Into the 1960s, Dino V6 engines continued to equip Ferrari's F1, F2 and sports-prototype armoury, and from 1965 the tremendous Dino 206 SP 2-litre rear-engined sports-prototype set all enthusiasts' mouths watering.
A Pininfarina show car 'special' was displayed at the Paris Salon of 1965. Entitled the Dino 206 GT Speciale it was based upon competition chassis '0834', with the V6 engine installed longitudinally behind the cockpit. A further developed – nearer-production – Dino Berlinetta GT was then displayed by Pininfarina at the 1966 Turin Salone, also with longitudinal engine, but a third prototype quickly followed. It had its engine turned through 90-degrees to mount transversely in the rear bay, in unit with a Ferrari five-speed transaxle – not only centralizing dynamic mass within the wheelbase more advantageously, but also – crucially – improving cabin space up ahead of the engine bay.
A pre-production prototype was then displayed at the 1967 Turin Salone, another at Brussels into 1968 and in the early part of 1969 the Dino 206 GT Coupe as offered here finally went into production at Scaglietti's Modena plant.
By the end of 1969 around 150 had been built, all with aluminium bodies, and all left-hand drive. The Dino 206 GT carried no Ferrari brand name – with 'Dino' being energetically promoted as a miniaturized Ferrari creation upon a new level. The 206 GT series also featured even-numbered chassis serials, whereas previous road production Ferraris had always – with very few exceptions – been odd-numbered, racers even-numbered.
The Dino 206 GT engine was a 65-degree V6 unit with twin overhead camshafts per cylinder bank, bore and stroke 86mm x 57mm displacing 1987cc. This engine actually represented a third-generation of Ferrari Dino V6 units, as developed under the direction of Maranello's famed engine specialist Ing. Franco Rocchi. With three Weber 40DCF carburettors, the transverse-engined beauties offered 180bhp at a nerve-tingling 8,000rpm. Kerb weight was a performance-enhancing 2,300lbs.
Having been tested in 1966 in the Dino 206S sports-prototype racing design, this power unit was subsequently used in various forms in the Fiat Dino Pininfarina cabriolet, then in the Fiat Dino Bertone Coupe, in the Formula 2 single-seaters and ultimately in the Dino 206 GT put into production in the pure bloodline Ferrari factory at Maranello.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
This well-preserved example of the rare, early Dino 206 GT Coupe has been exhibited for many years in the late-Fabrizio Violati's Collezione Maranello Rosso's developing museum, based initially within the tiny 'Most Serene Republic' of San Marino, the enclaved micro-state within east-central Italy, and later in his purpose-built facility at Falcione.
The car's original colour is recorded as having been 'Amaranto 20-R-188' with 'Nero 161' interior trim – precisely as has survived in generally very good condition – apart from a little damage to the extreme nose – to this day. The bodywork is, of course, paneled in aluminium and records indicate that the car was sold initially to official Ferrari dealer Albertina de Luca in Naples. Its subsequent ownerships are unknown until it was acquired by Fabrizio Violati in the later 1970s. The only obvious non-standard feature of the car appears to be its lockable fuel filler cap, closing the neck on the car's left-rear fender
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Robert Myrick Photography