1971 FERRARI DINO 246 GT

1971 FERRARI DINO 246 GT
Sold for US$ 297,000 Including Commission
Bonhams Auction, Amelia Island, Florida 2015
Coachwork by Scaglietti – Design by Pininfarina
Chassis no. 02972
2,419cc DOHC V6 Engine
3 Twin Weber Carburetors
195bhp at 7,600rpm
5-Speed Manual Transaxle
4-Wheel Independent Suspension
4-Wheel Disc Brakes
*Beautifully presented example of the legendary Dino
*Finished when new in the elegant Verde Scurro over Black
*Delivered new through William F. Harrah's MCM Ferrari distributorship
*Well-documented ownership history, with most owners in California
*Offered with tool roll and Marcel Massini's history file
THE FERRARI DINO
It was the need for a production-based engine for the new Formula 2 car that led to the introduction of a 'junior' Ferrari, the Dino 206GT, at the Turin Motor Show in 1967. Building on experience gained with its successful limited edition Dino 206S sports-racer of 1966, Ferrari retained the racer's mid-engined layout for the road car but installed the power unit transversely rather than longitudinally. A compact, aluminum-bodied coupe of striking appearance, the Pininfarina-styled Dino - named after Enzo Ferrari's late son Alfredino Ferrari and intended as the first of a separate but related marque - was powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cam V6 driving through an in-unit five-speed transaxle. The motor's 180bhp was good enough to propel the lightweight, aerodynamically efficient Dino to 142mph, and while there were few complaints about the car's performance, the high cost enforced by its aluminum construction hindered sales.
A 2.4-liter version on a longer wheelbase -- the 246 GT -- replaced the Dino 206 in late 1969. The body was now steel and the cylinder block cast-iron rather than aluminum, but the bigger engine's increased power - 195bhp at 7,600rpm - was adequate compensation for the weight gain. A Targa-top version, the 246 GTS, followed in 1972. While not quite as fast in a straight line as its larger V12-engined stable-mates, the nimble Dino was capable of showing almost anything a clean pair of heels over twisty going.
Testing the ultimate V6-engined Dino – the 246GT – in 1972, the authoritative American motoring magazine Road & Track enthused, 'it is a thrill to drive a car like the Dino, one whose capabilities are far beyond what even an expert driver can use in most real-world motoring, and that is the Dino's reason for being. The real joy of a good mid-engined car is in its handling and braking and the Dino shone as we expected it to. The steering is quick without being super quick, and it transmits by what seems a carefully planned amount of feedback exactly what is going on at the tires. Thanks to the layout's low polar moment of inertia the car responds instantly to it. The Dino's cornering limits are very high... ' Truly a driver's car par excellence.
As the first series-produced, mid-engined Ferraris, the early Dinos are landmark cars, and the line they founded would prove to be an immense commercial success for Maranello.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
This very sporting, end-of-the-run E-Series 246 Dino was completed at the Maranello Ferrari factory in November of 1971. The new Coupe GT was optioned for the Dino-hungry US market, and finished in the very attractive and unique green color of Verde Scurro Dino over a black interior, fitted with the Cromodora alloy wheels and equipped with power windows.
The new Dino had been ordered by the Western US distributorship for Ferrari at the time, Modern Classic Motors, owned by casino-mogul and pioneer collector William F. Harrah. The green Dino was sold to its first owner, a Mr. Wallace B. Farrell of San Bernardino, California, who is believed to have owned it until 1976, when it was purchased by a Mr. Richard L. Maddox of Santa Clara, California. The following year the Dino came into the ownership of Mrs. Carolyn Trenery of Martinez, California, who is believed to have kept the car until 1986. The 246 GT would remain in the San Francisco Bay Area for at least a decade, before returning to Southern California, where it was in the hands of a Mr. David Weir of Manhattan Beach by the mid-1990s.
By 2003, the Dino Coupe was in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the ownership of Mr. J.C. Peterson, who would keep it for about five years. Subequently it was sold to fellow Albuquerque resident Mr. Scott Barlow. Mr. Peterson apparently regretted his decision to part with his beloved car, and later bought it back! Now offered from Northeastern ownership, this beautiful E-Series Dino 246 GT presents very well inside and out. It is offered with a tool roll, service records, and Ferrari historian Marcel Massini's history report. Boasting a very well documented West Coast ownership chain along with a highly desirable, rare original color combination, this Dino is a fine example that embodies the Dino's reputation
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Robert Myrick Photography