1972 Ferrari Dino 246GT Coupé
Coachwork by Pininfarina
Registration no. Not UK registered
Chassis no. 03170
Engine no. 246GT 03170

'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 tyres. Thanks to the layout's low polar moment of inertia the car responds instantly to it. The Dino's cornering limits are very high... ' – Road & Track.

It was the need for a production-based engine for the new Formula 2 that had prompted the introduction of a 'junior' Ferrari, the Dino 206GT, at the Turin Motor Show in 1967. The latest in a line of Dino V6 'quad-cam' engines stretching back to the late 1950s, the new unit proved as successful on the racetrack as in the showroom, Derek Bell and Ernesto Brambilla both winning races in the European Championship, while Andrea de Adamich triumphed in the 1968 Argentine Temporada series.

Building on experienced 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, aluminium-bodied coupé 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-litre, four-cam V6 driving via an in-unit five-speed transaxle. The motor's 180 brake horsepower 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 aluminium construction hindered sales.

A 2.4-litre version on a longer wheelbase - the 246GT - replaced the original Dino 206 in late 1969. Built by Scaglietti, the body was now steel and the cylinder block cast-iron rather than aluminium, but the bigger engine's increased power - 195bhp at 7,600rpm - adequately compensated for the weight gain. A Targa-top version, the 246GTS, followed in 1972. The Dino 246 was built in three series: 'L', 'M' and 'E', these designations reflecting detail changes in the specification. Of the three, the M-series is by far the rarest, being produced during the early months of 1971 only. Changes from the preceding L-series included a 30mm increase in rear track; five-bolt fixing for the road wheels; internal boot release; seat-mounted headrests; and various minor improvements to the engine and gearbox. The final 'E' series incorporated all the changes made to its predecessors together with further improvements to the engine and gearbox and numerous other more minor details.

While not quite as fast in a straight line as its larger V12-engined stablemates, the nimble Dino was capable of showing almost anything a clean pair of heels over twisty going. Truly a driver's car par excellence and still highly regarded today.

One of the final 'E-Series' cars, the Dino offered here is a left-hand drive matching numbers example built for the United States market in January 1972. The current vendor bought the Ferrari from European Collectibles of Costa Mesa, California in the late 1990s and had the car extensively restored by them, including a full engine rebuild, as evidenced by detailed invoices on file dating from 1999. The vendor subsequently imported the car into the Republic of Ireland. Finished in black with black/tan Daytona seats and red carpets, the Dino currently displays a total of 23,822 miles on the odometer and is described by the private vendor as in generally excellent condition. Accompanying documentation consists of the aforementioned invoices, Dino Register printouts and a State of New Jersey Certificate of Title dating from 1975.