To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Arizona event, 17 - 18
January 2019.
Estimate:
$400,000 - $500,000
- Ferrari Classiche certified
- Rare Daytona seats and flared fenders
- Striking Azzuro Metallizzato over Pella Nera leather
- Purported to be the last "Chairs & Flares" example built
- Includes books, jack, and tools
Ferrari was beyond niche status by the mid-1950s, but its fledgling
years were not far behind. For Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari, a studious
young man in his early 20s, engine builder Vittorio Jano employed
at the Ferrari works in Maranello must have seemed like a demigod.
The two collaborated on the 750 Monza race car before Dino
succumbed to muscular dystrophy in mid-1956. In his final days,
Dino is said to have spent considerable time discussing a 65-degree
small-displacement V-6 engine with Jano. Dino believed that the
design's straight intakes and special concessions to create an even
firing order made it superior to other V-6s.
Enzo Ferrari honored his son's efforts by creating a sub-brand of
V-6-powered sports cars called Dino. At the 1965 Paris Motor Show,
Pininfarina displayed a curvaceous, mid-engined sports car with an
enlarged version of the 1.5-liter V-6, that Dino and Jano discussed
in 1956, tucked behind its passenger compartment. It was badged the
Dino 206 S Speciale, but the engine was a mere mock-up. A working
prototype called 206 GT arrived the following year at the Turin
salon. The Paris show car's engine was mounted longitudinally, but
by the Turin show it was squeezed in transversely ahead of the rear
axle.
Fewer than 200 examples of the 206 GT were built until an upsized,
steel-bodied 246 GT appeared in 1964. With its $14,000 price tag,
it was less costly than anything else in Maranello's stable but far
pricier than the Porsche 911. In a way, it created its own
segment�somewhere between sports car and supercar. That the Dino
was marketed without the Prancing Horse branding hurt its image
early on, but today it is fully recognized as a thoroughbred
Ferrari.
A targa roofed version badged 246 GTS followed a year later. A hair
under 5,000 Dino 246s of every stripe were built when production
came to close in the mid-1970s. Noted Ferrari expert and automotive
journalist Dean Batchelor said that the 246 GT Dino was "a match
for almost anything on wheels" and noted that the mid-engined car's
exceptional balance made up for its relatively modest
horsepower.
Toward the end of Dino production, Ferrari made 7�-in. sand-cast
Campagnola wheels available, necessitating wider Group 4-style
fender flares due to the wider track. The optional flares are said
to have cost $680 in 1973, and fewer than 200 are known to have
been ordered with the wider wheels. An even smaller handful of
those cars were also fitted with seats from Ferrari's Daytona,
racing-style buckets plucked from the V-12 monster.
The 1973 Dino 246 GT offered here is one of just five known to be
built to European specifications with the "Chairs & Flares"
options, and it is believed to be the final example so-equipped
with this desirable combination. It was built to European
specifications and delivered new in April 1974 to the dealer in
Madrid, Spain, according to Ferrari Classiche, but was exported to
the U.S. not long after.
An accident in the early 1980s sidelined the Dino for more than two
decades. Ironically, its time off the road helped preserve it. In
2005, it was exported to the Netherlands for restoration. When the
initial rework did not pass muster, an exhaustive restoration by
Lusso Classics began in 2010 and was completed in 2017, and was
then awarded Ferrari Classiche certification. As part of its
restoration in Europe, the Dino 246 GT's body was fully restored
and painted Azzurro Metallizato, a striking, lighter shade than its
original Dino Blu. Its interior retains Daytona racing-style seats
that have been reupholstered in dramatic black leather rather than
the original tan. This Dino 246 GT also features optional power
windows as well as its original radio.
This restored Dino presents as new in every way. Careful attention
was paid to its mechanical restoration, and its underbody,
suspension, and engine compartment appear as they would have when
it was built in 1973. It rides on correct Campagnolo alloy wheels
wrapped in period-style Michelin tires. An Ansa dual-outlet exhaust
pokes out from beneath its superb chrome rear bumper. The Dino's
engine, a correct type replacement, presents as new and was treated
to a complete rebuild. Its Veglia gauges show about 45,000 km, but
it has only been driven a few exhibition kilometers since the
completion of its restoration.
A full set of manuals, tools, an original jack, and a Ferrari
Classiche certification binder will accompany the 246 Dino GT.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction,
please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/az19.
