It was the need for a production-based engine for the new Formula 2 that led to the introduction of a - junior - Ferrari, the Dino 206 GT, at the Turin Motor Show in 1967.

Building on experienced gained with its successful limited edition Dino 206 S 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 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-litre, four-cam V6 driving through an in-unit five-speed transaxle.

The motor's 180 brake horsepower was good enough to propel the lightweight, aerodynamically-efficient Dino to 225 km/h, and while there were few complaints about the car's performance, the high cost enforced by its aluminum construction hindered sales.

A 2.4-litre 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 - 195 bhp at 7.600 rpm - 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 stablemates, the nimble Dino was capable of showing almost anything a clean pair of heels over twisty going.

Testing the ultimate V6-engined Dino - the 246 GT - 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 Dino V6s are landmark cars. The line they founded would prove to be an immense commercial success for Maranello, production amounting to 2.487 GT coupés and 1.274 GTS spyders by the time the model was deleted in 1974.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Google+
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Youtube

“ your classic auto specialist; world-wide collector car expertise ”

We buy, sell, broker, locate, consign and appraise exceptional classic, sports and collector automobiles, arrange transport, customs formalities and registration.

Jaguar, Ferrari and Maserati expertise, though our collection includes a wide variety of other superior antique, vintage, prewar and race cars.

Contact us when you are serious about owning or selling a fine classic motor car or motorcycle. Geneva, Switzerland-based, we serve clients world-wide.

Chemin des Tulipiers | 1208 | Geneva | Switzerland | +41 (0) 787.055.745

Copyright © MMXVIII VIA THEMA All rights reserved