Yet another one that got away™: The understated and elegant Ferrari Dino.
Once considered a “lesser” Ferrari due to its mere 6 cylinder engine, the lovely shape and flowing lines of this beauty seems to get better with age. The Dino’s beautiful body was designed by Pininfarina and produced by Scaglietti. Designed as a competitor to the Porsche 911 during the early 1970s, the MSRP of the Dino was $14,500 — similar to the 911.
The GT Berlinetta (GTB) had a fixed roof; GTS were removable targa tops — like the German competition it was aiming at.
The nomenclature of the model numbers was engine displacement/cylinder count. The Ferrari Dino 246 (and earlier 206) had 2.4 (and 2.0) liter 6 cylinder engines; later on, the 308 and 328 followed the same pattern — 3.0 + 3.8L 8 cylinder engines.
The 2.4L V6 engine DOHC had 2 valves per cylinder, produced 192 bhp mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. That horsepower in a car that had a low center of gravity and weighed a mere 2,426 pounds meant very good handling and a lot of fun to drive for anyone with a little talent behind the wheel.
About that “lesser” F-car: nowhere on the Dino can you find the famous prancing horse logo. Enzo named the car after his (deceased) son but was concerned about damaging the Ferrari cachet and brand with a cheap 6 cylinder car.
I recall these going for $30k in the 1980s and 90s, and that was far beyond my budget. Ferrari built only 1,274 of these Targas between 1972-74; That makes them relatively rare, and increasingly valuable. Dinos can go for as much as $500k these days, though you can find them cheaper if you hunt for them.
One of the cars I have always found to be intriguing and lovely.
Source: Classic Driver
