It is October, and the cars I feature this month are the one I would happily put in my garage. This week, we have the understated, elegant Dino in Blu Dino Metallizzato.
Notice I did not call it the “Ferrari Dino.” Due to its mere 6 cylinder engine, it was originally considered a “lesser” Ferrari. Notice the lack of yellow scuderia badges, and the missing F-car lettering inside or out. It was thought the smaller engine would not reflect well on the brand, and it was not graced with the scripted badging.
Ferrari produced a racing version of these from 1957, with the road car first coming in 1967 as a 206, the 246 replacing it in 1969. The name derives from the brand new Dino V6 engine. The 2.4L V6 engine DOHC had 2 valves per cylinder, produced 192 bhp mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The low center of gravity and 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, despite its mere 192 HP.
The Dino’s beautiful body was designed by Pininfarina and produced by Scaglietti. The lovely shape and flowing lines have only gotten better with age. Designed as a competitor to the Porsche 911 during the late 1960s and early 1970s, the MSRP of the Dino was $14,500 — similar to the 911.
I recall seeing these for sale for around $30k in the 1980s and $50k in the 90s. Ferrari built only 2,295 GTs and 1,274 GTS (Spyders); That makes them relatively rare, and increasingly valuable. Dinos go for as much as $500k or more (See this list).
As to this lovely below, its asking price is about $450k.
Source: Classic Driver
