1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS - ESTIMATE: $500,000 - $650,000

2418cc/195 HP V-6, 5-Speed, Factory Air Conditioning

ODOMETER READS 37,703 miles

VIN / SERIAL 05966

TRANSMISSION 5-Speed Manual

EXTERIOR COLOR Rosso Corsa

INTERIOR COLOR Tan

THE STORY
A magnificent example of Ferrari’s first midengine, road-going sports car, this 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS was recently the subject of a no-expense-spared restoration by renowned Coachwerks Restoration in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, specialists in the restoration of limited-production, hand-built, exotic sports cars. 

Named after Enzo Ferrari’s son Alfredino, a brilliant engineer in his own right who passed away prematurely at just 24 years old, the Dino concept made its debut at the 1965 Paris Auto Salon as the 206 S Speciale, a midengine display prototype built on a racing chassis with alluring Pininfarina-designed coachwork. The first working prototype, the 2.0L/180 HP V-6-powered Dino Berlinetta GT, appeared a year later at the Turin show, but it was another year before the first Dino 246 GT appeared, again at Turin, and again powered by the eponymous Dino V-6 DOHC engine designed by the young Ferrari just before his passing in 1954.

With a slightly extended wheelbase, the more powerful 2.4L/195 HP transversely mounted V-6 engine, a 5-speed manual transaxle, 4-wheel independent wishbone suspension with coil springs, and 4-wheel disc brakes, the Dino 246 GT proved an immensely enjoyable driver’s car that was quick, highly maneuverable and comfortable. Writing in Motorsport magazine, motorsports journalist Denis Jenkinson declared, “Of all the mid-engine cars of which I have had the experience of testing, the Dino stands head and shoulders above the rest … once you have experienced it, it makes all front-engined or rear-engined cars obsolete.”