Ferrari Dino

1974 Ferrari Dino GTS at Wheels Of Italy

Ferrari Dino
Manufacturer:	Ferrari
Class:	mid-engined sports car
Production:	1968 — 1973 3,913 produced
Predecessor:	Fiat Dino
Successor:	Ferrari 308 GTB
Dino 206
Production:	1968 — 1969
Body Styles:	Berlinetta
Engines:	2.0 L V6
Dino 246
Production:	1969 — 1973
Body Styles:	Berlinetta
Engines:	2.4 L V6

The Dino was a brand for mid-engined, rear-drive sports cars produced by Ferrari from 1968 to 1976. The Dino name was retired by 1976, though the cars remained in production. It was created as an attempt to produce a relatively low cost vehicle by using components from more common vehicles, in much the same way that Porsche did with the 914.

The Dino was the first Ferrari model produced in high numbers: Just under 4,000 V6 Dinos were built in five years. Although not universally embraced, the V6 Dinos are lauded by many for their intrinsic driving qualities and groundbreaking design. In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number six on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s. Motor Trend Classic named the 206/246 as number seven in their list of the 10 "Greatest Ferraris of all time".

History

The name "Dino" honors the founder's late son, Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari, who was credited with the design of the V6 engine. Along with famed engineer, Vittorio Jano, Dino influenced Enzo Ferrari's decision to produce a line of racing cars in the 1950s, with V6 and V8 engine designs. History shows that Alfredo Ferrari did not have a hand in the actual design of the V6 motor that made its way into the Dino.

The "Dino" brand was created to market a lower priced, "affordable" sports car. The first brochure described the Dino as "almost a Ferrari". Ferrari intended to do battle in the marketplace with Porsche and its 911. The more expensive road going Ferrari V12's of the time were no match at their much higher price point. But Enzo did not want to diminish the Ferrari brand with a cheaper car, and so "Dino" was born.

Lorenzo Bandini's Ferrari Dino 166P, 1000km Nürburgring 1965

Derek Bell's Ferrari Dino 166 Formula 2, practice for the Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring, 1969

In addition to being a lower priced, "affordable" sports car, it was a car built in Alfredo's honor after he lost his battle with muscular dystrophy. While in hospital, he discussed technical details with the engineer Vittorio Jano. Dino would never see the engine; he died on June 30, 1956 at the age of only 24, before his namesake automobiles Fiat Dino and Dino were produced.

In 1966 Ferrari wished to race in the 1.6 L class of the Formula 2 racing series with Dino's V6. However, the company could not meet the homologation rules which called for 500 production vehicles using the engine. Enzo Ferrari asked Fiat to co-produce a sports car using the engine, and the front-engined, rear-drive Fiat Dino was born. It used a 2.0 L (1987 cc) version of the Dino V6, allowing Ferrari to enter the series.

At the time, the thought of using a mid-engine layout in a production car was quite daring, although the design was common in the world of sports car racing. A mid-engined layout placed more of the car's weight over the driven wheels, and allowed for a streamlined nose, but led to a cramped passenger compartment and more challenging handling. Lamborghini created a stir in 1966 with its mid-engined Miura, but Enzo Ferrari felt that a mid-engine Ferrari would be unsafe in the hands of his customers. Eventually he relented, and allowed designer Sergio Pininfarina to build a mid-engined concept for the 1965 Paris Motor Show, but demanded that it wear the Dino badge alone. The 1966 Turin car show featured a refined Dino 206S. The Turin 206S was a closer prototype to the actual production version. Response to the radically-styled car was positive, so Ferrari allowed it to go into production, rationalizing that the low-power V6 engine would keep his customers out of trouble.

Dino 206 GT
Production	1968–1969 152 produced
Engine	2.0 L V6

Dino 206

The production Dino 206 was an excellent sports car with a beautiful Pininfarina body. Some consider this one of the most stylish of Ferrari rear engine automobiles. It has the soft edges and curving lines typical of earlier Italian cars, unlike the later performance cars from Ferrari such as the Bertone-designed 308 GT4 which has the straighter lines and crisp edges seen most boldly in Bertone's Fiat X1/9.

The 206 used a transverse-mounted 2.0 L all-aluminum V6 engine. With the light-weight mid-engine body, an 8000 rpm redline, full independent suspension, and all disc brakes, the 206 driving experience was a quantum leap from previous Ferrari sports models.

Dino 246

Calls for more power were answered with the 2.4 L (2418 cc) Dino 246. It used an iron version of the engine with 195 hp and was available as a fixed-top GT coupe or, after 1971, an open targa GTS.

Dino 308 GT4

Bertone-bodied Dino 308 GT4

The angular or "wedge-shaped" Bertone-styled 2+2 308 GT4 also wore the Dino badge. This model is covered in more detail on the Ferrari GT4 page.

External Links

• Dino Register