Toby Wilson
Head of Department
LOT 246
1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GT Spyder Coachwork by Pininfarina/Scaglietti Registration no. not UK registered Chassis no. 07026
Sold for £253,500 inc. premium
Lot 246
1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GT Spyder Coachwork by Pininfarina/Scaglietti
The Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale Collector's Motor Cars and Automobilia|30 June 2017, 14:00 BST|Chichester, Goodwood
1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GT Spyder
Coachwork by Pininfarina/Scaglietti
Registration no. not UK registered
Chassis no. 07026
Coachwork by Pininfarina/Scaglietti
Registration no. not UK registered
Chassis no. 07026
*Delivered new in Italy
*Left-hand drive
*Four private owners from new
*Recent extensive refurbishment and re-commissioning
*Good history file
*Non-matching engine
*Left-hand drive
*Four private owners from new
*Recent extensive refurbishment and re-commissioning
*Good history file
*Non-matching engine
Footnotes
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 206S 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, aluminium-bodied coupe 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 2.0-litre, four-cam V6 driving through an in-unit five-speed transaxle. The motor's 180bhp was good enough to propel the lightweight, aerodynamically-efficient Dino to 142mph, and while there were few complaints about the car's performance, the high cost enforced by its aluminium 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 aluminium, but the bigger engine's increased power - 195bhp at 7,600rpm - was adequate compensation for the weight gain. A Targa-top version, the 246GTS, 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 tyres. 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 GT Spyders by the time the model was deleted in 1974.
This stunning 246 GT Spyder was built to European specification and sold new via the official Ferrari dealer Motor S.a.s di carla Allegretti of Rome, Italy. The car was delivered finished in Rosso Dino with Nero (black) interior, and was sold to its first owner (in Italy) in September 1973. In mid-1974, the Ferrari was sold to its second owner, Mr Daniel Hofstetter of Lausanne, Switzerland, who kept the car until April 1980 when it was sold to the third owner, Mr Roland Hächler of Bergdietikon, Switzerland. The fourth owner, Mr Erich Schmidli, bought the Dino from Mr Hächler in 1991 and would keep it for the next 25 years. There is a letter on file from Mr Schmidli (dated December 2016) documenting a change of speedometer and stating that when sold by him the car had covered 117,791 kilometres from new, and some 46,000 while in his ownership. Only a tiny handful of kilometres has been added to the total since then.
In addition, there is a record on file of all works carried out while in Mr Schmidli's ownership, together with some more recent bills for re-commissioning, servicing and other works carried out in the UK in 2016. These include one for a body repairs, a bare-metal repaint, new front/rear screen rubbers, new door seals, and a new steering wheel; another for an interior re-trim in leather; and a third for replacement wheels. The combined total of these and other bills relating to the Dino's re-commissioning (excluding those for new tyres) is over £47,000. VAT has been paid in the UK and a NOVA declaration made, and the car also comes with Swiss Fahrzeugausweis, a history file of invoices, stamped service booklet, replica tool kit, and a Massini Report. It should be noted that the engine is not original to this car.
Well documented and benefiting from recent extensive refurbishment, this beautiful Dino has to be one of the very best currently available.
Saleroom notices
Please note that Bonhams have been contacted by the owner of the original engine block for this car and we have been informed that it's available to purchase by separate negotiation.
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