1972 Ferrari Dino 246GT Coupe

Delivered in December 1971 finished in Azzurro Dino with a Nero interior, optional radio, nose bar and electric windows

One of only 235 right-hand drive Dinos of which only 2 or 3 were in this fabulous colour (Azzuro Dino 20-A-349 Salchi)

Only five keepers, the second of which owned it for over 30 years. Current mileage 51,786

Major overhaul and paint refresh in 1991 with a photographic record (232 photos in a bound volume)

Supplied with its Classiche 'Certificato di Autenticita' (25th July 2016) in a beautiful bespoke box with enamel badge

Suspension and brakes overhauled and rebuilt + sundry works at 51.553 miles by Foskers 25/01/17. £11,840

New seats, carpets, and interior trim in correct factory-supplied, very expensive, mousehair/leather

The Ferrari Dino was built to honour Alfredo 'Dino' Ferrari who died of muscular dystrophy in 1956. He was the only legitimate son of 'Il Commendatore', and unlike any previous road-going Ferrari, the Dino utilised a V6 engine (Tipo 156) which Alfredo himself had developed and advocated during his lifetime.

Enzo Ferrari vehemently answered his critics when he said: "For reasons of mechanical efficiency he finally came to the conclusion that the engine should be a V6 and we accept his decision." The acceptance of this decision resulted in a legacy of motorsport orientated derivatives from Formula One through to various famous sports car racing applications. Following this continued success on the track and in order to homologate Ferrari's 1966 Formula Two campaign, a new line of mid-engined production V6 coupés with Fiat running gear went on sale in 1967 in two-litre form. However, in 1969 a larger 2.4 litre Dino was introduced, named the 246 GT or GTS in the case of the Spider.

The voluptuous bodywork, which many people regard as the prettiest ever to grace a road-going Ferrari, was designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti. It covered a tubular chassis which carried wishbone independent suspension at each corner. The compact four-cam engine, which delivered 190bhp, was mounted transversely above the five-speed gearbox and just ahead of the rear axle, allowing for both a comfortable cockpit and some usable boot space. Proving a great sales success, production of the Dino 246 finished in 1974 with 2,487 GTs and 1,274 GTS models.

We are incredibly pleased to offer this particular, UK-supplied, right-hand drive Ferrari 246 GT Dino which was ordered through Maranello Concessionaires in November 1971 and delivered to them in December of that year. There is a copy of the 'Supply Note' on Ferrari paper confirming the details “Dino 246/Gran Turismo complete with five wheels and tyres, toolkit (RHD). Chassis 03048. Colour Azzurro Dino 20.A.349.Salchi. Interior: Black 161”. It was optioned with a Radio, Nose Bar and Electric Windows. The next piece of paperwork in the file is an invoice from Mercantile Credit on the 18th of January, 1972, addressed to Christopher Andrews of Sussex-based precision instrument manufacturers J E Baty Ltd, for £5,624.17 in exchange for Dino 246 GT #03048 Registered '1 DUF'. Mr Andrews must have been a very confident individual as he resisted the conventional process of ordering a Ferrari in Red and stuck to his guns and chose this fabulous shade of Blue, a colour which he felt suited the petite Dino's slender bodywork so much better. An unusual decision at the time but, judging by the huge number of favourable comments this car has received, excellent judgement. He was to keep it for three years before selling it to a Mr Terry Wells in 1975 whereupon the car was reregistered 'EPN 4K', the registration it carries today.

Mr Wells kept and used the Dino for the next 30 years covering over 40,000 miles and, although it was regularly serviced and maintained, it is an Italian sports car and by 1991 the time had come to return it to its best. In 1991 the car was partially stripped, engine and glass out and the car completely refreshed with some new paint, rubbers, seals etc. The engine was fully rebuilt by Amari Service and there are a large number of photographs of this in the dedicated file. Whilst the engine was out the engine supporting frame and the whole engine bay area was prepared and painted where appropriate. The luxurious photograph album wears an Amari metal plate and contains 232 photos of this process.

Mark Hutchinson became the Dino's third owner in 2005, after being 'interviewed' by Mr Wells to see if "he should be allowed to own it". He was the car's custodian until 2013 and during this period he was fastidious in looking after it. There are a number of invoices in the history file detailing routine servicing and small improvements. Having been refurbished in 1991 the car was in need of nothing major but obviously, the previous long-term owner lived with the car just the way he liked it and wasn't fussed about cosmetics. Mark brought the car up to the next level over the years of his tenure to such an extent that the Haynes Motor Museum, who were on the lookout for the 'definitive' Dino for their Italian Icons display put EPN 4K on display for a while.

In 2012 Classic & Sportscar Magazine used our Dino as their cover car and ran an 8-page feature on it and a 308. (Copy in the file). They also used it as the back page in their 2013 Calendar (also a copy in the file). EPN 4K continues to be a bit of a celebrity and some time later in 2017, was chosen by Autocar as part of their "100 Most Beautiful Cars in Pictures".

Mark was eventually persuaded to part with the Dino to Robin Ellis on 21/03/2013 and judging by the history file, he was equally fastidious in looking after the Ferrari's needs with invoices in the file for servicing, maintenance and detailing.

Our final registered keeper is Trevor Cartner from Durham who purchased the Dino in 2016 and who was also not shy with the cheque book as can be seen in the history file with an invoice from Foskers in Kent (despite the fact that the car was based up North) dated 25/012017 for £11,840.80. The mileage on the invoice is 51,553 and the current warranted mileage is 51,786. The invoice is available to view but includes a suspension re-bush, brake rebuild with new pads, new wheel bolts, cam cover and sump gaskets, and lots of minor items like door rubbers, wiper blades, heater cables etc.

Within the last few weeks, our vendor has spent time on the Dino's interior fitting new seats and carpets and removing the dashboard prior to recovering it in the correct factory material. This rare material is known as 'Mousehair' and is very hard to source and rather expensive. The fabric is similar to a very fine 'Flock' and given prolonged sunshine, the glue softens and the little mouse hairs drop out leaving a material, not unlike vinyl/ leathercloth, not unpleasant but not correct. A time-consuming process but it illustrates the way he feels about the car.

Very importantly #03048 is accompanied by its Classiche 'Certificato di Autenticita' issued by Ferrari SpA, Modena, Italy on the 25th July 2016, in a beautiful bespoke red box with an enamel badge. This is quite a lengthy document examining every single aspect of the car with respect to its originality and 03048 passed with flying colours. The only slight departure from 100% originality is the gearbox which appears to have been changed at some point but according to the Classiche is the correct type and period and fully complies.

The car is also accompanied by its original Dino leather wallet containing two Operating Manuals, Wiring Diagram, original Warranty Card from Maranello, an FOC Rule Book, and a very old map of Paris “Town Centre”. The rather posh photograph album contains over 200 pics and the equally attractively bound 80-page History File contains several hours of interesting reading.

This little Dino has led a charmed life being looked after by a handful of caring owners and, hopefully, that's set to continue.