1973 Ferrari Dino 246GT

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 motor sport 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.

Offered here is a right-hand drive, Ferrari Dino that has been in single, long-term ownership since 1984. It has had just four previous owners and has a mileage of 42,200 miles. Our vendor was (and is) truly passionate about these cars and, having already owned two, decided to find the best one he could with a view to keeping it forever. The original colour was Rosso, but the car needed a little work and, as his intention was to create something that was as near to perfect as possible, he set about commissioning an exacting restoration that would ultimately take five years with the emphasis on getting the body gaps and shut lines near perfect and the metalwork unadulterated.

The results today display the quality of this work and the purity of one of the most classic shapes ever imagined by Ferrari and signed-off by Enzo himself are evident. It was decided to change the colour at the time (1988) resulting in it being painted Giallo Fly which was a Ferrari Scuderia option and a favourite of our vendor. The interior was retrimmed in Nero leather, the dash recovered in suede which now has a deep brown "hue, and the original Becker Mexico blends neatly with the clean dash lines. Importantly, the window quarter light catches and fixings, often a problem with this model, are perfect. In the early nineties, our vendor acquired the period correct, number plate FLY 21M for obvious reasons and it will remain with the Dino completing the historical "marriage". The engine was rebuilt during the restoration and continues to run sweetly, and the gearbox was replaced a few years ago as the original began to slip out of second gear, a known problem with these boxes. The Dino has been no stranger to the knowledgeable Terry Hoyle and his workshop who have been involved over the years keeping this lovely Ferrari in great mechanical condition. It has just been serviced and granted an MOT Certificate, the details of which can be found in the leather Ferrari owner's wallet which will be accompanied by the car's extensive history file.

We cannot emphasise the importance of long term ownership and the fact that this beautiful Dino has not been in the market place for a such a long time. It has the distinctive look of an earlier, deep restoration and has mellowed to a very usable, correctly presented example of a model that, in the future, may well come to be regarded as Ferrari's finest moment.