1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GT

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.

We are delighted to be able to offer this exquisite, UK right-hand drive, 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GT for the first time in 22 years. Chassis #07336 was finished in Rosso Chiaro with a black vinyl interior and was ordered with incredibly rare and desirable flared wheel arches and stove-enamelled wide Campagnolo wheels.

The car was first registered to Axon Armature Manufacturing Co. Ltd on 13th June 1974, and an original letter included in the file from the Birmingham-based firm, states that the car was owned by them until the early summer of 1977. The car then made its way to Germany briefly for a couple of months, before being sold to a Mr M. J. Willoughby of Lytham St Annes on 30th June 1977. An MOT dated 4th July 1977 shows that the car had by that time covered 10,221 miles. A resumé by Mr Willoughby of his ownership declares that he was quite often abroad, and as a result, the Dino was driven infrequently. Servicing during this period of ownership was carried out by an ex-Maserati mechanic and Italian car specialists Blakey & White of St Annes.

The next owner of chassis #07336 was a Mr J. Fazackerley of Leigh, Lancashire, who purchased the car, we believe, in 1980. An invoice from GrayPaul Motors Ltd on 1st October 1982 details a carburettor rebuild to cure an engine misfire, de-glazing of brakes discs and other remedial jobs. The mileage logged at this time shows the car had covered 16,621 miles and a thorough road-test by the aforementioned dealer resulted in a fine bill of health and a new MOT on 14th October at 16,720 miles.

A Mr J. Wilson of Chester became the next custodian of this stunning car in late 1982 with the majority of maintenance duties during his ownership being carried out by Graypaul Motors Ltd, for which there are numerous invoices in the file. An MOT issued on 1st June 1985 records the mileage at 23,600 miles. In April 1986, chassis #07336 became the property of renowned Ferrari collector, Mr Brandon Wang and under his ownership in 1989 the car was sent to respected Ferrari specialist Nick Cartwright where it was treated to a full detail of the engine bay, re-coated manifolds, fluids changed and the cooling system refurbished.

After 7 years of ownership, the car was sold at the end of 1993 to Mortimer Houghton Turner Ltd. An internally raised workshop invoice shows the car was thoroughly checked over in March 1994 and Daytona-style seats were fitted at this time, before eventually being sold on 27th January 1995 to our vendor, when it had covered just over 30,500 miles.

Cherished and used on 'high days and holidays' only, our vendor eventually decided to send the car back to Ferrari specialist Nick Cartwright. In March 2014, work commenced removing all brightwork, glass, ancillaries, brakes and suspension. The engine, gearbox and petrol tanks were also removed along with all of the interior including the dashboard, leaving only the wiring loom in place. A bill for £7,693 is included in the file for this stage of the refurbishment.

The chassis and outriggers were freed of all underseal, surface rust and treated, before being etch primed. Corrosion was cut out where necessary and new tube welded into place and the chassis section around the engine bay received the same treatment. The doors were removed and corroded lower sections cut out before new meta was 'wheeled up' and lower door skin sections folded and welded into place. The rest of the body was masked up in preparation for a full repaint. At this stage in the process the brake calipers were stripped and rebuilt, the carburettors and other engine ancillaries removed and the engine and gearbox casing chemically cleaned and painted replacing all components ready for reinstallation. An invoice for £20,131 details this stage of the work undertaken.

By June 2015 the car was being reassembled with fully rebuilt suspension using new Koni shock absorbers, a fully overhauled braking system and reinstallation of the detailed engine and gearbox. The dashboard was recovered in original 'mouse hair' material and the wiring harness checked before being fully refitted. Once chassis #07336 was back on its Campagnolo wheels, the engine was tuned and given a full service renewing all fluids and filters. The car was fully valeted and MOT tested on 23rd June 2015 at 34,558 miles before the keys were handed back. There is a final invoice of £40,696 for the re-assembly and restoration of the car.

Supplied with 29 previous MOT Certificates beginning in 1977 and currently tested until 22nd June 2017, this car is now showing only 34,935 miles which we believe to be the correct distance covered in its 43 years. A complete toolkit and jack accompany the car, as well as a Ferrari Warranty Booklet, Dino Owner's Manual and a UK V5c.

Originally supplied with flared wheel arches and Campagnolo wheels, one of only 13 in the UK, the addition of Daytona seats makes this 246 GT the ultimate Dino specification, what Ferraristas call 'Chairs and Flares'. Rarely do well-documented cars of this quality come to market and we are proud to offer this beautiful example which is now ready to begin the next chapter of its life after 22 years of enjoyment by our vendor.