1976 Ferrari 208 GT4 'Dino'

The Dino 208 GT4 is the smaller brother of the Ferrari 308 GT4, revealed at the 1973 Paris Auto Salon, and was specially designed for the Italian market to avoid the heavy taxation levied on cars in those days with engines above 2 litres. The 208 remained in production from 1975 to 1980, with a total of 840 units receiving Maranello"s stamp of approval, and as this was a specific Italian market model, all were produced in a left-hand drive configuration. The exterior design of the 208 GT4 is very similar to its bigger brother with a pronounced wedge-shaped body penned by Bertone, a look that was very much in vogue with the style of the period. Within the angular body, there were some very nice design details, like the boomerang shaped air intakes on the sail panels that bordered the rear quarter glass and the tunnel effect of the inner sail panels to the flat vertical rear screen. The left side intake ducted cooling air to the oil radiator and the right side sent air to the carburettors. The overall design was very tight and well balanced and the shape has stood the test of time very well, certainly better than some of its contemporaries. The only obvious external differences between the two models were the 208 GT4"s single exhaust pipe and the plain aluminium finish for the louvres on the front lid and engine cover as opposed to satin black on the 308 GT4.

The 1991cc V8 engine was of 90-degree configuration, with belt driven twin overhead camshafts per bank, transversely mounted in unit with the all synchromesh, five-speed transmission assembly,which was below, and to the rear of the engine"s wet sump. It was fitted with a bank of four twin-choke Weber carburettors, producing a claimed 180hp which was enough to propel the 208 to a top speed of 112mph.

A steel body with some lightweight aluminium panels was mounted on a tubular steel chassis and the wheelbase was a neat 2550mm. The running gear is made up of an independent wishbone suspension, disc brakes, coil springs and hydraulic shock absorbers at all four corners with both front and rear anti-roll bars.

Manufactured in 1976, our little Azzurro Blu Dino had naturally suffered from the effects of 40 years of Italian sunlight, but it had done less than 40,000km and was basically sound, so its owner felt that it was worth bringing back to life. When the decision was made to fully restore the car there was no doubt in the owner's mind about who was going to carry out the work, so off it went to Modena Classic Works on via Karl Marx in Carpi to be reborn. They are internationally renowned for the quality of their restorations which can be summed up by their mission statement; “The restoration of a classic car is not just a matter of business and economic investment. It"s especially made of our ability to gather up, in the area around Modena, a team of mechanics, body mechanics, panel beaters, lathe-turners, just to mention a few, who – all together – contribute to the symphony of car-restoring”.

The details of the 'nut and bolt', physical and mechanical restoration of Chassis No.11378 would take too long to list here but there is an extensive photographic and documented record of every inch of this car before and after, and a close inspection of the car itself will confirm the breathtaking results. Even the term 'nut and bolt' is not sufficiently comprehensive as every nut, bolt, washer and bracket used in the rebuild was “yellow galvanised” to accurately replicate those that would have been used in the initial build in 1976.

Finished in its original Azzurro Blu, this Dino is fresh onto the market and will be sold with all the relevant import, NOVA numbers in place.

If you have an interest in owning one of these rare seventies 2-litre, 2+2 Ferraris, then we would respectfully suggest that you are not going to find a better one, anywhere.