1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS Offered by RM Sotheby's
Show-goers at the 1965 Paris salon visiting the Pininfarina stand were undoubtedly dazzled by a sports car that combined the Italian design firm’s curvy, racing-inspired lines, a competition-ready chassis, and a mock-up of the Ferrari-designed V-6 engine. However, its name, Dino 206 S Speciale, would have been an enigma to even some of the most hardened cognoscenti.
Those familiar with Ferrari, by then a respected builder of touring cars that supported the brand’s racing efforts, were in the know. Enzo Ferrari chose to honor his son Alfredo, or Dino for short, with the 206 S Speciale. Dino, the man, was a noted engineer in his own right, but his life was cut short by muscular dystrophy in the mid-1950s.
A year after the Paris show car, a production-bound prototype with a functional dual-overhead cam 2.0-liter V-6 mounted transversely ahead of the rear axle, was unveiled in Turin on Ferrari’s home turf. Like its styling exercise predecessor, the Dino GT berlinetta bore no Ferrari nomenclature, but its shape was refined and it soon begat a production model in 1968.
The original Dino 206 GT was replaced in 1969 with a more powerful version bearing a 2.4-liter V-6 predictably called the Dino 246. With 195 hp, the 246 was sprightly and its rear mid-engine configuration provided it with light steering and terrific balance. More than 3,700 were produced in both GT berlinetta and GTS spyder configurations, a testament to its widespread appeal.
Built near the end of production, the American-market Dino 246 GTS offered here, s/n 08460,
was delivered new to a New York-area architect, Charles Fleyhan, in 1974. Finished in Rosso Chiaro over beige leather with Daytona seats, the Dino remained with its original owner for more than a dozen years before being acquired by the current and only second owner in 1990. Its two owners tallied up a mere 8,300 miles over the last 44 years, which makes this certainly one of the lowest-mileage Dinos in existence, and certainly one of the lowest-mileage and unrestored examples.
Most recently, Ferrari Classiche certification was completed in 2017 and confirms that its Scaglietti coachwork is as it left the factory in the summer of 1974. Its engine is the numbers-matching, original unit fitted with a trio of Weber downdraft carburetors. The original five-speed manual transmission remains fitted as well. In 2016, the 246 GTS was treated to $50,000 worth of mechanical maintenance, including a suspension freshening by Classic Coach of Elizabeth, New Jersey. The 246 GTS presented here is ready to be used or shown by its next owner, only the third in over 40 years.
Info from RM Sotheby’s and images from Ryan Merrill.
The RM Sotheby’s auction takes place on August 24 and 25, 2018 at the:
Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey, California 93940
Auction Contact Info: +1 310-559-4575 and info@rmsothebys.com.
