Lot 141: 1969 Ferrari Dino 246GT Berlinetta

A 2.4-litre version on a longer wheelbase - the 246GT - replaced the original 2.0-litre V6-engined Dino 206 in late 1969. The body was now steel and the cylinder block cast-iron rather than aluminium, but the bigger engine�s increased power - 195bhp at 7,600rpm - was adequate compensation for the weight gain. A Targa-top version, the 246GTS, followed in 1972. While not quite as fast in a straight line as its larger V12-engined stablemates, the nimble Dino was capable of showing almost anything a clean pair of heels over twisty going.

Testing the ultimate V6-engined Dino � the 246GT � in 1972, the authoritative American motoring magazine Road & Track enthused, �it is a thrill to drive a car like the Dino, one whose capabilities are far beyond what even an expert driver can use in most real-world motoring, and that is the Dino�s reason for being. The real joy of a good mid-engined car is in its handling and braking and the Dino shone as we expected it to. The steering is quick without being super quick, and it transmits by what seems a carefully planned amount of feedback exactly what is going on at the tyres. Thanks to the layout�s low polar moment of inertia the car responds instantly to it. The Dino�s cornering limits are very high� � Truly a driver�s car par excellence.

As the first series-produced, mid-engined Ferraris, the early Dino V6s are landmark cars. The line they founded would prove to be an immense commercial success for Maranello, production amounting to 2,487 GT coup�s and 1,274 GTS spyders by the time the model was deleted in 1974.

The car we offer is the first Dino 246GT constructed and was displayed on Ferrari�s stand at the 1969 Barcelona Show. An interim prototype, it has the 2.0-litre engine of the preceding 206GT model, as confirmed by Gianni Rogliatti at the Maranello factory, and the slightly longer chassis of the 246GT. The car was first invoiced by the factory on 25th June 1969 and after the Barcelona Show was sold by the official Ferrari dealer in Spain to Tayre SA in Madrid. �00406� had only two owners until 2004 when it was sold to the UK, where it stayed for one year before being sold to the current owner in France.

Restored and repainted in San Remo by the ex-President of the Dino Club Italy, this superb Dino is presented in excellent condition and running beautifully, having been completely restored mechanically at Cavallari in Monaco. Finished in red with �as new� Havana leather interior, the car is offered with numerous invoices (totalling circa 14,000 euros), French Carte Grise and Contr�le Technique.




Cette voiture, la premi�re Dino 246 GT construite, fut expos�e sur le stand Ferrari au Salon de Barcelone 1969. Mod�le int�rim, elle �tait �quip�e du moteur deux litres du type 206 GT pr�c�dent et du ch�ssis l�g�rement allong� de la 246 GT comme l�a confirm� Gianni Rogliatti de l�usine de Maranello. La voiture fut factur�e initialement par l�usine le 25 juin 1969 et, apr�s le Salon de Barcelone, elle fut vendue par le distributeur Ferrari officiel en Espagne � Tayre SA � Madrid. � 00406 � n�eut que deux propri�taires jusqu�en 2004, ann�e o� elle fut vendue au Royaume-Uni. Un an apr�s, elle passa aux mains de son actuel propri�taire en France.

Restaur�e et repeinte � San Remo par l�ancien pr�sident du Dino Club italien, cette superbe Dino est en excellent �tat de pr�sentation et de fonctionnement, apr�s avoir �t� restaur�e sur le plan m�canique par Cavallari � Monaco. De couleur rouge avec un int�rieur en cuir havane � comme neuf �, cette voiture est accompagn�e de nombreuses factures (pour un montant d�environ 14 000 euros) et de sa carte grise et de son contr�le technique fran�ais.