How many cars can you think of were originally produced in uncommon materials or with exotic design features, only to be scaled back as costs skyrocketed? How about that ’66 Barracuda we just wrote up, with the grand rear window that went away starting in 1967? Or the Panhard Dyna, originally all aluminum when steel was expensive after WWII, but by 1955 – made all steel for financial reasons. Here’s another example, this Dino 206 GT, chassis 00178, for sale at DriverSource with an asking price of $545,000: its body and its engine are crafted in aluminum alloy, while its more “pedestrian” successor, the 246 GT, was made mostly of steel with a cast iron block. Ferrari made only 153 copies of the 206 before answering the demand for more horsepower. For years, the 246 was king of the hill when it came to values thanks to its larger motor, but eventually the marketplace caught on, attributing equally high prices to the rare, spritely, pure form of Enzo Ferrari’s first road-going V6. Thanks to Araknid78 for the tip!
The dealer-seller describes the car’s mechanical condition as “idle” – so much more elegant than “non-running” or the hackneyed phrase “ran when parked”. Importantly, the engine, gearbox, and body are “matching numbers” and a history report by Matthias Bartz is said to accompany the car. Chassis 00178 previously sold at Gooding, Scottsdale, in 2015 for $418,000, and there it was described as unrestored, under single ownership for forty years, with Massini documentation. Whatever the story, once the Dino is resurrected, its mid-mounted, triple-Weber’d, 2-liter V6 will grumble out 180 hp. A five-speed transaxle sits below and behind the sump. The 206 sits on a wheelbase 2″ shorter than the 246; this along with its alloy bodywork contributes to a curb weight almost 400 lbs lighter than the later car. Consequently, the zero to sixty times were comparable, though the 246 could attain a higher top speed. Neither car could outrun a contemporary Corvette.
From the factory, the seats were upholstered in vinyl with various inserts – vinyl or cloth – often coordinating with the car’s exterior. Every other detail was exquisitely Ferrari, from the sporty wood-rimmed steering wheel to the tidy oval gauge surround, containing large, readable, Veglia instruments. While this car may not run, its interior is usable as is, provided everything is in working order.
The unique reverse-curve rear glass solved a space problem – finding room for the engine back there without making the car longer or intruding on the cabin space. Speaking of unique features, this entire car was Sergio Pininfarina’s inspiration, pitched to Ferrari to provoke him to consider a mid-engine option. The 206/246 became a spectacular representative for that shift in Enzo’s thinking, one that enthusiasts cherish today. Gauging by the prior sale, the owner of ten years has decided to capitalize on the rise in prices and let someone else incur the considerable restoration costs.
It’s going to take some time and money to bring this car up to driving/showing standards, and I’m pretty sure someone will step up to the task. These aren’t the easiest cars to work on, and parts might not be too easy to track down, but rarer cars in much worse shape have been revived. And, as Michelle suggests, these aren’t ever going to go down in value.
And the 206 is definitely worth the effort! I once drove a 206 and a 246 within the same week, and was surprised that the smaller car was much different. Its handling was sharper — not that the 246 was less than excellent — and the reduced power and torque meant more shifting, which was more fun, of course.
A lottery win would put both iterations of the Dino in my dream garage. It seems strange to say a $545K price tag is worth it (not to mention the recommissioning cost), but all your senses would thank you.
It’s just me, but it struck me as humorous to state that this car’s interior was useable as is, yet the car didn’t run. I have spent time as both a child and as an adult sitting in cars with perfectly good interiors that didn’t run- I owned a number of them. As I grew older, I slowly stopped saying, “vroom, vroom…” while sitting behind the wheel.
Did Ferrari have a factory orange?
Yes. They named the color- of all things- Rosso (‘red’) Dino. A handful of Ferrari Daytonas were originally painted Orange/’Rosso Dino’ as well.
Yes, reminds me of the incontrovertibly orange color on the 70s MGBs, called Blaze Red.
The 1969 GTO Judge in Carousel Red was also most assuredly orange.
This is a car where definitely, “money is no object”. And the seller thoughtfully included engine pictures. I guess he thought it necessary, given the over half a million asking price.
I had a customer wishing for his Dino be delivered from Wisconsin to where he had moved, to So California. We ended up doing another trip-story for R&T magazine. Pete Egan and I drove it in February, crossing the countrydelivering it, making a story we called, “Dino, car of the North.”
It’s a grand vehicle to travel in, … is responsive, steady, handles well and along with all of the granduer of the ‘baby’ Ferrari, that V-6 engine produces a lovely sound, no matter the throttle position.
Few vehicles work this well and look good doing it, it is rewarding under opertion as well as walking around the lovely shape.
Chris Beebe, I presume? And, I recall the article as well – PE was the best!
Thanks for the memories!
bt
And here is that very article, a great read indeed, republished by R&T in 2016:
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28164/dino-car-of-the-north/
Thanks for that, Sub. Brought back a lot of my own road trip memories.
Stop me if you have heard this before- In 1968 my girlfriend’s (the lovely Pamela) dad who made big bucks manufacturing aerospace components during the Space Race, would pick up his lovely daughter and I from school a few days a week in his Ferrari Dino when he wasn’t busy printing NASA money at the shop. As you can see, only two seats for three people. Hence the lovely Pamela who favored miniskirts in 1968 (As did I!) would have to sit on my lap on the ride home. I always wished she lived an hour from school instead of the quarter-hour it took to arrive at the house that NASA built. God Bless America, the Lovely Pamela, and the Dino.
I hate you.
Moved to California from New England in ’81 and saw my first Ferrari, a 246gt shortly after. Took me a little while to find one for sale in the paper, when I did it was $40k, about my annual salary at the time. Sadly my salary hasn’t kept pace. To this day my favorite car.
You are right about that Chris, best sounding V6 out there. Lovely cars to drive, and look at.
And an unbelievable packaging job. Not an easy car to work on. And tight as hell to pull the motor. Only fractions of an inch on all sides.
@ChipsBe great story of a fun trip – Peter’s writing has been missed.
These are amazing cars – very early in my restoration career I was tasked with delivering a fresh car to a clients house…18yo me was blown away with the sound and feeling of engagement, and am very glad the client was in the following car.
35yrs later that impression hasn’t changed, just finished up a 246 engine rebuild a few weeks ago, delivering it just before Christmas.
Expensive now for a reason.