The Dino 206GT and 246GT were Ferrari’s first mid-engined production cars. Their sensuous lines, exotic engine placement, and good driving dynamics earned them high marks from both automotive commentators and sports car enthusiasts alike, and their values have climbed accordingly. Find this two-owner 1972 Dino 246GT project here on eBay in Pompano Beach, Florida bid to $75,100.
The Dino 206S Speciale show car debuted at the 1965 Paris Auto show to rave reviews. It turned out to be a prototype of Ferrari’s first mid-engined production car, and it established the Dino brand of V6 powered cars, which were less expensive than the larger V12 powered Ferraris. The Dino was named after Enzo Ferrari’s son, who had died almost a decade before the Dino 206S first appeared. Production of the 206GT and 246GT series ran from 1968 to 1974, with only 3721 cars produced. Dino 206 and 246 GT engines were built by Fiat and were also used in the Fiat Dino Coupe and Spider.
This Dino 246GT is being offered by an eBay regular who describes it as a 2-owner car from California that was in the hands of the 2nd owner from 1978 until recently. The car appears to be in very good condition overall except for the engine, which is out of the car and in pieces. The engine is shrink wrapped on a pallet and is described as having a head that “needs minor repair”. With good Dino GTs selling for $150K and up we wonder why the seller is letting the car go in this state. These engines are redlined at about 7800 RPM, but some owners have said that their valve-trains are weak, particularly cams and valves. We would be very cautious here, and would want the damaged head and other engine components to be examined by an experienced Ferrari technician to be sure they can be reconditioned.
The interior of a Dino is a terrific place to be. Much of the interior is based on that of the Dino’s big brother, the Daytona, including the hooded instrument pod, which is one of the most appealing ever offered in any car. Options for the 246GT were the famous ‘chairs and flares’, which substituted Daytona seats and added small flares to each fender opening. This car has those options, which can add significantly to a Dino’s value, but strangely they are not mentioned in the listing. Someone could do well with this Dino project providing the power plant can be reconditioned and the reserve is not astronomically high. Just be sure to check that engine out carefully before you bid!
I’d like to the barn that it came out of. Not only were these part of the Fiat family with the 130 derived engin, but the first one’s came with Fiat logoed seat belts. You should have heard the dealers cry about that. However, our govt safety folks refused to let the dealers change them. Instantly prancing horse foil stickered.
The engine is not derived from a Fiat 130. it is a Ferrari design derived from the engines used in the 246 and 196 F1 racers of the late fifties. The design was given to Fiat so that they could manufacture the 500 per year required to homologate the engine in the F2 class, something Ferrari did not have the capacity to do. Fiat also used the engine in the Fiat Dino Coupe and Spider.
The Fiat 130 uses an unrelated V6 designed by ex Ferrari Designer Aurelio Lampredi
What, no American cars to be found in barns anymore?
Probably sacrilegious, but if cash were no object, I’d look at throwing an LS1 in the back of this as a thumb in the eye of Ferrari purists everywhere.
This car actually has great potential, it’s almost the perfect candidate? Why, because it is one of the few classic ferrari cars that go for a good amount of money when completed but where its motor is found in a cheap car. You will want to keep that block so numbers match, but you can get the head and other bits from a cheap almost worthless dino model 246 GT 2+2. It may require finding a low mileage rust bucket 2+2 for $10k and selling the rest of it back for parts for $7k with head removed. They are out there. One sold near here with rust, and good engine recently for $11k, another for $8k with blown gearbox and tatty interior but 28,000 miles on the motor. So those are great donor cars for these more pricey dinos.
Bid to $95,100 on 24 bids but did not meet the reserve.
It is surprising that this car did not sell, especially given Mike Serpe’s comment above about getting engine parts for the car. The SCM price guide puts the value of a 246GT in #2 condition at $130K to $160K, but a 246GT at the Gooding auction at Amelia Island recently sold for $214,500, a record price for the model. And that car had a color change, which would normally knock the value down a bit. Maybe people just don’t want to deal with the uncertainty of a duff engine.
got a engine and transaxle ready to drop in it anytime a buyer wants one (or even two)…