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Dino Ferrari Takes On Sebring

What's a Dino Ferrari?

2015 Techno Classica For those of us who have reached a certain age the words "Dino" and "Ferrari" conjure up one of the most elegant set of automobiles to come from Maranello (as long as you exclude the 308 GT4 with its '70s styling... if you can call it that.) The Dino 206 GT, 246 GT and 246 GTS all had stiff competition in the looks department back in the '60s, but like any classy Italian film star of the time they rose above the competition effortlessly. 2015 Techno Classica The sub-brand of Dino was created in memory of Enzo's Ferrari's son, Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari who died in 1956, aged only 24. The cars that bore his name were powered by engines of less than 12 cylinders (V6 or V8), located amidships, with an aim of increasing the volume of cars built and sold at Maranello -so they were regarded as affordable, if one could ever use that term in association with Ferrari.

Relevant Today?

2015 Techno Classica As it happens, last month Sergio Marchionne, the mercurial CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, revealed that plans are underway to revive the sub-brand. How this will fit with the stated intention to cap the annual production to 7,000 units is anyone's guess, but there is speculation that this move is not wholly driven by profit. The impending stock market floatation of Ferrari will mean that measures to reduce the average fleet CO2 emissions must be taken, it can no longer hide behind the range at FCA. A V6 turbo mid-engined car would be part of the solution, giving the new vehicle the Dino identity gives it an instant heritage.

Dino Ferrari's at  Sebring

2015 Techno Classica At the Techno Classica I spotted a very special Dino, the very Dino 206 GT that Luigi Chinetti had entered in the 1969 Sebring 12 Hours under his team NART. It was one of two Dinos in the race, both entered by Chinetti, who was the importer for Ferrari in North America. 2015 Techno Classica Chinetti had a fabulous pedigree as an entrant topped off with an outright win at Le Mans in 1965. His record as a driver was even more impressive, three wins at Le Mans (1932, 1934, 1949) and two at the Spa 24 Hours (1949 and 1950), one of the greats of endurance motor sport by any measure. 2015 Techno Classica This particular Dino started life as a standard road car. To race at Sebring a few modifications were mandated such as a roll-over bar and a kill switch, both in the cause of safety. Headlight-covers were added as were additional lights while the standard bumpers were removed. Chuck in a set or three of Goodyear race tires - and the drivers, Sam Posey and Bob Dini were good to go. 2015 Techno Classica Running against out-and-out prototypes from factory teams such as Porsche, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, a production Dino was never going to be in contention. 2015 Techno Classica Qualifying a respectable 29th, out of a grid of 70, the car struggled in the race with overheating issues but the team refused to give up and at the finish, after 166 laps of the punishing Floridian air field circuit, managed to register a 36th place. It was a victory of sorts, anyone who engages in endurance racing would understand, getting to the finish makes up for a lot of pain. 2015 Techno Classica Two weeks later the Dino was on Chinetti's stand at the International Auto Show in New York. Then the car was sold, disappeared and was presumed lost. 2015 Techno Classica Fast forward to the age of the World Wide Web and Ebay. Matthias Bartz, a world renowned expert on Dinos and author of the volume that is surely the last word on the car, found it for sale on Ebay. It had been hidden from view for all those years in, yes you guessed it, a barn. 2015 Techno Classica Matthias spent four years and plenty of Euros restoring the Dino to its Sebring state. And that is how I came to be admiring this wonderful machine in Essen, at this year's Techno Classica. The owner is a charming and gracious man who noticed my enthusiasm for his Dino and provided me with the answers that form the basis of this cameo. The little car that could... now I must go off and buy his book. The rest of you can keep an eye out for future "Dino" models re-appearing on the market.
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