Ferrari Dino 246: The Purest Ferrari Never Called a Ferrari
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There is something quietly subversive about the Ferrari Dino 246. It wore no Ferrari badge. It carried no V12 under the bonnet. Yet it is, by common consent, one of the most beautiful and characterful cars the Maranello factory ever produced. It had to earn its reputation on feel and design alone, and it did exactly that.
Origins and History
The Dino story begins with tragedy. Enzo Ferrari's son, Alfredino "Dino" Ferrari, died in 1956 from muscular dystrophy at just 24. He had been working on a small-displacement V6 engine before his death. Enzo honoured his memory by naming a sub-brand "Dino" around that engine concept.
The Dino 206 GT arrived in 1967, clothed in aluminium and powered by a 2.0-litre V6. It was lovely, but rare and expensive to build. The 246 GT replaced it in 1969 with a more practical iron-block 2.4-litre engine and steel bodywork, making it both stronger and more affordable. Production ran until 1974, with 3,761 examples built. A targa-top variant, the GTS, followed in 1972 and accounted for a further 1,274 cars.
Enzo refused to put the prancing horse on it. He felt a V6-engined car was not worthy of the Ferrari name. The market disagreed. Buyers queued, and the 246 outsold the flagship V12 models throughout its production life.
The Design
Pininfarina penned the body, with Leonardo Fioravanti leading the studio work. The result is a masterclass in restraint. Every surface flows into the next without fuss or drama. The long bonnet, the sweeping roofline, the muscular rear haunches — it all reads as a single, unified thought rather than a collection of styling exercises.
The cabin sits far back over the rear axle, giving the car an almost mid-engined stance even though it is mid-engined in fact. The windscreen rakes steeply. The wheels are deep-dish Cromadora alloys that look like they were designed for exactly this car, because they were. Peer through them and you see vented disc brakes and elegantly cast suspension wishbones.
Colours matter enormously on the 246. Rosso Corsa is the obvious choice, but Giallo Fly (a sharp canary yellow) and Azzurro California (a hazy pale blue) are arguably more period-correct for the early Seventies. The GTS targa panel stows in the boot, leaving an open-air cabin that transforms the character of the car entirely.
Performance and Driving
The 2.4-litre V6 sits transversely behind the driver, mounted in unit with a five-speed gearbox. It produces 195 bhp at 7,600 rpm. By modern standards those figures are modest. Behind the wheel, they feel anything but.
The engine note is the first revelation. Ferrari's V6 has a raspy, almost mechanical snarl that rises to something close to a howl near the redline. It does not sound like a V12. It sounds like something sharper and more urgent. Combined with a kerb weight of just 1,080 kg, the 246 reaches 60 mph in under 7 seconds and tops out at 148 mph. More importantly, it feels alive at every speed.
The steering is direct and honest. The chassis communicates through the seat and the rim without ever becoming nervous. Tyres are 205-section Michelins on the rear, narrow enough that you sense exactly where the grip ends. This is a car that rewards smoothness and punishes aggression, which is exactly as it should be.
Cultural Impact
The 246 appeared on countless bedroom walls through the Seventies. It starred in the 1971 film "The Italian Job" (the original, naturally), and it was the car that introduced a generation to the idea that a Ferrari could be accessible rather than intimidating.
Magnum P.I. drove a red 308 GTS on television, but the 246 was already the template for that car's proportions. It influenced virtually every mid-engined grand tourer that followed from Maranello. The 308, the 328, the F355 — all owe something to the 246's layout and philosophy. When Ferrari launched the California T in 2008, journalists reached for Dino comparisons almost immediately.
The car also helped establish the idea that a Ferrari could be driven every day. Contemporary road tests praised its tractability, its visibility and its ease of use in traffic. It was not built for circuits. It was built for the winding roads of the Italian Riviera, and it remains perfect for them.
Buying a Ferrari Dino 246 Today
Values have risen sharply since the mid-2010s but settled into a broad plateau. A sound, matching-numbers 246 GT in presentable condition will cost between £180,000 and £280,000 in the UK market. Exceptional concours-quality cars have exceeded £350,000. GTS variants command a premium of roughly 15 to 20 per cent over equivalent GT coupes.
The main concerns at inspection are corrosion (particularly the sills, inner arches and floor), cam chain tensioner condition and valve guide wear. The engine is strong if properly maintained, but rebuilds are expensive. Budget £25,000 to £40,000 for a thorough mechanical restoration if the engine has not been recently serviced. Original gearboxes are fragile under hard use — find a car with a known gearbox history.
Provenance matters more here than on most classics. Full documentation, matching numbers and a clear ownership history add significant value and peace of mind. The Ferrari Owners Club and Dino Register are both excellent resources for due diligence before purchase.
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