Most concept cars often share a similar fate – after they’ve enjoyed their fifteen minutes of fame at car shows, they spend the rest of their lives tucked away in the respective manufacturers’ or coachbuilders’ collection. If they’re lucky, they’re at least displayed at museums or classic car events in their later years. Back in the sixties and seventies, some of them were even erased. Before companies understood how important it is to preserve and document their history, some show cars got modified or in the worst case dismantled until there was not much more left than the bare chassis.
Pininfarina’s Fiat Dino Berlinetta Speciale "Ginevra", which Gooding Christie’s auctions off at their Amelia Island Sale on the 5th of March, for example had already lived two lives, which makes it even more historically valuable – it’s actually a reworked version of the extravagant shooting brake Dino Parigi, which was the star on the design house’s booth at the 1967 Paris Motor Show.
Half a year later it was reborn under the new nickname "Ginevra" at the 1968 Geneva Motor Show – with a new tail end, which seemed a tad more conventional and production ready than the almost diabolical looking rear of the Parigi. Both show cars were penned by none other than Paolo Martin, one of Pininfarina’s most renowned designers, who later also created masterpieces like the Fiat 130 Coupé, Rolls-Royce Camargue and the legendary 512 S Modulo, which shocked the public with its extraterrestrial looks, when it was unveiled in 1970.
While his most famous creations from the seventies were quite angular and seemed almost monolithic, the 1968 Ginevra, often also called "Aerodinamica", strictly followed the rules of the windtunnel. He combined the flat nose and half covered headlights, which already debuted on the Parigi, with an arcuate curved roofline, which abruptly ends with a hard cut. Its characteristic "Kamm-tail" makes the two-door coupé look like a shooting brake. A body style, whose popularity was about to reach its first peak just a few years later.
The spectacular color "Rosso Dino", one of the most attractive hues offered by Ferrari during that period, perfectly highlights the unique shape of the car. This Dino Berlinetta Speciale was never resprayed and therefore serves as a reference point for the almost orange "Dino Red". It’s one of the last survivors wearing its original paint.
There’s more to the concept car than just beautiful looks though. Pininfarina reworked the Fiat’s interior with keen attention to detail – the black perforated dashboard and the thin, futuristic looking headrests are just the tip of the iceberg. Not to mention the Dino’s pure-bred heart – the iconic two liter Ferrari-V6, which was originally developed for the prancing horses Formula 2-racers. Fiat was responsible for the production of this sonorous and free-revving six cylinder, which also found its way into Ferraris 206 GT, the Modena brand’s new entry-level-model.
After the 1968 Geneva Motor Show had closed its doors, Pininfarina kept the Ginevra in its collection for more than two decades. Around the turn of the millennium, a French enthusiast acquired the concept car, until it was sold across the pond in 2022. The current owner, based in the US, brought the powertrain back to life and attended the most prestigious classic car events on the continent. In the last few years, you could admire it on the lawns of The Quail, The Bridge, and Pebble Beach. In 2024, he sent it on a homecoming trip to Italy, where the ASI crowned it the Best Preserved Postwar Car at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Estimated at 575.000 to 775.000 dollars, it offers a patina and usability not often found on concept cars, while being quite influential in the world of automotive design.
Amelia Island, 6 Mar
