"Ferrari have always been famed for large 12-cylinder front and rear engined touring cars for some time and it took some persuading for old man Enzo to invest his production resources and interests into a mid-engined sportscar. However, if anyone was to do it, Sergio Pininfarina was the man.
The stunning Dino 206S, which was unveiled at the Paris Salon in October of 1965 and was succeeded by the Dino Berlinetta GT at Turin the following year with the first production Dino, the 206 GT, débuted at Turin in 1967. The Dino was not only Ferrari’s first mid-engine production car, it also marked the début of a new Ferrari-based Dino brand that was entirely devoid of Ferrari badging, in keeping with Enzo’s intention to honour the memory of his late son.
For 1969, the Scaglietti-built Dino received a larger and more powerful 2,418cc engine although externally, the car’s striking design remained relatively unchanged. Purist complaints were quickly quelled by the car’s fabulous exhaust note and reported 146mph top speed.
Additionally, it carried with it significant race-inspired handling characteristics brought about by a tubular steel chassis with a fully independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. There is good reason to include a Ferrari Dino in one’s collection but in order to secure the very best, the car’s history is important. Two elements in particular stand out, its restoration and, if possible, a set of correct Ferrari Classiche papers.
The essential starting point of the Ferrari Classiche service is the Certificate of Authenticity that only Maranello can release. This unique service is very important for an owner, as only Ferrari Classiche can release an official document confirming the full authenticity of their car. The integrity and absolute uniqueness of the Ferrari archives, where the assembly sheets of all cars produced since 1947 are jealously guarded enabling the company to unequivocally establish conformity with the original design of any car made in its workshops. Only fully functioning and absolutely correct cars receive the Ferrari Certificate of Authenticity; because to ensure the vehicle's conformity to the original design - and therefore maximum driving safety – all parts need to be authentic. Chassis, engine, gearbox and transmission, suspension, brakes, freshly painted magnesium Cromodora wheels and correct Michelin XWX tyres, bodywork, and interior, are all rigorously examined by the Ferrari Classiche group of experts, a team of specialists with extensive experience at Ferrari, sometimes also including first-hand involvement in the construction of the vehicle under examination. The passion and proverbial mastery of Ferrari Classiche personnel are any customer's very best guarantee in establishing the authenticity of the car.
This particular 246 GT is quite simply one of the finest examples we have ever had the pleasure of offering. A factory right hand drive example, it was delivered new to the UK in this original Rossi Chiaro with Nero interior and sold via Ferrari Concessionaires Maranello in Surrey.
Latterly, chassis designation 01632 was totally restored by Ferrari specialists Foskers, including a fresh Ferrari Classiche-sanctioned and stamped engine in 2009-2010 and overseen by Ian Barkaway. Indeed, this Dino is believed to be last car that Ian Barkaway restored before he started independently as Barkaways, respected Ferrari restoration specialists. These works elevated an already good car to a concours award-winning level.
Indeed, in the extensive photographic restoration file, it includes certain trophies it won under the stewardship of Ian Barkaway himself. From the engine compartment and black interior, right down to the Cromodora wheels, every element has been properly restored to ensure that the car is presented in the correct manner in which it left the factory. The engine is, of course, a numbers-matching unit (corrected by Ferrari Classiche/Ferrari S.p.A in 2013) with numbers from which the car was built with from new.
In a contemporary road test, Road & Track described the Dino 246 driving experience as “pleasurably sensual” and continued, “Even on a slow run to the corner drugstore, the Dino seems to be working, snarling, racing”. Add to that the privilege of driving a superbly restored, award-winning example and the ownership experience is surely all the more exceptional.
With full photographic history, written documented history, 2013 Ferrari Classiche presentation book (in original box) and the original leather Ferrari Dino owners pack, this meticulously prepared example wants for nothing and must surely represent one of the best driving and well put together examples available today."