Lot 127

Monterey 2018

1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS by Scaglietti

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$401,000 USD | Sold

United States | Monterey, California

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Chassis No.
08460
Engine No.
12041
Gearbox No.
3094
  • Ferrari Classiche certified; original engine and gearbox
  • One of the lowest-mileage and unrestored examples
  • Only two owners from new; showing 8,300 original miles
  • Acquired by the current owner in 1989
  • Extensive documentation, including service records
  • Includes original tool roll and jack
  • Major mechanical sorting by Classic Coach for $55,000

Show-goers at the 1965 Paris Salon visiting the Pininfarina stand were undoubtedly dazzled by a sports car that combined the Italian design firm’s curvy, racing-inspired lines, a competition-ready chassis, and a mock-up of the Ferrari-designed V-6 engine. However, its name—Dino 206 S Speciale—would have been an enigma to even some of the most hardened cognoscenti.

Those familiar with Ferrari, by then a respected builder of touring cars that supported the brand’s racing efforts, were in the know. Enzo Ferrari chose to honor his son Alfredo, or “Dino” for short, with the 206 S Speciale. Dino—the man—was a noted engineer in his own right, but his life was cut short by muscular dystrophy in the mid-1950s.

A year after the Paris show car, a production-bound prototype with a functional dual-overhead cam 2.0-liter V-6 mounted transversely ahead of the rear axle, was unveiled in Turin on Ferrari’s home turf. Like its styling exercise predecessor, the Dino GT berlinetta bore no Ferrari nomenclature, but its shape was refined and it soon begat a production model in 1968.

The original Dino 206 GT was replaced in 1969 with a more powerful version bearing a 2.4-liter V-6 predictably called the Dino 246. With 195 hp, the 246 was sprightly and its rear mid-engine configuration provided it with light steering and terrific balance. More than 3,700 were produced in both GT berlinetta and GTS spider configurations, a testament to its widespread appeal.

Built in May 1974, very near the end of production, the American-market Dino 246 GTS offered here was delivered new to a New York-area architect, Charles D. Flayhan. Finished in Rosso Chiaro over beige leather with Daytona seats, the Dino remained with its Flayhan for more than a dozen years before being acquired by the current and only second owner in 1989. Copies of their correspondence corroborate the exceedingly low mileage the car had nearly 30 years ago when the current owner acquired it. Its two owners tallied up a mere 8,300 miles over the last 44 years, which makes this certainly one of the lowest-mileage Dinos in existence, and certainly one of the lowest-mileage and unrestored examples.

Most recently, Ferrari Classiche certification was completed in 2017 and confirms that its Scaglietti coachwork is as it left the factory in 1974. Its engine is the numbers-matching, original unit fitted with a trio of Weber downdraft carburetors. The original five-speed manual transmission remains fitted as well. In 2016, the 246 GTS was treated to over $55,000 worth of mechanical maintenance, including a suspension freshening by Ferrari experts at Classic Coach of Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Interestingly, as one of the last 246 GTS models produced, this car would have been the only two-seat offering available at Chinetti’s dealership in Greenwich, Connecticut, aside from the Daytona. For someone looking to complete Ferrari’s offering from the Fall of 1974, this exceptionally original Dino is just such a car. It is most certainly ready to be driven and shown by its next owner, only the third in over 40 years.