Of all the machines to emerge from Maranello over the years, few are as closely linked to the personal story of Enzo Ferrari—or played a greater contribution to the ongoing success of his eponymous marque—as the Dino 246 GT. Ferrari’s efforts to develop a V-6 configured engine were driven by Enzo’s son, Alfredo, who tragically died before hearing his double overhead-cam creation fire into life. The line of engines that followed subsequently found a home in a string of Dino-badged racers that were named in his honour, but perhaps the most fitting application was in the roadgoing Dino 206 GT and its more powerful 246 GT successor.

When the 206 GT was first revealed at the 1967 Turin Salon, it represented a real departure for Ferrari, which had carved a niche serving the great and the good striking front-engined V-12 grand tourers specialised in crossing continents. The Dino 206 GT couldn’t have been more different, being the first roadgoing Ferrari to feature a V-6 engine and the first with a powerplant mounted amidships. It was also an incredible driver’s car, endowed with sublime driving dynamics and a fizzing 2-litre all-alloy powerplant that begged to be revved.

If there was one criticism of the all-alloy 206 GT, it was that the characterful engine lacked the power to make the most of a brilliant chassis. After the construction of just 153 examples production shifted to the 246 GT, which retained Aldo Brovarone and Leonardo Fioravanti’s stunning Scaglietti-built coachwork—albeit now produced using steel—yet offered a significant increase in power thanks to its new 2.4-litre Dino V-6. The new recipe proved an instant hit when it was launched in March 1969, and over the next five years some 3,761 open and closed examples would be built.

A total of 357 early L-series cars were built before the introduction of the M-series in the summer of 1970, which brought with it parallel windscreen wipers in place of the earlier “clapping hands” setup, and smart five-bolt Cromodora alloy wheels. Chassis 01584 is one of just 507 M-series examples built, and was completed by the factory on 4 February 1971. It was finished in the understated shade of Amaranto Ferrari over a Beige interior, finding a home with Riccardo Gori in Florence after being supplied by Renato Nocentini’s Garage La Rotonda in Prato, Italy. According to an accompanying report by marque expert, Marcel Massini, the Dino 246 GT was later exported to Switzerland, where it passed through the hands of a further two owners. Massini notes that the Ferrari, then painted red, was sold to its fourth owner in 1993 and remained in Switzerland.

In 2013, chassis 01584 was the subject of an extensive restoration and rebuild at the official Ferrari workshop, Modena Cars SA, on the outskirts of Geneva. Accompanying invoices, which are available to view on file, detail some CHF 200,000-worth of work carried out, including a CHF 20,000 engine overhaul. The restoration was completed in early 2015, and the car—now finished in Grigio over a Beige interior—was entered in the Tour Auto Optic 2000 in April of that year, driven by Gino Forgione and Nicolas Kappenberger. Significantly, the car was awarded Ferrari Classiche certification in February 2016, and will be accompanied by its coveted “Red Book”, which confirms that the Dino retains its matching-numbers chassis and gearbox. More recent invoices detail ongoing maintenance, including the replacement of the fuel pump in November 2022 and a carburettor tune up and new ignition coils in March 2023.

Though the Ferrari Dino 246 GT lived in the shadow of its more powerful siblings for much of its life, enthusiasts have long since woken up to the charms of this significant sports car. A machine of firsts for Ferrari, the model pioneered not only Maranello’s roadgoing application of the ‘Dino’ V-6 engine, but also the mid-engine layout—while also laying claim to being one of the best driver’s cars of its generation and one of the prettiest cars to wear a Prancing Horse badge. Chassis 01584 is a fine example of the breed, benefitting from a costly rebuild, Ferrari Classiche certification, and a handsome colour combination.