When the first Dino-badged Ferrari made its debut at the 1965 Paris Motor Show, the idea of a junior Ferrari was not a new one. Enzo Ferrari’s eldest son, Dino, had been a passionate proponent of V-6 engine design. The young Ferrari is credited with the design of the marque’s first such powerplant, though he would never live to see. Diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Dino is said to have worked tirelessly from his hospital bed as the disease ravaged his body. He tragically succumbed to it at 24 years of age in 1956, just one year before the engine premiered to great Formula racing success.

After years of podium finishes with his “junior” engines, Enzo Ferrari, who had long desired a roadgoing production car to directly challenge his competitor Porsche, charged his development team with designing a new car from the ground up, using the principles advanced by his beloved Dino. The resulting car was both midengined and V-6 powered, with “Dino” proudly cast in each camshaft cover. His son’s dream come to life, Enzo saw it only fitting that rather than the revered Ferrari rampante stallion, it would be Dino’s own signature adorning the car’s nose.

The Dino 206 GT first went on sale in 1967, wearing a body designed by Leonardo Fiavoranti of Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti. The chassis was powered by a 2.0-liter, double-overhead-camshaft, all-aluminum V-6 engine mated to a five-speed transaxle. The first major update came in 1969 with the debut of the 246 GT. The engine displacement was increased to 2.4 liters and the body construction switched to steel. The buying public and motoring press alike fell head over heels for the Dino, with near-universal praise for its gorgeous design and razor-sharp handling.

Chassis number 06464, presented here, is an outstanding US-specification, E-series 246 GTS, with a long list of desirable factory options and documented chain of ownership. Completed by Ferrari on 20 December 1973, the car was originally finished in Nero (20-B-50) with a silver gray-painted targa roof over Beige Scuro Connolly leather upholstery. Chassis 06464 wears the ultimate 246 Dino package of “Chairs and Flares,” consisting of widened steel fender flares and leather Daytona-style seats as well as factory Borletti air conditioning, Campagnolo alloy wheels, and electric windows.

After completion, it was delivered to Williams Harrah’s West Coast Ferrari distributorship, Modern Classic Motors of Reno, Nevada in January 1974 before being sold to its first owner Richard J. Tapia of California later that same year. From Tapia, 06464 passed to Roger Adkins, also of California, who cherished the car for the next several decades, registering the car on a pair of black California license plates numbered 514 LCD.

After Adkins, ownership passed to Bruce Iannelli of New Jersey, who commissioned a full restoration by Classic Showcase of Oceanside, California. During the restoration, which was completed in 2013, the car was refinished in its factory shade of Nero while the interior was retrimmed in red leather with black inserts.

Cherished by the consignor over his near decade of ownership, this factory black, “Chairs and Flares” 246 GTS checks all the right boxes for the prospective Dino curator.