why does the Dino Not have headligh covers

Hi Daryl,
I was one of the other Fchatters who had a similar conversation with Sergio. My wife and I saw him walking across the lawn on the 18th fairway at the PB concours that Sunday in 2001, so we had a chance to briefly chat with him. My wife mentioned to him that we owned a Dino. He smiled and told me it was one of his favorite Ferraris because "it looks good from every angle, don't you think?"

I then asked him for his opinion on installing headlight covers. He immediately frowned and waved a finger at me, saying "no,no don't do it! It was never intended to have the covers. I told him I had no intention of installing them. He smiled and told me "good - don't change your mind."

There will always be differences of opinion on this topic, but Mr. Pininfarina's opinion is good enough for me!

Regards, Bob.

 

Mine has them presently as they were added by the po.

I will be removing them along with the Ferrari script, Cavallino, incorrect side mirrors and federalized side markers (Also added by the po)

If the mounting brackets were easily removed I would take them off now.

 

Hmm -

Maybe the answer as to "why does the Dino Not have headligh" covers is that the Dino doesn't have a "headligh" or "headlighs."

I don't know about "headlice" either......

 

Thanks for chiming in, Bob. I've had one or two of the more militant headlight cover advocates accuse me of fabricating my story.

Aside from Pininfarina's comments, there is still the issue of the ugly screw tabs required to attach the covers, and there is the constant houskeeping hassle of keeping them clean and removing the dirt and dust that inevitably finds its way under the cover and into the light scoop area. But hey, different strokes for different folks.

 

Having one Dino GT with headlight covers and one without, I don't consider myself as an "advocate" for either setup. When I first saw pictures of a 246 in the late sixties, I was struck by how dramatic the open-headlight look was. I assumed (and hoped) that the open-headlight arrangement was intentional, and not just a reaction to restrictive US lighting regulations. However, in light of the fact that the 1966 Torino Show Dino prototype (the second prototype, which I once had the privilege of sitting in, when it was owned by Carle Conway) had headlight covers, I can only conclude that Pininfarina initially favored the covers, but then had a change of heart. As for the brackets, if they're tastefully done, they are no more unattractive than those fitted to any number of fifties and sixties Ferrari sports racers. Yes, the covers don't seal hermetically, and require periodic removal for cleaning. That said, variety is the spice of Dinos, no? Fred

 

There appears to be plenty of documentation to support the theory that the cars were designed with headlight covers in mind, that was after all the fashion at the time. No doubt they had to work hard to make the design change and, make every nuance work the way it does. Having done all that work, would Pininfarina publicly state that he preferred a design element had they moved away from 40 years earlier. I think it is a well practiced response.

 

Perfect solution Fred, one with one without, why did I not think of that! Instead i just went back and forth between the having them on and taking them off the same Dino, all these years....

 

I must of been thinking of the next thread starter, what is a Dino headligh?

 

I don´t understand the discussion. For me it is absolutely clear that the Dino was designed initial WITH the covers.It may be that Pininfarina changed his mind over all the years and he thought different in the 60´s what is not not unusual. See the Berlinetta GT prototyp WITH the copver, see the 206 GT prototype WITH the Covers, see the Windchannel Modell WITH the covers and so on.-.. they complete the perfect shape. Pininfarina also designed the same covers on annother great cars from the same years: The graduate early Alfa Duetto Spider. Why would he do all that not wanting it at that time???
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+1

 

+2
Here is mine, #03000, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
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Great period images! Does anyone have any current images of the Superformance covers on a car? It's hard to see from their tiny ad on their site whether they're convex or flat. I would also be interested in seeing how they're mounted.

Freeman

 

One can guess, that when they decided to offer the car without covers, the details around the headlight "nacelles" were tweaked; although from the images, it does not look like it. Are there any differences in the very earliest production models?

 

.

 

I agree with this comment. In the 60's and 70's, the U.S. market was very important. 1968 was the first year for new stringent safety and emission legislation in the U.S.. No object(covers) could cover the headlamps when turned on(hidden headlamps were OK). The beautiful covered lamps of the E-Type went away. Even the VW Beetle. Imagine if the 275GTB would have been sold in the U.S. in 1968. The headlamp covers would have gone away:-( With some of the larger companies like Mercedes having contoured integrated halogen lamps while the U.S. received the standard uncovered round sealed beam lamps in makeshift housings. It wasn't until Ford fought for and eventually won with the first Taurus that we finally were allowed contoured aerodynamic headlamps specifically designed for the car. BTW, GM was the first with flush polyurethane energy absorbing bumpers. I think the Dino looks beautiful with or without headlamp covers. My main point is that the design intent was to have headlamp covers. My opinion? I love the way they complete the overall design. I consider them period correct as much as installing a Daytona, a Sebring or Talbot mirror.

Freeman

 

Freeman -

Have you added another mirror to your current Dino?

Other than the stock driver's side mirror, I don't recall seeing a mirror on the passenger's side on your Dino - at least not when I drove it at Fantasy Junction.

Would you add another mirror on the passenger's side?

I have thought about it, but I have only seen a handful of Dinos with two outside mirrors.

Mark

 

agree with the comments about the design intent
IIRC,the 1984 Lincoln MK VII had the first composite headlamps,followed by the 1986 Taurus
those of us at "other companies" kept pointing to the Lincoln,and were told that "composite lamps would NEVER be legal in the USA"

 

While I understood (though disagreed with) the stated rationale for the earlier USDOT prohibition on headlight covers, I never understood why the flush Euro Dino parking light lenses were unacceptable under the regulations. I would have thought that merely using an amber bulb, or the amber lens used on non-Italian Euro Dinos would have been a sufficient solution. Parking lights are merely marker lights. They don't illuminate the road ahead. This just demonstrates how arbitrary those old US lighting regulations were. Fred

 

Mark,

Still only the driver's side (my preference) but replaced the Talbot that was on it with a Daytona mirror(uses the same holes).

Freeman

 

Sorry, my memory seems to have faded a little - I must have imagined that it had a stock mirror when I drove it.

Mark