I'm going to catch heck for this but what makes a Dino worth so much?

Me, too, though in my case it was £££s!!! And I am in my 60s.

To paraphrase a well known cigar ad from a few years back "happiness is a car called Dino".
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John, What spectacular photos! I believe my former Dino had this color combination before I acquired it in 1982. A very lovely car you have! Fred

 

Keeping in mind a quote from Oscar Wilde:

"Today people know the price of everything & the value of nothing!"

Best wishes,
Hans

 

Thanks, Fred. Blu Dino Metallizzato with Beige.

I'm guessing you paid a little less for yours!

 

And from Sir Henry Royce "the quality will be remembered long after the price has been forgotten".

 

Jon, Although my former Dino was only 10 1/2 years old when I bought it in December of 1982, it had suffered some harsh treatment, and a number of parts had either been outright pilfered or replaced with incorrect items. The car had been repainted a General Motors metallic blue, and the seats had been dyed blue. I first had the car repainted silver in 1985, then again in 1990-2000 (a better job). I had the car stripped to bare metal, did a lot of re-chroming, had a new windshield installed, and had much mechanical refurbishment done, between 1999 and 2002. I traded it toward a 458 Spider in 2013, while retaining my first Dino, which I purchased in 1976. By the time I traded the formerly blue Dino, it was Rosso Fiorano Metalizzato, with Bordeaux hides. Fred
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I believe I saw a video clip somewhere where Sergio Pininfarina called the 246GT his "masterpiece." I think that says it all.

 

Attraction of the Dino:

The way they look- Some men think women are the most beautiful things, and the Dino has a lot of curves that are reminiscent of a woman's body.. Or a naturally worn stone in a river bed, etc-- very organic.

The way it sounds. I don't know of any car that sounds anything like the V6 in a Dino. Absolutely exquisite. Compared to modern turbocharged 4 cylinders, which sound like crap, it is unique.

The way they drive. Small enough that it feels like a go cart, without a power steering pump between you and the front wheels. You strap it on rather than sitting in and driving it. Larger cars can't feel that way, no matter how much power they have.
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Lovely phoyos, all. Yours espevially, Pantdino.

 

I think a Dino is just as beautiful as the most beautiful woman you can consider exists.

Hope nobody gets troubled by this, but I think the only flaw, if it could be even thought of,
is the Federalization of the turn signals and side lights.

Perfectly flawless.

No ifs, no buts, no maybes...

Your choice

Regards, Alberto

 

To put it in simplest terms: the Dino is the best combination of what a vintage sports car has to offer.

 

+ 1 ... I fell in love with a Dino about 25 years ago I was at a shop in L A called Corvette Mikes.. looking a corvette that I did not buy and he had this beautiful little red Dino in the back that caught my eye I sat in it fell in love but he wanted 99000 for that little car so I didn't buy it then I did the smart thing and waited a few years and payed 200000 for mine a red GT which I still think is one of the most beautiful cars ever made... not a lot of power but it feels pretty fast in an old car way and sounds wonderful.....
If you don't get it then move on and buy something you like....no problem...

 

To answer the question, I first have to say that I agree with the posts by The Mayor and by Freeman. Also agree with cnpapa24 about the best combination in a vintage sports car. All true. But I can not help thinking back on my own almost 50 years of passion for the Dino, which comes from a slightly different angle. So here are a few words about that.

When the first press reports about the Dino appeared in the late 1960's, it struck me like a lightning bolt. That had nothing to do with its looks, for me it was all about the technical design and engineering. Let me explain.

When I first started driving in the mid 1960's I quickly learned that I had three strong preferences in cars. They have not changed over the years, I still feel the same way:

1. Smaller, lighter, nimbler cars are more fun than bigger, heavier cars. Bigger engines can never compensate for excessive size and weight - except in top speed, but that is less relevant to me.
2. Small displacement, highly tuned, high revving, short stroke engines are MUCH more fun than large, torquey long stroke engines.
3. Rear (or mid-) engine, slightly over-steering cars are much more fun than front engine, nose-heavy, understeering cars.

The Dino not only met those preferences, but seemed like a gift from the heavens with its radical, new design. It was way ahead of its time. Transverse mid-engine design! Small displacement, high revving four-cam V 6! And not just short-stroke, but extreme race engine type of short stroke design! Parallel A-arm suspension with coil springs all around! It was as if Ferrari had designed a car just for me. Oh, it could have been a couple of hundred pounds lighter, but other than that, it was pure bliss. The fact that it also looked good just added to the appeal.

The Dino is so often praised for its looks that we tend to forget how exceptional and ground breaking the technical design was at the time - and in some respects, still is. I found this article from Motor Sport magazine Sept.1971 which covers those aspects of the Dino it quite well:

The Ferrari Dino 246 GT | Motor Sport Magazine Archive

The Dino instantly became the car of my dreams, and it still is. I have remained faithful to it, even during the years when I did not own one.

 

Almost every time I look at a Dino, I get a feeling not unlike butterflies in my stomach.

The car is drop dead gorgeous. This is why they are demanded so.


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