When did Ferrari Club accept the Dino?

In the 1970's the Dino was not accepted by the Ferrari Club. I have photos of a Ferrari Club meet in 1984 and no Dino's. Now the Dino is prized by many including the Club. Does anyone have knowledge of history of the car's relationship with the Ferrari Club?

 

Apparently no one is aware that Dino's were not accepted as Ferrari's, and that includes the 308GT4. They were viewed as a separate brand. Which was completely reasonable. The Mustang club doesn't accept Mercury Cougars. This is an important piece of these cars history. Looks like it's being lost or ignored.

 

The Club always accepted the 500 Mondial and 750 Monzo as they were badge as Ferrari's. The Club did not reject cars for their number of cylinders or the name Dino. The road cars badge as Dino did not carry the Ferrari name so they were considered a different brand. I spoke with a long time member who confirmed that Dino's weren't allowed on the Club. He told me I could go through his archive of old club materials. He wasn't sure when the Club accepted the Dino brand. It might be as early as 1984. Dino owners don't need to feel bad about being excluded. His first event in the 1970s with his 330 GTC, some club members asked him "what is this thing doing here"? Apparently it wasn't special enough! He said, "things were different back then".

 

Thank you for your reply. So 1984 is a definite date and maybe earlier. My friend with the old club materials is a couple of hours from me. Next time I'm in his area I hope to stop by his place and see what he has.

 

Yes, I remember Dinos being present at club events. Similar to Alfas today many Ferrari owners bought Dino's as a bargain driver. Daytonas we're $25,000 and Dino's were $14,000. I guess we need to define accepted. I think once they were allowed into Ferrari concourso events that would be definitive. There is also another factor to consider which your comment sparked my memory. There were two Ferrari Clubs! Ferrari Club of America and Ferrari Owners Club. I'm don't know if they both excluded the Dino's.

 

My inquiry is a result of Ferrari's announcement for a SUV. In the discussion several people thought an SUV shouldn't be allowed in the Club. I mentioned that they reminded me of how the Dino was excluded from the Club and no one knew what I was talking about. I figured I would go to the 246 experts. Well, no one here knew what I was talking about. So I spoke to some of the oldest members of our local club and they remember the Dino being a non-Ferrari. Now I want to investigate further to discover what really happened when the Dino was introduced and who decided it's exclusion.

 

I don't remember them ever excluding Dino racing cars only the road cars. So the the Dino 206GT and the Dino 246 were out. Along with the Fiat Dino's which no one contested because they're Fiats. I think the Dino 308GT4 caused the Club to reconsider as later cars were rebadged as Ferraris. This all seems very odd today which is why I'm interested in it.

 

When did you attend? I'm reasonably certain that Dino's weren't accepted until the 308gt4 was rebadged. I think that was about 1976. Also there was two clubs so which club was the host is also pertinent.

 

I searched my library and found vague references in two of my oldest books to the Dinos perception as a Ferrari. Both books praise the model and today the Dinos value exceeds many models with the badge. So Dino owners have been vindicated.

Illustrated Ferrari Buyer's Guide, Dean Batchelor, Published in 1981, Page 124. "The fact that Dinos were not advertised or sold as Ferraris shouldn't detract from their value as an enthusiast's car. They were sold by Ferrari dealers, and I doubt that the lack of a Ferrari emblem or nameplate kept salesmen from calling them Ferraris."

Ferrari The Sports /Racing and Road Cars, Godfrey Eaton, Published in 1982, Page 164 "A curious thing about both the 206 and 246 Dinos is that neither bore the famous prancing horse badge or the Ferrari name. The factory, in fact, seemed to take occasional umbrage at journalists who referred to the cars as "Ferrari Dinos." Perhaps for this reason, some enthusiasts shunned them for not being "true" Ferraris, but the more knowledgeable didn't care."

By the 1980 I believe the Dinos were generally accepted as Ferraris. I must be in the 1970's that the divide existed.

 

Thanks for sharing your memorabilia. Clearly Hollywood Sports Cars sold the Dino as a Ferrari.

 

I remember them participating in the Historic Challenge. Now that Ferrari is regulating the Club its very different. In the 1970s it was just a group of owners who formed a club and did as they pleased.

 

Thank you, that the earliest confirmed date. I think it was pre 1976 that the Dino's were considered a separate brand.

 

Thank you docf for posting a reply. I was beginning to doubt myself. I was accused of trying the start an argument. I'm actually trying to verify my memory. I'm not trying to discredit the model. It's interesting the value that is placed on a name. Like persons related to the Kennedys that hyphen their names. It doesn't change them and it doesn't change the car. I think it's intriguing that a car that wasn't a Ferrari lead to the V8s which made Ferrari profitable. If there wasn't a Dino 246 it's possible there wouldn't be a Ferrari brand today.