Just listed for auction: http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20143/lot/215/ 29 Jun 2012 2:15 p.m. Chichester,Goodwood Collectors' Motor Cars Auction 20143 215 1972 Ferrari Dino 246GTS Spyder Coachwork by Pininfarina Registration no. not registered with DVLA Chassis no. 04180 Estimate: £100,000 - 130,000 130,000 - 160,000 US$ 160,000 - 200,000 Footnotes It was the need for a production-based engine for the new Formula 2 that led to the introduction of a 'junior' Ferrari, the Dino 206GT, at the Turin Motor Show in 1967. Building on experienced gained with its successful limited edition Dino 206S sports-racer of 1966, Ferrari retained the racer's mid-engined layout for the road car but installed the power unit transversely rather than longitudinally. A compact, aluminium-bodied coupé of striking appearance, the Pininfarina-styled Dino - named after Enzo Ferrari's late son Alfredino Ferrari and intended as the first of a separate but related marque - was powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cam V6 driving through an in-unit five-speed transaxle. The motor's 180bhp was good enough to propel the lightweight, aerodynamically-efficient Dino to 142mph, and while there were few complaints about the car's performance, the high cost enforced by its aluminium construction hindered sales. A 2.4-litre version on a longer wheelbase - the 246GT - replaced the Dino 206 in late 1969. The body was now steel and the cylinder block cast-iron rather than aluminium, but the bigger engine's increased power - 195bhp at 7,600rpm - was adequate compensation for the weight gain. A Targa-top version, the 246GTS, followed in 1972. While not quite as fast in a straight line as its larger V12-engined stablemates, the nimble Dino was capable of showing almost anything a clean pair of heels over twisty going. Testing the ultimate V6-engined Dino – the 246GT – in 1972, the authoritative American motoring magazine Road & Track declared, 'it is a thrill to drive a car like the Dino, one whose capabilities are far beyond what even an expert driver can use in most real-world motoring, and that is the Dino's reason for being. The real joy of a good mid-engined car is in its handling and braking and the Dino shone as we expected it to. The steering is quick without being super quick, and it transmits by what seems a carefully planned amount of feedback exactly what is going on at the tyres. Thanks to the layout's low polar moment of inertia the car responds instantly to it. The Dino's cornering limits are very high... ' Truly a driver's car par excellence. As the first series-produced, mid-engined Ferraris, the early Dino V6s are landmark cars. The line they founded would prove to be an immense commercial success for Maranello, production amounting to 2,487 GT coupés and 1,274 GTS spyders by the time the model was deleted in 1974. Dating from the first year of production, the 246GTS we offer was delivered new in Italy in 1972 in Azzuro Dino 20-A-349 (mid-blue) and, interestingly, the original owner insisted on supply his own material for the interior – the colour and type of material is not noted! By 1977 was with Werner Schoch Porsche Sales of Downey, California. Later that year it was acquired by Sam Applebaum of Long Beach, CA, who kept the car for six years before selling it to Victor Brenes of Redondo Beach in 1983. Brenes was a long term owner of '04180', keeping the car until 2011. The car therefore remained in southern California from 1977 until 2011 and since 1983 was serviced regularly by Tanner Enterprises, Le Garage and Island Pacific. All bills for the period 1983 to 2011 are on file. In 2011 the Ferrari was imported into Denmark and passed to the current owner, who describes it as in generally good condition, with 'fair' bodywork and paint. The only notified deviation from factory specification concerns the frontal bodywork, which has been modified to blend in the indicator lights. The car is offered with old US Certificate of Title and comes with EU import duties paid. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
"The only notified deviation from factory specification concerns the frontal bodywork . . . ." Hmm, what about the radio box/center console . . . .
It is clear as mud to me - they aren't notifying you about the other changes (tongue firmly in cheek). Thank goodness you didn't notice the steering wheel or the topic would be tangential. I enjoy the way they have deleted the unnecessary, extra lines that PininFarina put on the front of the car. Kinda like Marilyn Manson's makeup ...
I don't know who said it but given the present market the junk is coming out. I recently looked at a decent 71 gt euro spec car that had been 'restored' with added Daytona seats and the dash covered in leather instead of mousefur, along with the script on the trunk lid and cavallino on the back. The seller was offended when I pointed out these items and attempted to discuss a minor price reduction in order to correct these items. He is asking $195k. Sigh
