They are Borranis but I have no idea if they were a factory option on this particular car. I bought it from Ron Tonkin GT after the owner apparently ran out of money during the restoration (which is cosmetically superb BTW) and Tonkin sold the car at auction. I kinda like them. They are difficult to balance exactly right but I think they look cool, and I honestly don't care what anyone else thinks.
In my opinion they look fine (they're just wheels after all). My customer really prefers the look and I appreciate that you provided the additional photos.
I like them too. They may well be original on your car. I wish I could find a set for my car but they are soooooooooooo expensive.
I saw wires on a 308 about two years ago, I didn't like it all. I'm just into modern wheels, I just like em better. I do like an early Ford GT40 with wires and earlier Ferraris.
original is best....but I am a big admirer of the 308 'daytona' style wheels on dino's...kind of like cromodora 'daytona's' on an Alfa spider - a GREAT look! not to stray from the topic of wires...
I like your car especially in yellow, I always like the Dino, just not a big fan of wires in general. You dare to be different and that's cool. Dinos remind me of a P3/4 prototype that's why I like the later wheels on them! When I put my new wheels on my 308 I'll get a lot of negative replies, I expect it, but then it doesn't look like everybody elses and that's what I'm after. If everybody liked the same thing it would be a every boring world indeed!
Look earlier on in the thread. Perhaps dealer installed but nonetheless were on the car at purchase. There was an early 308 that was roadtested in a magazine that had wire wheels if I recall...
+1 This issue has been pounded to death earlier, but why not a few more blows? I have searched for evidence that wire wheels were a factory option, but to no avail. I have searched dinoregister.com and found listings for only 15 246 (emphasis) Dinos with wire wheels, but none of them claim that they were factory wire wheels. They include some rather odd color combinations. I have listed the serial #s, owners/sellers and area where located at the time that the wire wheels were reported, and other interesting "facts." 1. #01910 GT "Repainted black," all Gold brightwork, wire wheels + standard Cromodoras - Duke Woosley, Ontario, CA 2. #02954 GT Black, wire wheels - Don Racine, San Jose, CA 3. #03692 GT "Red in 1984," wire wheels, custom alloys - Joseph Bonanno, Jr., Campbell, CA 4. #03762 GTS "Metallic Candy Apple," wire wheels (but photo provided shows standard Cromodoras), "Moonroof in GTS top" - Kurt Osborn, Sierra Madre, CA 5. #03886 GTS White w/ black leather, Borrani wire wheels - FAF Motorcars, Tucker, GA 6. #04646 GT "Rose, then red," black leather, Zenith knock-off wire wheels + standard Cromodoras - Sam M. Salemme, La Jolla, CA 7. #05480 GTS Fly yellow, black "Daytona" interior, "fitted with Borrani wire wheels," USA, LHD version - Italian Motors Ltd., Kowloon, HK 8. #05694 GTS Red, wire wheels - Amjadi Kamran, Millbrae, CA 9. #05710 GTS Black/black, "wire wheels fitted" + standard Cromodoras - unknown owner in 1982, Trabuco Oaks, CA and then later listed with Burtoni's Milano Imports, Gilroy, CA 10. #05836 GTS Maroon, wire wheels, "see 05846" (as stated in dinoregister.com) - William Beach, Springfield, OH 11. #05846 GTS Gold/tan, GTS top painted gold in photo, wire wheels - but included photo shows Campys - William R. Beach, Cincinnati, OH 12. #06282 GTS Black, flares (but no Daytona seats listed), "wire wheels fitted" - Jim Kirken, Michigan 13. #07738 GTS Brown/tan, wire wheels - Matthew Kaplan, Beverly Hills, CA 14. #07798 GTS Nocciola Metallic w/ black leather, wire wheels + standard Cromodoras - Miller Motorcars, Greenwich, CT 15. #08032 GTS "Candy Apple Red, Saddle leather," wire wheels - Daniel Chevrolet, "Los Angeles area, CA" This took much longer than I expected and I ran out of time to track the last entries on the Dino Register for these "wired" Dinos, but I am curious as to where these cars are now. Mark
The knock offs on 410SA's car look like a Ferrari part. There are so many others with the same knock offs.... Maybe there was an aftermarket manufacturer at that time but I am doubtful that everyone went to the same third-party manufacturer for these knock offs - those seem to be the official stuff. Again, there are many cars of the period with them. I am assuming that one would have had to have gotten them from the dealer or Ferrari directly so that seems pretty close to being "original."
Arguably, they MAY BE a Ferrari part, but they aren't specific to a 246 - otherwise they would have had a Dino emblem, and they would have been specifically listed on a build sheet or other order invoice, like Campy wheels (which don't have a Dino emblem on them, but were clearly documented when ordered) are when a dealer ordered chairs and flares. In 410SA's case, he specifically said his car came with a set of Campy wheels. Those would have been the factory option, the wire wheels would have been aftermarket or sourced separately from Ferrari. The issue of whether wire wheels were a factory option is completely separate from the question of whether wire wheels look good (or not) on a Dino. I don't care whether 410SA runs them or not. If he likes them on his car, that's great. Further, there really aren't so many Dinos with wire wheels - I could only find 15 on the Dino Register, and the specific brands are not always listed - the most common brand mentioned was Borrani, but some are Zenith and some others might be Dayton Wire Wheels, or anything else for that matter. Finally, there is no telling when the Dinos first got wire wheels - the limited evidence that I have been able to find doesn't establish specifically when ANY of the wire wheels were purchased. Mark
Thanks, knowing that there are 15 other Dinos out there with a set of wires on them will be good news for my customer.
Not necessarily. In fact, you are most likely incorrect on this point. Has anyone ever seen wire wheels on a Dino from this era with Dino script on a yellow background on the knockoff? Some earlier Dinos with wire wheels have the Dino script etched into the knockoff....but at some point (circa mid 1970's), it appears that Ferrari started using a knockoff with the yellow Ferrari cavalino rampante logo on them.... This seems to be what was on hand back then... Would it surprise me if they did not have similar knockoffs with the Dino logo on them? Not at all. As a matter of fact, I highly doubt that they did or we probably would have seen at least one example along with the tons of these knockoffs with the horse on them. As such, if in 1974 you went into a Ferrari dealership and wanted a 246 Dino with wire wheels, I suspect they would have said "sure" and what you probably would have received is a car that looks exactly like 410SA's car. Look at Elvis' car. People that really know Ferraris know that there is no rule of thumb with Ferraris - especially back then. The fact that the cavalino rampante emblem is on 410SA's knock offs indicates nothing to me as to whether they were placed on the car new or not. Are 410SA's wheels "original"? They seem to be even if they weren't original to the car. Maybe the guy who ordered 410SA's car wanted a chairs and flairs car but with wires..... They could have just put the wires on and gave him the campys. In fact, that is probably exactly what happened in those situations. The customer would have paid for both after all, right? In 1980, my 308 came with 14" wheels. 16" wheels were an option even back then. I bought a pair of 16" wheels for my car and I am putting them on. Are they original to the car? No. Are they original? Yes - they were available as an option.... 410SA's car seems quite "original". In fact, I would not be surprised if the wires on the car have been with the car the whole time. Those knock offs haven't been available since that era.
The wheels on my Dino are Borranis but I am almost certain they were not delivered with the car when it was new. The research I have seems to indicate they were ordered as "dealer installed" options when the car was delivered to the first owner, but did not come from Ferrari that way. They appear to have the identical knock-off nuts as my 1971 Daytona Spyder and the wheels themselves look similar but are smaller than the Daytona wheels.
Regardless of whether wire wheels look "bad a$$" or not, there is absolutely no evidence that wire wheels were a factory option for the 246 Dino. Your examples of 308 options are pretty much irrelevant to 246 Dinos. Even 410SA says he is "almost certain they were not delivered with the car when it was new," and "[they] did not come from Ferrari that way." Now to consider a "dealer installed option" to be a "factory option" is ludicrous. My point was that no matter what, those wheels, while perhaps fitting a 246 Dino, were never intended by Ferrari as an option for the 246. Maybe they were intended for 308s at one time, but they are not listed in any catalog or official dealer information data that I have seen for a 246.
Got any evidence of an early 246 Dino with wire wheels and Dino script etched into the knockoff (other than non-factory wheels using early 246 knockoffs? Photos and serial #s?
First of all, set down the Kool Aid. 410SA said they were "dealer installed" for delivery to the first owner. A chimpanzee of average intelligence learning this could then deduce that the car was purchased this way. Secondly, the dealer IS Ferrari. If these wire wheels were never intended by Ferrari to be an option for a 246, Ferrari probably would have instructed the dealers not to install them. They probably would not have supplied them ya think? 410SA also indicates that they are smaller than the wires on his Daytona so for what other car in the Ferrari line-up at the time would these wheels be intended? Anyway, to consider a "dealer installed option" to be so very different from a "factory option" is what is ludicrous (see sentence #4 again). Some earlier cars came with wires with Dino etched into the knock offs....those knock offs were manufactured at the factory or at least at the request of the factory unless you propose that several owners pulled out chisels and etched "DINO" into their knock offs themselves. Maybe you do. Okay, so since such knock offs even exist and were obviously manufactured for use on these cars by Ferrari is quite indicative that the "factory" intended some Dinos to have wires unless you think that owners installed wires and engraved their own knock offs themselves. Highly unlikely. Also, my example of 308 options are quite relevant. 410SA's car would be original because the wheels on his car were optional through the dealer just like 16" wheels were optional through the dealer for a 308. Even if they were not original to the specific car, they are still original to the model. It is a pretty cogent analogy but I can try to rephrase it if you are still having trouble understanding the concept. Last but not least, the wires on 410SA's car do indeed look bad a$$!
Serial numbers? Ha! Look, this is clearly established so look yourself. The fact that you are requesting such evidence indicates that you are something less than an expert on the subject but that has also been clearly established. Try post #34. Maybe that will sink in.
Let me add one other point that a novice may not notice about the car in post #34: those knock offs that you see on that car ARE NOT 206 knock offs nor are they 246 "L" knock offs. The spokes are straight which is the same but the center where "Dino" is engraved is smaller than they would have been on either a 206 or 246 L. I have every reason to believe that the wires and knock offs on that car are 100% original just as the owner claims. Thanks for coming out.
