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Legendary Sports Cars
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1973 FERRARI DINO 246 GTS |
High Bid for $425,000 on August 16, 2014
Correct factory Fly Yellow paint
Correct factory Daytona Beige and Black 'chairs' interior Factory optioned air conditioning Removable hardtop Original factory matching numbers 2.4L six cylinder engine Factory 5-speed manual transmission Original factory wheels and tires 1 of 1,274 GTS Dinos built between 1972 and 1974 Original factory manuals |
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All great cars have love in them – you
can’t create something great without passion. But few cars have ever had
the love that Enzo Ferrari poured into the Dino Ferraris. Enzo was not known as
a warm man, but the love he had for his son Alfredino was instantly
obvious. Cursed with a wasting disease, probably muscular dystrophy, that
would take his life in 1956 at 24 years of age, young Dino had a brilliant
engineering mind and passion for Ferrari automobiles that exceeded even
his father’s. He had everything he needed to be Enzo’s natural successor,
except his health. Dino’s death would
haunt Enzo to the end of his days, and to commemorate a life cut short, he
named a V-6 Formula 2 engine then in development after him, and continued
the tradition thereafter, calling all V-6 and V-8 engines Dinos. Naturally, then, a late-'60s line of transverse-engine V-6 sports cars inherited the Dino name, and their immense success meant there were the resources and incentive to develop new models rapidly. In fact, the 2.4-liter Dino 246 GT debuted just six months after the first sales of the Dino 206. The new car strongly resembled the 206, although fitting the new engine required lengthening the chassis, and extending the body by 3.3 inches. That would generally not be noticeable, but a 206 was less than 93 inches long and if anything, the additional length made the Dino even more attractive. Derived from a late-'50s racing engine design by Vittorio Jano, the 2,419.2cc V-6 was every cubic inch an exotic Ferrari engine. It’s a profoundly oversquare dry-sump design with dual overhead cams, four main bearings and triple Weber 40 carburetors. As both the specifications and Ferrari lineage suggest, it’s a screamer, making its 195 HP at 7,500 RPM, with a glorious noise from the quad tailpipes that is unique, unforgettable and thoroughly Ferrari. Backing up the engine is the five-speed transaxle from the 206, with a single dry disc clutch. Suspension is all-independent with double wishbones front and rear, four-wheel disc brakes and rack and pinion steering. In short, in a car from 40 years ago, everything you could ask of a sports car today, although it’s hard to imagine any modern car weighing only 2,381 pounds. If the 206 GT and 246 GT are difficult to tell apart at a glance, that’s not the case with the GTS. Built solely for America from 1972-1974, the GTS replaced the GT’s small rear sail panel windows with triple louvres, and of course, the top comes off. Great care is evident in this car’s history, as it has retained not only its original Cromodora alloy wheels, but the numbers-matching engine and factory 5-speed transmission, as well. The Giallo Fly Yellow exterior is correct; as are the optional Daytona leather “chairs,” and air conditioning, power windows and even original factory manuals. |
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