1972 Ferrari Dino 246GT

Description

1972 Ferrari Dino 246GT in Hamilton, QLD. Details Ferrari’s iconic Dino was first shown to the world as a prototype at the 1965 Paris Motor Show. The car morphed into the 206GT of which only 150 cars were built from 1967 to 1969. This car was built with an all alloy body and had a 1987cc V6 engine. In 1969 the 246GT was released, which whilst a similar looking car in many ways was actually quite different. The car sat 3” taller than its predecessor and the body was now built from steel. Mechanically the ‘new car’ was powered by a 2418cc V6 engine. Enzo was keen to tackle Porsche head on and to do this he needed to increase production. The Dino was a hit and circa 4,000 of these cars (both the 246GT and 246 GTS) were built from 1969 to 1974. Concerned at how the world would accept his lower priced, ‘affordable’ 6 cylinder sports car and concerned that a ‘cheaper car’ may diminish the Ferrari brand, Enzo Ferrari decided the car would not carry the badge of the prancing horse. Rather it would simply be known as a ’Dino’ to also commemorate the life of his son who designed the 6 cylinder engine. Today the world knows the Dino as a Ferrari, and a real one at that! These beautiful little cars are adored by car people across the world and good examples are most sought after. Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a ‘very special’ Ferrari Dino 246GT. This UK delivered, factory right hand drive example is confirmed as having its chassis, engine and body numbers as all matching. This Dino was supplied by the Ferrari factory in October 1972 and it was originally finished in ‘giallo fly’ (20-Y-191) with a ‘nero’ VM8500 interior and black carpets. The car was originally registered in the UK as GPM2L. It has its original books, including the original warranty card, which notes the first owner as Captain Ware from East Grinstead, Sussex 5, Parkside in the UK. Captain Ware was a British Airways pilot and he used the car to commute between his home in Essex and Heathrow Airport. The documentation on file confirms that Captain Ware collected his new Dino from the Ferrari factory in November 1972. He owned the car for just over a year and it was then sold to a lawyer based in Northampton in the UK by the name of David Adams. Unfortunately, Adams couldn’t afford the car and he sold it within a month to its next owner in February 1974 who kept the car for the next 46 years! The new owner was an Australian living in London at the time and he had the car looked after by Maranello Concessionaires until he came back to Australia in late 1976. He brought the car with him. The car had a body restoration in the late 1970’s / early 1980’s to ensure there was no salt residue anywhere in the body from its time in the UK. Apart from the body restoration the car is very original with a genuine 32,000 miles on the odometer. The interior is incredibly original and in very good condition. The long term owner of this Dino was a very private person, hence, it is a car not generally known in the Ferrari club or classic car community. This car is an absolute ‘jewel’. You can always tell a lot about a car from its owner. Its long term owner was fastidious to say the least. He would never drive the car in the rain, never wash it with water and the car had a fuel pump over ride switch fitted to turn off the fuel so the carburettors can be run dry before the engine is turned off. He would always allow the car to warm up before it was driven and never used second gear until the gearbox oil had warmed up. Today this car presents and drives superbly. The Ferrari Dino 246 is a car that can wear just about any colour, however, yellow in our opinion is absolutely STUNNING. The paintwork on this car is exceptional for its age, though there are some minor blemishes evident. It is vibrant with a strong depth of colour and quite incredible for a forty year old paint job! The car was repainted by Tom Armstrong of Tingalpa Motor Body Works here in Brisbane who was recognised as the ‘go to’ body shop guy back in the day. He stripped the entire body down and refinished it using the highest quality paint from Glasurit (Germany). All of the exterior trim, badges, chrome and glass are also in good condition, though the front windscreen is not original and it is starting to laminate on both sides. The wheels have just been refurbished and now present ‘as new’. A set of five brand new Michelin XWX tyres have just been fitted to the car. Inside the cockpit of this Dino is just ‘a nice place to be’. Everything looks to be original, including the dash which is in good condition for a near fifty year old car. There is a just the right amount of patina which is a testament to how well this car has been looked after. A few seams on the seats are starting to split, but this is not obvious to the naked eye. The carpets have the odd light stain and the foam in the sun visors is disintegrating. All of the instruments and controls are in excellent condition and everything looks to be in working order with the exception of the clock and the radio. Under the front of the car, the spare wheel area is always a good indicator of how well a Dino has been kept. They are often quite ‘untidy’ here and on this car everything is in very good condition. Once you’re behind the wheel you quickly feel right at home in a Dino. For an Italian sports car they are comfortable, ergonomically ‘pretty good’ and the visibility is excellent. After priming the Weber carburettors and three pumps on the accelerator this car starts first time at the turn of the key. It immediately settles into smooth idle whilst it warms up. Then after a few minutes you are on your way. It is immediately evident that the engine is ‘on song’ and the car pulls strongly through the rev range. The car performs as one would expect. This Dino is tight on the road with no rattles or squeaks, it handles beautifully and the brakes pull the car up precisely. It drives impeccably for such an original car. The car’s long term owner made a few subtle improvements to the car during his ownership, including: the original mild steel cooling system pipes that ran from the front to the back of the car were replaced with stainless steel pipes, the hard plastic block holding the three levers behind the driver’s seat has been replaced with a black painted solid aluminium piece in exactly original shape and the under body fibreglass panel, originally very flimsy, has been replaced with a duralumin sheet of about an eighth of an inch thickness. The car has just had a major service by Brisbane based classic Ferrari specialists Enzotech and it is now ready for its next owner to use and enjoy. This Dino has its original book set, including the often missing warranty card and original Dino leather pouch, tool kit and jack – all in excellent condition. Oldtimer Australia has had the privilege to sell a number of Ferrari Dinos over the years and this one is perhaps the best. Its history, provenance, originality and overall condition make it something special. Highlights: • a UK delivered factory right hand drive example that has been in Australia most of its life. • the car comes from 46 years of single ownership! • confirmed as fully ‘matching numbers’. • finished in its original colour of ‘giallo fly’. • it has had an older body restoration and the paintwork remains in excellent condition. • the interior is original and in excellent condition all round. • the car has only travelled circa 32,000 miles from new. • it has books including the original warranty card in the Dino leather pouch, tools and jack. Price: $649,950. Specification

Specifications