Dino 206 GT (1969)

By the time of the 1967 Turin motorshow, the 206 Dino show was very nearly in production form. The Pininfarina lines, developed from two years of design evolution since the original prototype had arguably finessed the lines of the concepts shown before its arrival. The curves remained, as did the buttresses and details like the curved rear screen and air intakes in the doors, but the proportions had been balanced to form the shape now instantly recognisable as that of the Dino. From the very beginning, the prototypes had been shown in orange.

Once more chasing motorsport successes, the Dino was born to conform to the new rules for F2. A production power plant of which no fewer than 500 must be made. A deal was stuck with Fiat who would produce the units and additionally fit them to a new high end sports car of their own, the Fiat Dino.

Over an eight year period, a total of 4,067 Ferrari Dino six-cylinder cars were produced. The cars were assembled at the Ferrari factory where the painted bodies from Scaglietti were merged with the steel chassis tubes. The earliest 206s remain the most sought after Dinos. Over the course of the production run, the 206 evolved into the 246, subtly growing and receiving a larger, torquier, 2.4 litre power plant. Whilst the shape remained the same, the cars shared no body panels. The 206 is a shorter wheelbase and lower too.

The 206 differed from the later cars in a number of ways and their value comes not just from their rarity, but additionally, their significance - the 206 was the first mid-engined Ferrari to be road legal. Just 152 examples of the 206 were built originally and the number remaining is far less. True to its motorsport ethos, the 206 benefitted from both an aluminium body and steel 2.0-litre engine, replaced by a cast-iron block and steel body on the later 246s. Further details included wheels spinners and an outside oil filler.