Fantasy Junction

Description

1972 Ferrari 246 GT Dino
s/n 03058
Rosso Dino (Orange) with Black Leather Interior

Named for Enzo Ferrari's son, Alfredino, who died in 1956 at the age of 24 as the result of muscular dystrophy, the Dino was, fittingly, a 'baby' Ferrari that was dimensionally smaller and more nimble than any other street Ferrari. Its mid-placed engine was a Ferrari first for a street car, and the engine itself is a gem: a lovely quad cam V6 that reflected the lessons learned from producing V6s for Dino race cars like the 206 SP. The styling for the car was done by Pininfarina, and remains to many one of the most beautiful and exotic Ferraris of the period. Certainly the view from the driver's seat over the two prominently curved fenders is one of the most evocative roadgoing driver's seat views.

This particular car has exceptional integrity and is an exceedingly fine-driving example. It is a US-delivery example manufactured in December of 1971. It was supplied new by Bill Harrah’s Modern Classic Motors on the 28th of January 1972 to John Ebell of Woodland, California, who registered it on plates 803 FCB. He kept the car until 1984, selling it to a John Fitzpatrick of Sacramento, California, who kept it from 1984 to 1989. The car showed 14,000 miles in 1989. Carey Kendall of Santa Barbara owned the car from 1989 to 1995. The car’s current owner purchased it in March of 1995 in Southern California, showing 18,500 miles, and imported it to Japan in May. It received its first registration in June and he added a further 9,000 miles to the odometer over the next twenty years, maintaining it consistently but never performing any major restorative work. The car was re-imported to California in 2014.

The car makes a strong cosmetic impression. The body is extremely straight, with excellent gaps. All panels fit and operate very well, and the paintwork appears to be original, with impressive gloss but mild checking in many places. The car was checked with a paint thickness gauge and compared to another US delivery Dino GT in the same color with known original paint, built ten cars away from this one, and the readings are similar, being generally in the neighborhood of 10 mils, with some areas as thick as 15-17 mils. Both cars have thicker readings in the same locations such as the cowl and rear fender tops. Compared to a variety of restored cars, which generally produce readings in the 30 to 40 mils range, the paint of this car is much thinner, supporting the impression of the originality of this car’s paint. Close inspection reveals no overspray, tape lines, or other evidence of paintwork.

The chrome and trim are generally excellent, with minor aging, other than the reflector surrounds, which show some deterioration to the finish. The lights and lenses are excellent, as is the glass. All glass appears to be original, still with Sicursiv etching, and in fine shape as well. The Cromadora wheels are in very nice shape and wear Michelin XWX tires. One Dino wheel cap is missing.

The interior is in excellent shape, with exceptionally nice black upholstery, which is reported to be original on the seats. If this is indeed the case, the seats are fantastically preserved. The door panels, sills, and center console are excellent as well, as are the carpets, which are high quality wool and were almost certainly renewed at some point, although not recently. The dashboard is very good with some fading that typically affects these cars, but no other shortcomings to report. The switches, instruments, and controls are in excellent shape and are correct for the car. The steering wheel is in similarly nice condition.




The engine compartment is clean unrestored condition, being generally correct in its presentation. It is tidy rather than pristine, and shows signs of proper maintenance. It is correctly presented although an electric fuel pump has been added. The trunk is in very nice original condition, with nice original carpets and plastic liner which is in excellent shape. The front compartment is in very nice condition as well. There is a small crack in the plastic liner but it is otherwise excellent. The spare is in place and has the correct hold down. The original air direction foam above the radiator is still in place as well.

This car is a superb driving example with the inimitable feel of a low mileage car that has never been disassembled. Every aspect of the car’s operation has a wonderfully coherent broken-in but not worn-out feel, from the well-tuned engine to the gearbox, which has exceptionally good synchromesh. The clutch works well, and the chassis and suspension have confidence-inspiring feel that makes the car a pleasure to drive.

This is an outstanding opportunity to acquire a wonderfully preserved low-mileage Dino. A structurally exemplary car, this car has a wonderful honesty and coherence to it that makes it stand out from the typical restored example. It runs and drives superbly and is complete with tools, jack bag, and jack.

The above vehicle information is complete and accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time it is posted to this website. Corrections or additional information is always appreciated. All advertised prices exclude government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document preparation charge, and any emission testing charge. Vehicles are subject to prior sale. All advertised to be true but not guaranteed. We assume no liability for errors or omissions.

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Fantasy Junction  •  510-653-7555  •  1145 Park Ave, Emeryville, CA 94608