Fantasy Junction

Description

1973 Ferrari 246 GTS Dino
s/n 03794
Yellow 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 is a well-restored US-market example that runs and drives extremely well. It has a file of invoices about 10 years, and has been well-maintained, including new clutch, and recently rebuilt engine and transmission, both of which were done in 2009, less than 3000 miles ago. This work was performed by Johannes Huwyler of Dino Motors. Various other items have also been addressed, including new tires, upper ball joints, and rebuilt front brake calipers. The car has known history back to 1998, and has been with collector owners since, who have restored the car to its current excellent condition.

The paint and bodywork were done to high standards, with well done paintwork over straight panels. The opening panels fit well, other than one corner of the trunk lid sits high. The paintwork is almost unmarked and still appears very fresh, despite having been done in 1999. A small area on the right front fender has been touched up and shows a bit of orange peel that is not present on the rest of the car. The glass is in very good shape, with minimal wear to the windscreen and a few scratches on the driver’s side window. The lamps are excellent throughout, and the car has had the side marker lamps removed and flush-fitting front turn signals fitted, as well as European turn signal lenses and Cibié headlamps. The chrome is excellent on the bumpers and very good on the balance of the chrome pieces.

The interior is in excellent shape and is correctly presented. The dashboard is upholstered with difficult to find and correct “mouse fur” material. The instruments are correct, properly functioning, and excellent throughout, and the clock works. The upholstery on the seats, door panels, sills, and center console is excellent, as are the carpets. The steering wheel is in excellent condition, and the radio is a Blaupunkt cassette player that works. The air conditioning blows, but not cold, and both vent window latches are in place, although one of them is a replacement unit. The correct stowage bag for the top is in place behind the seats.

The engine compartment is clean and correctly presented, but not over-restored. Its appearance is in keeping with how these cars were originally delivered. The trunk is similar in appearance, with excellent carpets of the correct type. The front compartment is very nicely detailed, with excellent plastic liner panel, correct windscreen washer fluid bag, beautifully restored spare, and tidy and correct fuse block with correct fuse label decals.

The car drives extremely well, with a strong motor that is well-tuned and feels unusually powerful for a 2.4 liter Dino. It sounds great. The transaxle is excellent, with good synchromesh. The brakes work properly and the chassis and suspension have a sorted and coherent feel that makes the car a pleasure to drive.

This is an exceptional opportunity to acquire a wonderfully sorted and complete Dino. As a US car, this is a very nice example structurally, but has been cosmetically converted to the prettier European specification. The car displays generally high attention to detail, and while not quite to show standards, it is an extremely nice driver that runs and drives great, with an enjoyable and sorted feel. The car is complete with service records, photo documentation of the bare metal respray, original book pouch with parts book and USA 246 supplement, and tool roll with tools, which is like new.

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