Ferrari Dino
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Dino was a brand for mid-engined, rear-drive sports cars produced by Ferrari from 1968 to 1976. The Dino name was retired after that point, in favour of conventional Ferrari branding. The Dino brand was an attempt by Ferrari to produce a relatively low cost sports car by using components from other vehicles.
The Dino 246 was the first Ferrari model produced in high numbers. It is lauded by many for its intrinsic driving qualities and, for the time, its groundbreaking design. In 2004, Sports Car International placed the car at number six on its list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s. Motor Trend Classic placed the 206/246 at number seven in their list of the 10 "Greatest Ferraris of all time".
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[edit] History
The name "Dino" honors the founder's late son, Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari, who was credited with the design of the V6 engine. Along with famed engineer, Vittorio Jano, Dino influenced Enzo Ferrari's decision to produce a line of racing cars in the 1950s, with V6 and V8 engine designs.
In 1956, after Dino's death, Ferrari wished to race in the 1.6 L class of the Formula 2 racing series with Dino's V6. However, the company could not meet the homologation rules which called for 500 production vehicles using the engine. Enzo Ferrari asked Fiat to co-produce a sports car using the engine, and the front-engined, rear-drive Fiat Dino was born. It used a 2.0 L (1987 cc) version of the Dino V6, allowing Ferrari to enter the series.
At the time, the thought of using a mid-engine layout in a production car was quite daring, although the design was common in the world of sports car racing. A mid-engined layout placed more of the car's weight over the driven wheels, and allowed for a streamlined nose, but led to a cramped passenger compartment and more challenging handling. Lamborghini created a stir in 1966 with its mid-engined Miura, but Enzo Ferrari felt that a mid-engine Ferrari would be unsafe in the hands of his customers. Eventually he relented, and allowed designer Sergio Pininfarina to build a mid-engined concept for the 1965 Paris Motor Show, but demanded that it wear the Dino badge alone. Response to the radically-styled car was positive, so Ferrari allowed it to go into production, rationalizing that the low-power V6 engine would keep his customers out of trouble.
[edit] Dino 206 GT
The production Dino 206 GT had the soft edges and curving lines typical of earlier Italian cars, unlike its successor, the Bertone designed 308 GT4, which has the straighter lines and crisp edges seen most boldly in Bertone's later Fiat X1/9.
The 206 GT used a transverse-mounted 2.0 L all-aluminum V6 engine, with a light-weight aluminium body, an 8000 rpm redline, full independent suspension, and all round disc brakes. 150 were built in total during 1968 and 1969.
[edit] Dino 246 GT & GTS
Calls for more power were answered with the 2.4 L (2418 cc) Dino 246. It used an iron block with alloy head version of the engine with 195 bhp (at 7,600 rpm), and was available as a fixed-top GT coupe or, after 1971, an open spyder GTS. The body was now made of steel to save cost, much of which was of a low quality.
Production numbered 2487 GTs and 1274 Spyders, the latter being built from 1972 to 1974 only, for a total production run of 3761.
The Dino's 2.4L V6 found its way into a number of other Italian performance cars after its application in the 246, most notably the Lancia Stratos rally car.
[edit] 1972
[edit] 1974
[edit] Dino 308 GT4
The angular or "wedge-shaped" Bertone-styled 2+2 308 GT4 also wore the Dino badge. This model is covered in more detail on the Ferrari GT4 page.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Buckley, Martin & Rees, Chris (1998). World Encyclopedia of Cars. London: Anness Publishing. ISBN 1-84038-083-7.
- The Ferrari Pages. Cars From Italy. Retrieved on November 16, 2004.
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