Ferrari Dino 206 and 246 GT

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Ferrari

Ferrari Dino 206 / 246 GT

1967 - 1974
Country:
Italy
Engine:
V6 DOHC
Capacity:
1987 / 2418 cc
Power:
180 / 195 bhp
Transmission:
5spd. man
Top Speed:
140 / 148 mph
Number Built:
2487+
Collectability:
4 star
Ferrari Dino 206GT
Ferrari Dino 206 / 246 GT
Reviewed by Unique Cars and Parts
Our Rating: 4

Introduction



There is a story behind the name "Dino" and the V6 engine. Alfredino Ferrari, the only son of Enzo Ferrari, suggested his father to develop a V6 racing engine for F2 in the early 60s.

Although always in favour of V12 engines, Enzo approved his beloved son's project and employed a man called Jano to design this engine.

The result was a very compact, 1600c.c., quad-cam V6 which won several F2 championship titles and proved the vision of Alfredino was correct. Before he could see the new motor, however, Alredino had died of kidney disease.

Although it took several years for Enzo to fully recover from the death of his son, when he put his mind back into building motor cars he decided that, in memory of his son, he would put the V6 into a mid-engined lightweight sports car and call it "Dino", the shortened version of his son's name.

Of course, the original racing V6 would never have been appropriate for road use. Therefore, Lampredi (another famous engineer who also designed a series of V12's for Ferrari) modified the engine to 2.0 litres, with an amazing 180 hp on tap.

Designated "206GT", in which 20 means 2.0 litres and 6 means six cylinders, the engine was actually built by Fiat and shared with Fiat Dino (also called Dino because of the engine), not because it would be cheaper, but because Ferrari needed the additional volume to qualify for FIA's production requirement for racing engines.

The 206GT had a magnificent chassis, with engaging feel, adjustability and beautiful balance. It was generally regarded as the best Ferrari chassis until the arrival of F355. Why could it be so good? Firstly, its nimble size and relatively light weight helped improving handling, just like other small cars. Secondly, its mid-engined layout accompanied with the compact and transversely mounted engine perfected the weight distribution. Thirdly, it adopted independent double-wishbones suspension to all four wheels (a first for Ferrari).

The 206GT was replaced by 246GT in 1969 after 2 years of service. As suggested by its name, the newer car had a larger 2.4-litre engine. Power rose to 195 hp while torque increased even more. Having a stronger engine, Ferrari abandoned the aluminium body panels in favour of a conventional steel body, thus lowering the production cost and providing better build quality.

The 246GT broke the production record in Maranello. Nearly 2,500 cars were made between 1969 and 74, which was by far more than any previous models. Since then, Ferrari started its mainstream model line-up, including the 308, 328, 348, F355 and 360M.

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Also see:


Ferrari History
Ferrari Brochures
Enzo Ferrari
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