Beschreibung
Bonhams are delighted to offer at our forthcoming Collectors' Motor Car Auction on Sunday 10th September at The Chantilly Sale, Château de Chantilly, France, 34 collectors motor cars. The full online catalogue can be viewed at - details above for further images and information on this lot, please follow the link.
Ex René Arnoux
1971 Ferrari Dino 246 GT Berlinetta
Coachwork by Pininfarina
Chassis no. 1862
•Delivered new to Formula 1 driver René Arnoux
•Known ownership history
•Only 12, 600 kilometres since older restoration
'It is a thrill to drive a car like the Dino, one whose capabilities are far beyond what even an expert driver can use in most real-world motoring, and that is the Dino's reason for being. The real joy of a good mid-engined car is in its handling and braking and the Dino shone as we expected it to. The steering is quick without being super quick, and it transmits by what seems a carefully planned amount of feedback exactly what is going on at the tyres. Thanks to the layout's low polar moment of inertia the car responds instantly to it. The Dino's cornering limits are very high... ' – Road & Track.
It was the need for a production-based engine for the new Formula 2 that had prompted the introduction of a 'junior' Ferrari, the Dino 206 GT, at the Turin Motor Show in 1967. The latest in a line of Dino V6 'quad-cam' engines stretching back to the late 1950s, the new unit proved as successful on the racetrack as in the showroom, Derek Bell and Ernesto Brambilla both winning races in the European Championship, while Andrea de Adamich triumphed in the 1968 Argentine Temporada series.
Building on experienced gained with its successful limited edition Dino 206S sports-racer of 1966, Ferrari retained the racer's mid-engined layout for the road car but installed the power unit transversely rather than longitudinally. A compact, aluminium-bodied coupé of striking appearance, the Pininfarina-styled Dino - named after Enzo Ferrari's late son Alfredino Ferrari and intended as the first of a separate but related marque - was powered by a 2. 0-litre, four-cam V6 driving via an in-unit five-speed transaxle. The motor's 180 brake horsepower was good enough to propel the lightweight, aerodynamically-efficient Dino to 142mph, and while there were few complaints about the car's performance, the high cost enforced by its aluminium construction hindered sales.
A 2. 4-litre version on a longer wheelbase - the 246 GT - replaced the original Dino 206 in late 1969. Built by Scaglietti, the body was now steel, and the cylinder block cast-iron rather than aluminium, but the bigger engine's increased power - 195bhp at 7, 600rpm - adequately compensated for the weight gain. A Targa-top version, the 246 GTS, followed in 1972. The Dino 246 was built in three series: 'L', 'M', and 'E', these designations reflecting detail changes in the specification.
Chassis number '1862' was delivered new in 1971 to René Arnoux, the French racing driver, who at that time was just beginning a career that would see him drive for the Renault, Ferrari, and Ligier factory teams in Formula 1. René Arnoux had the Dino restored at Ferrari Maranello by before selling it to Mr Frédègue, a French businessman and well-known collector. At that time, the Ferrari was registered under the name of the Mr Frédègue's daughter.
Subsequently the Dino was sold to Lov'Auto, an Alfa Romeo garage in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, which was owned by the current vendor. The latter sold the car to a friend, Michèle Rivière, who promised to offer the vendor 'first refusal' should she decide to sell it. When Michèle's husband died, the vendor repurchased the Dino in 2006 and it has been registered in his name since 2008. Noteworthy features include a new steering rack and an inox (stainless) exhaust system. Finished in red with black interior, this factory-restored Dino is offered with current French Carte Grise and a copy of the earlier Carte Grise in the name of René Arnoux.
While not quite as fast in a straight line as its larger V12-engined stablemates, the nimble Dino was capable of showing almost anything a clean pair of heels over twisty going. Truly a driver's car par excellence, it is still highly regarded today. Every Ferrari collection should have one.
