1969 Ferrari 206 Dino GT Coupe

The Dino was the only Ferrari ever built with the intention of being a sub-brand, and were originally badged only with a Dino emblem. They were a model that was disruptive to Ferrari's traditional road car output and an unconventional vehicle in Ferrari's rich history of production cars.

Ferrari's had a history of frontally located V-12 berlinettas and touring spiders. The Dino, however, was a thoroughly modern vehicle with a V-6 engine that was transversely mounted behind the driver. Although Ferrari had pioneered this approach with the 206 S and 206 SP prototype racecars of the early 1960s, it had never before been offered on a production car from Maranello.

Another break from tradition was the numbering system for both the Dino's chassis and motors. The model's numeric vocabulary also broke with the Ferrari model-naming tradition. Historically, Ferrari vehicles were named for the cubic-centimeter displacement of a single cylinder. The Dino's 206 actually represented a 2.0-liter engine in six-cylinder form. This style of terminology would notably continue on all mid- and rear-engine Ferraris of the 1980s and early '90s.

The Dino, which had been designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, would evolve in both size and weight from 1969 to 1974. The 2.0-liter engine received an increase in displacement to 2.4-liters, and then, eventually, the hand-formed aluminum alloy–paneled bodies of the 206 were replaced with steel. An open-cockpit spider version was later added to accompany the berlinetta, called the 246 GTS.

152 examples of the Dino 206 GT were built during 1968 and 1969, in left hand drive only. This particular example is the 140th example of the 152 (as many as 153) produced. Along with an all-alloy body, the 206 GT had distinctive features such as a wood-rimmed steering wheel, chrome-plated locking fuel-filler cap, narrow exhaust tips, and knock-off Cromodora wheels.

This car was completed by the factory in February of 1969, and was finished in Rosso Chiaro and trimmed with long-grain Skai upholstery. Originally sold into Italian ownership and is believed to have remained in Italy through the early 1970s, when it was imported to Northern California.

It was in the care of George Goodrich of San Francisco before selling it to Akira Stevan Patrick, of Woodside, California, around 1979. Early in his ownership, Mr. Patrick commissioned an exterior refinish in Rosso Dino and had the transaxle and engine rebuilt. After the work was completed, the car saw little use. After 35 years of ownership, Mr. Patrick sold the car in 2013 to Gullwing Motor Cars. In March of 2014, it was acquired by its current caretaker.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2017