1975 Ferrari 208 GT4

When the Dino brand was introduced in 1957, it was a standalone marque built alongside Ferrari, eventually being brought together by the mid-1970s. The Dino sports car was a more affordable alternative to its prancing horse stablemate, equipped with engines smaller than 12 cylinders.

Dino 206 GT
The Dino 206 GT of 1967 was the first road-going Dino, and it wore a design penned by Aldo Brovarone at Pininfarina. The body was formed from aluminum, the suspension was independent, braking was via discs, and the transverse-mounted all-aluminum 65-degree V6 engine displaced 2.0 liters and produced 180 horsepower at 8,000 RPM.

Dino 246 GT
A total of 152 examples of the 206 GT had been built by 1969 when it was superseded by the more powerful Dino 246GT. In European specification, the 2.4-liter V6 engine produced nearly 200 horsepower at 7,600 RPM. The fixed-top GT coupé body style was joined by a targa-topped GTS after 1971.

Along with the larger and more powerful engine, the 246 GT bodies were now made of steel instead of aluminum, and the wheelbase grew by 2.4 inches. Produced through 1974, a total of 3,569 examples of the 246 GT were built.

Ferrari GT4
Ferrari 308 GT4
As the production of the Dino 246 GT and GTS came to an end, a new generation of Dino sports cars emerged, bringing with it several notable modifications to both the Ferrari lineup and the automotive market. It was the company's inaugural production model featuring a V8 engine and was the first Ferrari to showcase bodywork designed by Bertone instead of Pininfarina. Shedding the curvaceous bodywork of the past, the new rear mid-engine Dino wore sharp, angular lines penned by Marcello Gandini, an individual more commonly associated with Lamborghini. Additionally, the GT4 was the only 2+2 Ferrari ever raced with factory support.

Introduced in October 1973 at the Paris Motor Show, the 308 GT4 was sold with Dino badging through May 1976, after which it wore Ferrari badging for the remainder of its existence, ending in 1980. It was built atop a tubular spaceframe based on the Dino 246, but with a longer wheelbase size of 100.4 inches, allowing for a second row of seating. A fully independent suspension was also utilized, with double wishbones, anti-roll bars, coaxial telescopic shock absorbers and coil springs on both axles.

The transversally mounted engine displaced 2,927cc (2.9 liters) and was paired with a five-speed transaxle gearbox. The engine had an aluminum alloy block and heads, dual overhead camshafts, 16 valves, and produced 255 horsepower in European specification and 240 horsepower for the American guise.

Dino 208 GT4
The Dino 208 GT4 holds the distinction of housing the smallest production V-8 ever used in a Ferrari road car. This model was conceived and designed for the Italian market, where cars with a larger than two-litre displacement engine were subject to a value-added tax (VAT) of 38 percent. The smaller displacement engine allowed the 208 GT4 to circumvent this restrictive taxation, and since it was a model specific to the Italian market, all were produced in a left-hand-drive configuration.

The Dino 208 GT4 was introduced in 1975 at the Geneva Motor Show and produced through 1980, with output reaching 840 units.

The de-bored 1991cc V8 engine had smaller Weber 34 DCNF carburetors, belt-driven twin-overhead camshafts per bank, and produced 170 horsepower at 7,700 RPM. It had a lower final drive ratio, skinnier tries, and an all-synchromesh, five-speed transmission assembly below, and to the rear of, the engine's wet sump.

The wedge-shaped styling of the 208 GT4 was similar to its 308 big brother, with the obvious external differences between the two models being the 208 GT4's single exhaust pipe and the plain aluminum finish for the louvres on the front lid and engine cover, as opposed to satin black on the 308 GT4. There were boomerang-shaped air intakes on the sail panels, with the left side intake funneling cooling air to the oil radiator while the right side sent air to the carburetors.

The interior of the 208 GT4 had black rather than silver dash facing.

Sharing its dimensions with its larger 308 sibling, the 208 GT4 had a 100.4-inch wheelbase, a length of 169.3 inches (the U.S. versions measured 176.7 inches), a width of 70.9 inches, and a height of 46.5 inches.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2024