The Fiat Dino Ginevra Special Berlinetta was a styling exercise built using the Fiat Dino mechanical components and shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 1968. Designed by Paolo Paolo Martin for Pininfarina, it was an evolution of the Fiat Dino Berlinetta Aerodinamica aerodynamic study by Pininfarina that was shown at the Paris Motorshow in 1967. The styling was modern and elegant, with a horizontal frontal area, pop-up headlights, a fastback rear, and sides with BMC-type motif on the pillars.

Mounted at the front and powering the rear wheels, the 2.0-liter, 65-degree V6 engine had dual overhead camshafts, a pair of valves per cylinder, and produced approximately 160 horsepower at 7,200 RPM and 127 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 RPM. It used a five-speed manual transmission and rested on a 100.4 inch wheelbase platform.

The 1966 to 1972 Fiat Dino

When Ferrari needed help homologating its 2.0-liter V6 engine for Formula 2, they found assistance from Fiat. The F.I.A. required Ferrari to build 500 of these engines per year, and although the Maranello factory did not have the capacity to achieve this figure, Fiat did. They agreed to build the quad-cam V6s in sufficient numbers with the caveat that they could use the engine.

The engine in the Dino 206 (Ferrari) was placed mid-ship and, with the help of a trio of Weber carburetors, produced 180 horsepower. The engines in the Fiat produced 160 horsepower and were mounted at the front, driving the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential (a first for Fiat). The Fiat Dino was offered as a spider by Pininfarina with 2+1 seating and a longer-wheelbase Bertone-styled Coupe designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro with a fastback design and two small seats in the rear.

The 'Dino' name was in honor of Enzo Ferrari's son Alfredino, who passed away at the age of 24.

by Dan Vaughan