Editor's Note: RM Sotheby's always auctions off some stunning automobiles, like this 1968 Ferrari Dino 206 GT by Scaglietti. It sold for $577,000 at the Monterey Auction 2018, held in late August. Thank you RM Sotheby's for permitting Monterey Car Week to publish the words and photos.
Photography: Robin Adams ©2018 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
Enzo Ferrari built the Dino 206 GT as a tribute to his son Alfredino who passed away in 1956. The Dino name was first used on Ferrari Formula 1 models and other Ferrari racers in the late 1950s to honor the young man’s memory. Prior to his death, Alfredino had worked on the engine that powered those cars—and eventually the 206 GT. It was a gorgeous two-seater coupe with flowing lines and graceful curves designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina and brought to life by the craftsmen at Carrozzeria Scaglietti.
A stunning machine with vibrant performance, tight handling, and a smooth, sophisticated profile that featured a sweeping roofline, a sloping hood, and raked windshield that set it apart from the Porsches and other commanding rivals it would face, the 206 GT also featured a lightweight alloy body and transverse-mounted two-liter V-6 aluminum block engine that poured out 160 hp and provided a swift ascent to 140 mph. It was the first Ferrari to incorporate electronic ignition and direct rack-and-pinion steering. Complemented with a five-speed manual transaxle, fully independent front and rear suspension, and ventilated disc brakes all around, drivers were given the means to control the Dino’s power and get the most pleasure out of autostrada straightaways and rural hairpin curves alike.
Today, the Dino 206 GT is regarded by many Ferrari connoisseurs as the most distinctive and important Dino model. It is also surely one of the rarest: After a production run of just 152 models in 1968 and 1969, the Dino 206 GT made way for the Dino 246 GT—a visual twin to the 206, but heavier with its steel body and cast iron engine block.
The Dino offered here is the 30th 206 GT built. It was completed on 19 September 1968 and sold the following January to official dealer M. Gastone Crepaldi S.a.s in Milan, Italy. Shortly thereafter, it was imported into the U.S. in the early 1970s and sold to John Doonan in Rockville, Maryland. Sometime in the mid-1970s the Dino sustained damage to the left front fender which was then properly repaired. In 1977 the car was then passed to David Newton of O’Fallon, Illinois. It was subsequently purchased by Tom Black of Lake Oswego, Oregon. The next owner, Dr. Michael McLean, held the car for approximately 21 years, providing it with a complete engine and clutch rebuild by Dick Guthrie at ATD in Portland in 1987. There was a gearbox rebuild in 1988 by Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo, also in Portland. McLean offered the car for sale in 2007 and it was then acquired by Thomas Rhein of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The current owner acquired the car in 2013.
The current owner reports that the Dino has been appropriately maintained by the knowledgeable and experienced Ferrari team at Fast Cars Ltd., Redondo Beach, California. The Dino shows just over 60,000 miles on the odometer. The original Ferrari black vinyl seating is in good condition, as are the trim items and dashboard with its instrumentation cluster—all gauges are in working order. The engine compartment is clean with the Dino engine plate and stamping clearly visible. Accompanying the car is the spare tire as well as a set of tools. When not in use, it has been securely preserved with the owner’s collection in a climate-controlled facility.
While there are Ferraris aplenty in the collector car world, a fine Dino 206 GT such as this one is worthy of a close look and serious consideration.
