Ferrari's glorious Dino racer
Amongst all racing Ferraris the rare family of Dino 206S and SP cars has the greatest intrinsic charm for its combination of exquisitely well-balanced, compact design and its vividly nimble agility whenever its inbuilt combination of lightweight, power and good handling can be fully explored.
The Dino 206S series traces its genesis back to 1956 when Enzo Ferrari's son Alfredo – 'Alfredino', 'Dino' – succumbed to the Duchenne muscular dystrophy which had afflicted him since infancy. Immediately his grieving father decreed that a new type of Ferrari V6 engine should carry the boy's name. Lettering derived from his signature duly adorned the cam-covers of that new 1.5-litre V6 engine.
The Ferrari Dino V6 won its first major race, the F2 Coupe de Vitesse at Reims, in 1957 driven by Maurice Trintignant. By the end of that season the design had been enlarged to 2.2-litres for interim Formula 1 use, and into 1958 in 2.4-litre form the Ferrari Dino 246 would carry Mike Hawthorn to the Drivers' World Championship title. Ferrari Dino 246 and 256 Formula 1 cars would carry the marque to further Formula 1 success through 1959-1960, it remained a winner at Formula 2 level and even shone in endurance sports-prototype form through 1961-62. The 65-degree Dino 156 4-cam V6 engine also featured in early examples of the famous 'Sharknose' Grand Prix cars of 1961.
In early 1966 Ferrari released both its glorious 4-litre 330P3 sports-prototype and its new 'little sister' – the new Dino 206S. Production was limited to just 18 true Dino 206S due to a period of industrial action throughout Italy at this time. The Dino’s body shape, hand-made by Carrozzeria, was a scaled-down version from the big-engined P3.
Bonhams will be offering this Ferrari Dino 206S/SP Racing Sports Prototype at their upcoming Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais Sale in Paris held on the 6th February. For more information on this and other vehicles at the sale, click on the link below. Photos © Courtesy of Bonhams.