Ah, the 246. For a long time, this car didn't get any respect. It wasn't considered a "true" Ferrari, as it lacked Ferrari badging and came with "only" 6-cylinder power. The engine sits behind the driver in a well balanced and beautiful body, between two elegant flying buttresses. The car was co-developed with Fiat, who also named their car "Dino", but aside from the shared engine, the cars are quite different. The Ferrari has it's engine mid-mounted, and the Fiat is front-mounted. In classic Ferrari nomenclature, the 246 name stands for 2.4 litre 6-cylinder, and the "Dino" refers to Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari, the son of founder Enzo Ferrari, who also consulted the design the engine for the 246.
The Dino brand was conceived by Enzo Ferrari as a way to sell a less expensive 6-cylinder car to compete directly with the Porsche 911, as the larger V12 Ferrari's were much too expensive to compete against the German sports car. As such, they were seen as "almost Ferraris" to most buyers and collectors throughout the 1970's. Sometime in the late 80's or so, the car began to be recognized by collectors as a full-heritage Ferrari, and the market reflected this, with prices that now equaled that of more powerful cars bearing the prancing horse.
Ultimately, the most endearing aspect of this machine is reflected in a story about Ferrari, the man.
His son, Alfredo "Dino" was his pride and joy (Enzo is pictured on the left, Alfredo, the right). Alfredo was groomed by Enzo to be the heir to the Ferrari racing and engineering legacy, and was sent to Switzerland to study engineering. At the age of 24, Alfredo fell ill and died from complications from muscular dystrophy. On his death bed, he assisted the engineers designing the six-cylinder engine for a racing car. Upon Alfredo's death, Enzo, a man who allegedly showed very little of himself to those outside of his family and was known as cold and difficult, was apparently completely crushed by his son's death. He subsequently named the road going car bearing the six-cylinder after Dino. An unusual tribute from a man who rarely showed such emotion.
And what a beautiful tribute.
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