1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS

Description

Named for his late son, Alfredo “Dino,” the V-6-powered Dino was Enzo Ferrari’s first mid-engine sports car for the road. While the company had experienced success with the Dino 206 S sports racer of 1966, Ferrari initially believed a mid-engine setup was too tricky for non-racers.

Premiering at the 1967 Torino Motor Show after lobbying from dealers and collaborator Sergio Pininfarina, Enzo Ferrari need not have worried – the Dino 206 GT was a hit with the motoring press and public. Powered by a 2.0-liter V-6, the Dino was imbued with superb handling and a top speed approaching 140 mph. In 1969, a revised Dino 246 GT followed with a more durable steel body, an enlarged 2.4-liter V-6 producing 195 hp, and a wheelbase stretched 2.1 inches to increase cabin room. At the 1972 Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari introduced an open-top GTS version featuring a removable roof panel. When production of all variants ceased in 1974, it had become the company’s best-selling series to date.

While the majority of Dinos were painted in some shade of red, this US-market example is finished in uncommon Bianco Polo Park over a black vinyl interior. Equipped with power windows, air-conditioning, and Cromodora alloy wheels, this Dino is one of just 681 GTS models produced for 1973 and benefited from numerous “E-series” revisions including cosmetic and drivetrain updates.

Completed by Ferrari’s Maranello factory in May 1973, there are few details of its early history. As documented by the Bill of Sale on file, Paul D. Nachtwey of Boston, purchased this GTS in 1983. In June 1990, the car joined the collection of Isaac Karchakian of Danvers, Massachusetts, who retained it until his passing in 1997. In 1999, the GTS was sold by his estate to enthusiast Dennis Bosch of Sarasota, Florida, who kept the car until October 2018 before it was acquired by the Tucson Auto Museum.