Estimated Price: £340,000 - £380,000

The Dino story began in the mid-1960s, the name chosen by Enzo Ferrari in honour of his late son, Alfredo 'Dino' Ferrari, who had been instrumental in the development of Ferrari's V6 engine. The new Dino 246GT was, and remains an absolute delight in all aspects, its beauty, handling, engine note, mid-engined layout, unusually good visibility and comparative affordability made it absolutely irresistible. With the car designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti, it is no surprise that the 246 remains one of the prettiest cars ever to leave Maranello.

The transversely mounted Tipo 135 CS engine is a fabulous creation. A 2.4-litre quad-cam V6 with triple-Weber carburettors putting out an impressive 190bhp, mated via drop gears to the transverse 5-speed gearbox, and the sculpted bodywork covering a tubular chassis with independent wishbone suspension at each corner. With rack and pinion steering and a mid-engined configuration, it was a revelation in terms of road holding and stability, nothing had been made like this before, leaving its larger V12-engined siblings somewhat in its wake. In 1967, the road-going Dino was launched as the 206 GT before evolving into the 246 GT two years later, bringing with it the larger engine, and in 1972, the Spider version was introduced. With the exception of the detachable roof there was ultimately little difference between the two models, but the GTS, with its removable roof panel and the instantly recognisable flying buttress behind the cabin, has become all the more desirable as a collector's car. Just 1,274 GTS’ were produced before Dino production came to an end in 1974 and, of those, only 258 are understood to have been built in right-hand drive.

This particular GTS, chassis #07374, was completed in 1973 and delivered new to Australia, where it spent the majority of its life. Finished in its original colour scheme of Rosso Chiaro over Nero, it is believed to have had just six owners from new and has been beautifully restored throughout, subsequently becoming an award-winning example.

Importantly, it is a total matching numbers car and benefits from Ferrari Classiche certification, with its accompanying Red Book forming part of an exceptionally comprehensive history file. The documentation is contained within two substantial folders and covers the car's maintenance, preservation and restoration over the years through a considerable collection of invoices, receipts and associated historical paperwork.

It is the smaller details, however, that truly complete a car of this calibre. Still with the Dino is its original leather wallet containing the operating, maintenance and service handbook, spare parts catalogue, original warranty card, green dealership directory and Fiamm and Magneti Marelli certificates. The original tool kits also remain with the car, along with the jack and pouch, wheel chock, spare keys and car cover.

Our vendor purchased the Dino from renowned specialist Tom Hartley Jnr. in 2021, with it being described as "presented in exquisite condition throughout" and has continued to preserve and maintain it accordingly, with its most recent service carried out by Charles Hurst Ferrari Belfast.

The odometer currently indicates c.82,000 miles as our vendor has not only cherished and maintained it but has thoroughly enjoyed the car taking it on European tours and road trips, very much using the car as intended.

There is a reason that the Dino has remained such an important Ferrari for more than half a century. Beautiful from every angle, small by modern standards and powered by one of the sweetest V6 engines ever made, they are every part as enjoyable to drive as they are to look at. With only 258 right-hand drive GTS examples produced, finding one is difficult enough, however, finding one that is Classiche certified, matching numbers, beautifully restored and accompanied by such formidable history files, its original books, tools and associated equipment is considerably harder.