PROVENANCE
First Owner, Perugia, Italy (acquired new in February 1969 via Pedini Auto S.r.l)
Specialty Motorcars, Arlington, Virginia (acquired circa 1977)
Robert van Buskirk, Bahama, North Carolina (acquired in 1977)
Ralph LaSalvia, Marietta, Georgia (acquired in 1978)
Jake F. Weaver Jr., Brandon, Missouri (acquired prior to 1980)
Paul Tavilla, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (acquired in 1990)
Dennis and Norma McCann, Westerville, Ohio (acquired in 1995)
David Aman, North Canton, Ohio (acquired in 1995)
Current Owner (acquired from the above)

EXHIBITED
Cavallino Classic, Palm Beach, Florida, January 2015 (Platino Award winner; Winner of La Coppa per Sei Cilindri for the finest six-cylinder Ferrari)

THIS CAR
The Dino 206 Coupe is the purest iteration of one of Ferrari’s best loved, most recognizable, and most successful road cars. The superlative quality and rarity of chassis no. 00320 is illustrated by its recent Platino Award and class win at the 2015 Cavallino Classic.

As motor racing became increasingly commercialized, Ferrari struggled to find the huge budgets required to be competitive both in Formula 1 and sports car racing, and it is likely that the impetus for the Dino road car was the Porsche 911. Contemporary road-going Ferraris were more expensive than the 911, so the manufacturer needed an all new model to compete.

The Dino 206 was designed by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti. Enzo Ferrari named it after his late son, who had worked as an engineer at the family company. The Dino’s shape is remarkable for its simplicity and purity. This was the company’s first mid-engined road car. Famously cynical about the driving skills of his customers, Enzo Ferrari had resisted building a mid-engined car for the public, although Ferrari had been racing cars with this configuration for some years. The air scoops first seen on each side of the 206 became the Dino’s calling card and a highly recognizable Ferrari styling feature for years to come.

Dino 206s are differentiated from the later versions by their two-liter engine, shorter wheelbase, and all-alloy body, which all serve to emphasize a lightweight, jewel-like character. Mechanically, the Dino’s 65° aluminum V-6 is mated to a five-speed transaxle. With peak power coming at 8,000 rpm, the engine clearly revs as one might expect from a Ferrari. The Dino went on to be one of Ferrari’s most successful models – the first Ferrari many people saw was a Dino – and the 206 was the frst, and purest, of the breed.

Ferrari historian Marcel Massini offers a clear picture of 00320’s life. Factory completed in January 1969 with an exterior color of Bianco Polo Park (20-W-152), and an interior of Nero (161), this vehicle is the 109th of 153 Dino 206s built during 1968 and 1969. First sold during February and registered “PG 133713,” this car was serviced by the factory later that same month, already showing 1,888 km (about 1,175 miles). By 1970, the Dino had been repainted Rosso Corsa and exported to the US. As of the late 1970s, it had spent time with owners in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, and was showing about 32,190 km (20,000 miles).

Records indicate the car had various period modifications, such as installation of a Blaupunkt radio cassette player and a red velour interior. By the early 1990s, now in need of a major restoration, 00320 was owned by Dennis and Norma McCann, who ran a Ferrari parts company in Ohio. They in turn passed it on to collector David Aman in 1995. After completion of a painstaking restoration, the Dino was shown at the 2015 Cavallino Classic, winning La Coppa Per Sei Cilindri, awarded to the best six-cylinder Ferrari in attendance, and a Platino Award, given only to cars scoring more than 95 points. These recent accolades speak to this Dino’s quality and accuracy of restoration, rendered even more desirable by its rarity.

Enzo Ferrari wrote in his memoirs, “The only total love in this world is a father’s love for his son.” This outstanding 206, a proven contender in concours, exemplifies the care and spirit that Ferrari put into the creation of the model. Serious collectors have an opportunity today to acquire not only one of the finest Dino 206s, but also to gain a heartfelt connection to one of the world’s most celebrated automobile companies.