Vintage vehicle holds an important place in Ferrari history, serving as the company’s first mass-produced model.
The Ferrari Dino 246 GT is regarded as one of the greatest supercars of its day, serving as an affordable alternative to the pricier V12-powered Ferraris of the day. The goal was for the 4-cylinder Dino models to compete with the likes of the Porsche 911 and they did, becoming the first Ferrari model to sell in high numbers.
The history behind the Ferrari Dino 246 GT has made them sought-after collectables, and with only 2,295 examples made between 1972 and 1974, they are relatively rare. Fortunately, one of these legendary Italian sports cars will roll across the block of the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction in April.
Meet the Dino
Prior to 1968, all of the sports cars built by Ferrari were powered by some variety of V12 engine. Those engines were powerful, but they were also expensive, driving vehicles prices up and keeping sales numbers relatively low. Meanwhile, the Porsche 911 was selling like crazy with its small engine, so Enzo Ferrari wanted to come up with an affordable solution, but he did not want to “water down” the Ferrari lineup of V12 models.
From this idea, the Dino brand was introduced, serving as the marquee of Ferrari models with engines with less than 12 cylinders. The first road car was the 206 GT in 1968, but in 1969, the 248 GT was introduced.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
