Description

• An increasingly collectible example of Ferrari’s entry-level sports car
• Certified by Ferrari Classiche in June 2009
• Retains its matching-numbers chassis, engine, and gearbox
• Finished in its factory-correct colour of Avorio Safari over a Pelle Rossa interior

Ferrari promoted the Dino name as an entirely new sub-brand for selected road cars in the 1960s. The intention was to market its more affordable models with the new badge, while continuing to sell its halo products—those powered by a V-12 engine—under the classic Ferrari moniker. While the Dino 206 GT was very popular, followed directly by its equally successful replacement, the 246 GT and GTS, bosses at Maranello decided to retire the marque. The 308 GT4 and 208 GT4 were launched under the Dino brand, but on its dissolution in 1976, the factory simply switched to finishing the same models as fully-fledged Ferraris.

The Dino 308 GT4 was Ferrari’s first car with a mid-engine V-8 layout, and the first from the marque with a Bertone-designed body. European customers would find a 3.0-litre V-8 engine under the bonnet, with cogs swapped via a five-speed manual transmission. The sharp lines and wedge-like shape contrasted with the flowing curves of the earlier Dino-badged 246 GT.

Chassis number 12276, offered here, was delivered to its first customer—via Auto Becker of Düsseldorf, Germany—in April 1976, one month before Ferrari phased out the Dino marque. It left the factory finished in Avorio Safari over a Pelle Rossa interior. At the time of cataloguing, the odometer reads 40,691 kilometres. Certified by Ferrari Classiche in June 2009, the Dino 308 GT4 has been retained in fine condition and represents a fascinating point in Ferrari history.