Dino 246 GTS 'Chairs & Flares' - 1973
Chassis n° 06002
RM Sotheby's
Place Vauban
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2020
Estimated : € 380.000 - 420.000
Sold after auction (Highest bid : € 350.000)
The Dino 246 GTS was introduced as an open-air companion to its beginning in 1971, two years after the first upsized 2.4-litre V-6 had been installed in the mid-engined sports car. The reinforcements necessary for the open roof added up to just a 20-kilogram increase in kerb weight, which helped maintain the car’s exceptional handling.
Open-air driving is perhaps associated better with the West Coast of the United States than anywhere else, where the California dream for many is a jaunt up the Pacific Coast Highway on a sunny afternoon.
This 246 GTS was built on 11 September 1973 in bright Giallo Fly over a Pella Nera interior with grey carpets and was well equipped with air conditioning and power windows, as well as Daytona-style seats and Campagnolo wheels with the associated fender flares. It was dispatched to the legendary American importer William F Harrah’s distributorship. It was delivered new through the equally celebrated Ron Tonkin showroom in Portland, Oregon. There, it was earmarked for Tonkin’s cousin Bert in San Francisco, who would go on to keep the Dino for more than two decades. According to Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, nearly 48,000 miles were accumulated by Tonkin on California’s winding roads. A subsequent owner relocated the car across the Pacific to Japan in March of 1995, where it remained for two decades before passing back through California before being sold to an owner in Switzerland.
Recently refinished in striking Nero, the car retains the unique American-market extended bumpers and has been converted to European-style turn indicators. Chassis no. 06002 received Ferrari Classiche certification in October of 2018, although it should be noted that while the car retains its original gearbox, the original engine has been replaced with a unit of the correct type.
Boasting a fascinating history on three continents, this Dino would surely be a thrill to drive and enjoy.
Dino 246 GTS 'Chairs & Flares' - 1973
Chassis n° 06002
RM Sotheby's
Place Vauban
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2020
Estimated : € 380.000 - 420.000
Sold after auction (Highest bid : € 350.000)
The Dino 246 GTS was introduced as an open-air companion to its beginning in 1971, two years after the first upsized 2.4-litre V-6 had been installed in the mid-engined sports car. The reinforcements necessary for the open roof added up to just a 20-kilogram increase in kerb weight, which helped maintain the car’s exceptional handling.
Open-air driving is perhaps associated better with the West Coast of the United States than anywhere else, where the California dream for many is a jaunt up the Pacific Coast Highway on a sunny afternoon.
This 246 GTS was built on 11 September 1973 in bright Giallo Fly over a Pella Nera interior with grey carpets and was well equipped with air conditioning and power windows, as well as Daytona-style seats and Campagnolo wheels with the associated fender flares. It was dispatched to the legendary American importer William F Harrah’s distributorship. It was delivered new through the equally celebrated Ron Tonkin showroom in Portland, Oregon. There, it was earmarked for Tonkin’s cousin Bert in San Francisco, who would go on to keep the Dino for more than two decades. According to Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, nearly 48,000 miles were accumulated by Tonkin on California’s winding roads. A subsequent owner relocated the car across the Pacific to Japan in March of 1995, where it remained for two decades before passing back through California before being sold to an owner in Switzerland.
Recently refinished in striking Nero, the car retains the unique American-market extended bumpers and has been converted to European-style turn indicators. Chassis no. 06002 received Ferrari Classiche certification in October of 2018, although it should be noted that while the car retains its original gearbox, the original engine has been replaced with a unit of the correct type.
Boasting a fascinating history on three continents, this Dino would surely be a thrill to drive and enjoy.