1967
DINO 206 GT
For Ferrari it was becoming imperative to increase sales and reduce production costs. With the prototype of the Dino 196 S already in-house, there was an excellent opportunity to design a relatively small displacement, road-going version which, for the first time in Ferrari history, could be built on an assembly line. Pininfarina came up with pretty, classic lines and the Fiat V6 was developed by Ferrari and engineered for transverse mounting amidships.
The model met some resistance amongst purists to begin with as it was not considered a ‘real’ Ferrari, but opinions soon changed once clients got the chance to see it close up and drive it. The small-engined Ferrari (relative to other models in the range at the time) came about due to regulations in Formula 2 monoposto racing for 1967, requiring that engines in racing cars had to be production-based, and produced in quantities of no fewer than 500 units a year.
At the time, Ferrari could not hope to build that number of suitable units, so to enable them to compete, an alliance was forged with Fiat. Fiat would manufacture the engines and fit them into an upper market range of front-engined cars of their own, using the Dino name, and also supply engines to Ferrari for their own use. All models, whether Fiat or Ferrari, would use the ‘Dino’ script badge.
The Dino name was first used on Ferrari cars with vee engines in the late fifties, on Formula 1 and sports-racing models. It was the Christian name of the son of Enzo Ferrari, who had died in 1956, and was used in his memory as he was working on a vee-engine project prior to his death. It continued to be used to designate any model with a vee engine throughout the early sixties, and then again in 1965 on the 166P mid-engined sports-racing model, which evolved into the 206 SP and 206 S sports-racing models. This was the first model to carry a Dino badge on the nose instead of a Ferrari one. The badge was a horizontal rectangle with his stylised script signature in blue on a yellow background.
PROTOTYPE
From this first prototype followed another at the 1966 Turin Show, still with an in-line, mid-engined configuration. This featured an elliptical radiator opening with the headlights now wing-mounted under perspex covers. There was a higher roof to the cabin, carrying a similar rear screen and sail panel profile to the original, with quarter bumpers at each corner, showing the evolution from concept car to production model. By the time the next prototype appeared during 1967, the body was almost in its definitive form. The engine cover and boot lid were still one panel, and the strake in the door scallop had disappeared, fitted instead with door handles straight off the recently announced 365 GT 2+2, and alloy wheels that mirrored those fitted to the Fiat Dino. However, the most notable change was under the engine lid: the V6 had been turned through 90 degrees, to sit transversely, with a unitary 5-speed transmission assembly below and to the rear of it. The design, development, and manufacture of the transmission were all done in-house by Ferrari.
By the time of the Turin Show in November 1967, the fine tuning of the body detail had virtually been completed, and the example displayed was almost identical to the production cars that would follow. Noticeable differences from earlier prototypes were the two banks of triple radiator outlet slots on the front lid, with rows of matching engine bay exhaust slots on the engine lid, a steeper windscreen angle, and separate engine and boot lids. The same car was shown in January 1968 at the Brussels Salon, before being used for test purposes. The definitive production versions lost the clear, perspex headlight covers and gained quarter lights in the door glass. The simplest way to identify a 206 GT from its later sibling, the 246 GT, is by the exposed chrome-plated fuel filler cap on the left sail panel.
Production
Production commenced during 1968 and ran into 1969, when the 2-litre engine was replaced by a 2.4-litre unit and, with other detail changes, the Dino 246 GT was born. During the nine-month production period, around 150 examples of the Dino 206 GT were built, all of which were left-hand drive. The production cars were built on a 2,280 mm wheel base chassis, constructed to familiar Ferrari principles of longitudinal main tubes, with cross bracing and sub frames to support various components and the body, with factory type reference number 607. A new even number chassis numbering sequence was adopted under the Dino brand name for these cars, to distinguish them from the odd number sequence of the Ferrari road cars of the time. The earlier prototypes had carried either Ferrari even competition series chassis numbers, or odd numbers in the road car sequence.
Servo-assisted, ventilated disc brakes with independent suspension via wishbones, coil spring, and hydraulic shock absorber, were provided to each wheel, with front and rear anti-roll bars. The smooth, rounded body style – full curves of the front wings flowing into the cabin with its scalloped door panels, then into the curves of the rear wings and buttressed sail panels, terminating abruptly in a Kamm tail –drew universal praise. The shape is still widely regarded as a design classic. Unusually for the time, as most Ferrari models were built with steel bodies and aluminium opening panels, the Dino 206 GT had a full aluminium body. The tail panel carried a pair of circular lights at each side, also a feature of the 365 GTB4 ‘Daytona’, which was presented around the same time. Similarly, the two cars shared a very similar aluminium-faced, oval instrument panel that featured black-faced circular dials.
the engine
The engine was of a 65o configuration, with chain-driven, twin overhead camshafts per bank, having a total capacity of 1,987 cc, with a bore and stroke of 86 x 57 mm, bearing factory type reference 135B. The cylinder block was cast in Silumin alloy, with cast iron liners, whilst the cylinder heads and various other castings were of a similar alloy. The engine was transversely mounted in unit with the all-synchromesh, 5-speed transmission assembly below and to the rear of the engine’s wet sump. It was fitted with a bank of three, twin choke Weber 40 DCN F/1 carburettors, mounted in the centre of the vee, with a distributor and electronic ignition system, to produce a claimed power output of 180 hp.
Although the Dino was promoted as a separate marque, the Ferrari heritage was not lost, as the sales brochure asserted: ‘Tiny, brilliant, safe…almost a Ferrari’.
Ferrari DINO 206 GT Facts
The top speed of the Ferrari DINO 206 GT is 235 km/h.
The Ferrari DINO 206 GT travels from 0 – 1000m in 27 seconds!
The Ferrari DINO 206 GT has a V6 engine with 1986.60 cc of total displacement.
specifications
engine
Type
rear, transverse, 65° V6
Bore/stroke
86 x 57 mm
Unitary displacement
331.10 cc
Total displacement
1986.60 cc
Compression ratio
9 : 1
Maximum power
132 kW (180 hp) at 8000 rpm
Power per litre
91 hp/l
Maximum torque
–
Valve actuation
twin overhead camshaft per bank, two valves per cylinder
Fuel feed
three Weber 40 DCN F/1 carburettors
Ignition
single spark plug per cylinder, single coil
Lubrication
wet sump
Clutch
single-plate
Chassis
Frame
tubular steel
Front suspension
independent, unequal-length wishbones, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension
independent, unequal-length wishbones, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
Brakes
discs
Transmission
5-speed + reverse
Steering
rack-and-pinion
Fuel tank
capacity 65 litres
Front tyres
185 VR 14
Rear tyres
185 VR 14
bodywork
Type
two-seater berlinetta
Length
4150 mm
Width
1700 mm
Height
1115 mm
Wheelbase
2280 mm
Front track
1425 mm
Rear track
1400 mm
Weight
900 kg (dry)
Performance
Top speed
235 km/h
Acceleration 0-100 km/h
–
0-400 m
–
0-1000 m
27 sec
Gallery
Dino 206 GT Schematics
Table 1 – Crankcase And Cylinder Heads
Table 2 – Oil Sump Gear Box And Differential
Table 3 – Crankshaft, Connecting Rods And Pistons
Table 4 – Flywheel And Iritermediate Gear Box Housing
Table 5 – Timing Control
Table 6 – Timing
Table 7 – Fuel Tanks And Pipes
Table 8 – Feeding Pumps And Pipes
Table 9 - Air Filter and Manifolds
Table 10 – Weber 40 Dcnf-1 Carburettor
Table 11 – Throttle Control Table
Table 12 – Blow By
Table 13 – Exhaust Pipes Assembly
Table 14 – Engine Lubrication
Table 15 – Cooling
Table 16 – Water Pump And Pipes
Table 17 – Pedal Board Clutch Control
Table 18 – Clutch Disengagement
Table 19 – Clutch Unit And Cover
Table 20 – Gear Box Transmission
Table 21 – Output Shaft Gearing
Table 22 – Counter Shaft Gearing
Table 23 – Outside Gear Box Controls
Table 24 – Inside Gear Box Controls
Table 25 – Differential & Axle Shafts
Table 26 – Brake Hydraulic Control
Table 27 – Brake Hydraulic Control On Wheels
Table 28 – Hand Brake And Brakes Front And Rear Caliper
Table 29 – Hand Brakes Control
Table 30 – Steering Control
Table 31 – Steering Box And Steering Connections
Table 32 – Front Suspension Shock Absorber
Table 33 – Front Suspension Levers
Table 34 – Rear Suspension Shock Absorber
Table 35 – Rear Suspension Levers
Table 36 – Wheels Brake Disc And Rear Hub
Table 37 – Engine Ignition
Table 38 – Current Output Starting Motor
Table 39 – Tool Kit
Table 201 – Front External Frame Work
Table 202 – Rear External Frame Work
Table 203 – Front Inner Panels & Shields
Table 204 – Rear Inner Panels & Shields
Table 205 – Front End Body Work
Table 206 – Rear End Body Work
Table 207 – Front Bonnet
Table 208 – Engine Cover
Table 209 – Rear Boot Lid
Table 210 – Front Bumpers, Grills & Fixings
Table 211 – Rear Bumpers & Fixings
Table 212 – Boot Carpets & Panels
Table 213 – Under Carpets
Table 214 – Cabin Carpets
Table 215 – Finishing Trim
Table 216 – Centre Console & Head Rests
Table 217 – Doors,Trims & Finishings
Table 218 – Seats
Table 219 – Seat Frames
Table 220 – Front & Rear Screens
Table 221 – Front & Rear Lights
Table 222 – Dashboard Components
Table 223 – Heater Sliders
Table 224 – Sun Visors & Rear View Mirror
Table 225 – Wiper Mec, Washer Bag & Horns
Table 226 – Heater Matrix & Blowers
