Maybe so, but it was still a Ferrari to this poor boy at the time - who made his living twisting wrenches - as well as anyone else that saw it or saw me driving it, including the parents of my Italian girlfriend. My stock went up considerably in their eyes the first day I drove it over to their house for Sunday dinner and all the family was there - aunts, uncles, cousins etc. All of a sudden, I was "pisano"..... You rich Ferrari snobs can look down your noses at them just like the Porsche "purists" loved to look down their noses at 912's, 914's, 924's and so on, but you know what, they all had the company badge on them and came from the same dealer - works for me.... And yes I know the Dino did not come with a Ferrari badge on it, but mine had the script right across the back when I got it - and I was perfectly happy to have it there. Besides, who can look at a Dino's beautiful curves and not say "Ferrari"? On top of that, the Dino was a direct outgrowth of their racing program, just like pretty much all of their street cars were at the time - so how people can say it's not a real Ferrari is beyond me. And I never called it a supercar, but there were damn few cars that could keep up with it at the time, very few indeed.
Damit Mark I was going to say the same thing. I overheard a guy at the local Italian auto show a few years ago he said "And what was Dino's last name?" I really wanted to say Flintstone, but that would have been a bit harsh
The Dino is THE street Ferrari to me. Has nothing to do with being your view of a super car as it was a beautiful design and is one of the classic "super cars" to me. It was a super car for its time, which was long before the term super car was coined. I love it when a self-appointed purist tries to tell us what is what. Like I said... Not nearly stuffy enough. :frown2:
For a time the Dino was the red headed stepchild in the Ferrari world but all this has changed recently. Those in the know realize what it is. It was penned by Pininfarina with an engine designed by Jano. The thought behind it was a 911 beater that was affrdable by more than the usual Ferrari client. As for myself I'd opt for an example with the "chairs and flares" options.
Did a little search on Dino Ferrari and from Wiki I found an interesting little tid bit on the subject: Motor Trend Classic placed the (Dino) 206/246 at number seven in their list of the 10 "Greatest Ferraris of all Time". - Wikipedia
There are two Dino's on Ebay right now: Ferrari - eBay (item 250774439229 end time Feb-22-11 15:18:35 PST) Ferrari : Dino - eBay (item 250772262656 end time Feb-21-11 20:00:00 PST) Both at around $200k range. That being said, I've been eyeing a 360 Modena. Looks like one could get one with decent miles for $70-80k. The 430's are all in the $150k range.
As and aside, anyone see Clarkson's test drive of the 599? He tried taking the traction control off and the car was pretty much underivable. With it on his comment was he did not feel he was driving the car with all the corrections the car was making on it's own.
Say what you will, but if Ferrari released a 2012 "bargain model" Ferrari, brand new, that looked as good as the Dino does/did I would snatch one in a heart beat (after winning the lottery, of course). I imagine that I would have fallen in love with the Dino when it was brand new as well had I been around. The lines, style, and presence are just great. I couldn't care less if some purists don't consider it a "real" Ferarri or whatever. Their loss.
I think that was the 599 GTO that Clarkson drove, the 458 was designed with a similar concept. The thought is to mirror a fighter jet where nobody could control it without computer helpers. Makes the cars more of a computer programing exercise than a mechanical design. There is a guy I have met a few times that has a 360 and he said he actually prefers his 575 to it, but he loves both of them. I think it is funny that something like 85% of Ferrari owners own more than one.