Throughout his career, Enzo Ferrari was always recognised as a man of great determination.
When Ferrari made a decision, those around him, would stick to it, without question.
T
his was especially true when the great man expressed his desire to produce an entry level open tourer to honour the memory of his only son Alfredo, known to all as Dino. .
Dino Ferrari was being groomed to take over as head of the company when Enzo decided that the time was right to hand over the reigns at Maranello.
Dino was already an accomplished engineer working on some projects of his own within Ferrari when he was struck down by muscular dystrophy and passed away in 1955 when he was just 24.
Enzo was heartbroken, but he mustered the strength to carry on, remaining with the company that he found for a further three decades, having lost his natural successor so prematurely.
A mid-engined prototype was designed by Sergio Pininfarina around the VG engine that was being developed by Dino Ferrari before he was struck down by illness.
The marque got off to an auspicious start with the Dino 206 S receiving an enthusiastic reception at the Paris Motor Show of 1965.
Another Dino prototype this time with smoother styling was shown at the Turin Show in 1966 and a 2-litre engined pre-production model at the same event in 1967.
Ferrari rarely stood still for long, and the final refinement was the shapely Dino 246GT in 1969.
The 246GT appeared identical to the 206, save for a discreet Prancing Horse on the fuel-filler flap, although it was slightly larger than its predecessor with a steel body replacing aluminium and a bigger engine.
The only other significant advances before the 246 were discontinued was the debut of the 246 GTS with its removable Targa top panel and a Spyder convertible option from 1971. The Dino series sold well from the 206's launch to the discontinuation of 246 models in 1974, with almost 4,000 units built, B
y that time the concept of a mid-engined volume car had become well established. Enzo's plan to establish a separate "Dino" marque was abandoned, with replacement 308 models reverting to the Ferrari name.
