In recognition of today’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which is among the greatest automotive events in the world and a bucket-list entry for many collector car fans, the Pick of the Day is a 1967 Fiat Dino GT coupe, an Italian exotic that is relatively affordable, at least compared with the multi-million-dollar fare spread across the 18th Fairway at Pebble.
What makes the Fiat Dino exotic is its Ferrari-based V6 engine and 5-speed transmission, essentially the same units found in Ferrari’s own fabulous Dino, the mid-engine 206 GT (later the 246 GT). The 2.0-liter V6 engine is rated at a free-revving 160 horsepower, with a sound only a Ferrari can make.
The reason why Ferrari bestowed its new racing engine on its plebeian partner Fiat was because it needed to homologate the V6 for F2 racing, and Fiat’s mass production was the fastest way to get to the 500 cars that needed to be sold.
The Fiat customers benefited by being able to purchase at reasonable prices an attractive Dino 2+2 coupe, styled by Bertone, or convertible, styled by Pininfarina, with the performance of an Italian thoroughbred. As collector cars today, they remain reasonably priced.
While these early versions of the Dino were not as well-developed as the later 2.4-liter models, this first-production-year coupe advertised on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Gladstone, Oregon, is a low-mileage example with just about 40,000 miles on the odometer.
The Dino seems to be in original condition, although the seller does not note as much in the ad, saying only that the coupe was repainted in Blue Medio some years back and “still looks amazing,” and that it has been “well-maintained.”
From the factory, the coupe featured premium gear, such as power windows, leather seats, real-wood-trimmed dashboard and an array of cool toggle switches. The interior on this Dino looks to be in very good condition, appearing to be original and testifying to the low mileage. The dash top looks to have some cracks.
The seller includes an impressive number of photos with the ad, which shows that the Dino remains in solid shape – like many cars of the era, they were prone to rust issues. This one appears to not have any.
The asking price of $56,500 seems about right for such a nice low-miles example of this rare car – only about 6,000 Fiat Dino coupes were produced between 1967 and 1972, when they ended
For those among us who are stalking the Pebble Beach Concours today, perhaps gnashing teeth because only the top 1 percenters can afford most of these cars, take heart that even those of moderate means could pick up this Ferrari-powered beauty.
To view this vehicle on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
I’ll admit that the 1% wealth being tossed back and forth at the car auctions makes me a little sick inside. The inflated value of collector cars seems like a sad means for wealthy people to show off, pump up their already inflated egos, and provide themselves with fleeting weekends of self-importance. And all of this happens while most Americans try to figure out how to pay their bills and provide the essentials to their families, with no real sense of how they will be able to grow old and retire one day.