What is the best rock band ever? An office poll may suggest the Beatles, but a million grown men living in their parents’ basement will proclaim Led Zeppelin (and they will never let you forget it). Certainly, Led Zeppelin was a monster of a band, and they were managed by a monster of a man. The 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS that he bought new will be headed to auction this week on the British website Car & Classic.
Peter Grant’s resume included bouncer, professional wrestler, stuntman, and actor, all experience that led to his management with a later incarnation of the Yardbirds. Jimmy Page was the guitarist in the band at this time, and the band was imploding. When they broke up, contracts were fulfilled by a reformed band called the New Yardbirds, which became Led Zeppelin in short order. The rest, as they say, is history.
History also shows that the Dino 246 GTS was not branded a Ferrari, but who are we to argue with search engine optimization? As explained in our recent Pick of the Day on a Fiat Dino, Enzo Ferrari had been building V12 street cars at the time, and trying his hand on a V6 sports car was something he was open to as long as it didn’t cannibalize the Ferrari name. As we all know, there was nothing to worry about.
This 1973 Dino 246 GTS is a Series III, the final incarnation of the Pininfarina-designed Dino before Bertone produced its V8 successor. The GTS in particular featured a removable top, unique among Dinos. It’s also one of 235 right-hand drive Series IIIs built. However, beyond the engineering and celebrity aspect of the car, what stands out is the 1,007 miles on the odometer. Grant bought this Rosso Bordeaux car new but, considering he was a large man, how did he fit in this junior Ferrari?
Grant passed away in 1995 at the age of 60, but he drove the Dino only through 1976 or so. Accompanying the sale of this car is a “carefully curated history file” including original correspondence with the Ferrari factory plus Grant’s logbook. According to the seller, this Dino has “undergone professional retrimming and repainting” during its lifetime which include several subtle modifications made in the past.
The auction of this 1973 Dino 246 GTS begins on February 22, 2024 and runs through the 29th. Interested bidders can visit Car & Classic to learn more.
