A Ferrari for the rich playboy, rather than the filthy rich playboy. That was the raison d’etre of the Dino badge when Ferrari rolled it out in 1967.
The Dino, named after the son of founder Enzo Ferrari, had all the breeding and curves of the company’s race cars, only with a smaller engine and price tag. The first iterations had six cylinders — half as many as Ferrari was known for.
It was a prancing pony among thundering thoroughbreds, and more than any other vehicle it helped the company steer from the racetrack onto the road. Critically, it was the first road-going Ferrari to have its engine between the front and back wheels, a bit of blocking and tackling that made for better, more balanced handling while letting designers sculpt a daintier, more- aerodynamic nose.
Now, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has promised us another Dino, which would be the first in almost 40 years. Sergio Marchionne says it’s “not a question of if, but when.”
The Fiat chief is trying to goose the Ferrari brand a bit in advance of an initial public offering later this year. But he also said a Dino 2.0 wouldn’t be “cheap.” Nor would it be solely a way to stretch the brand lower down the market. The expected sweet spot is somewhere around $240,000 in exchange for 500 horsepower. In that range, it will square off against the Porsche 911, as it did decades ago.
Still, prospective buyers shouldn’t expect to skip the standard Ferrari waiting list. These will be hot; these days, vintage Dinos are among the more coveted models in the Ferrari family. The seminal model from 1967 is worth almost $800,000, nearly four times what it fetched five years ago, according to Hagerty Insurance.
