[ ADS ON TEST ]
Once billed one of the best Dinos in the UK, does this Ferrari-engined grand tourer still impress? Sam Dawson finds out.
Exemplary Eighties restoration still holding up well
This particular Fiat Dino Coupé has repeatedly been chosen to exemplify the breed. Its history file bristles with magazine photoshoots attesting to classic road tests, and after one concours appearance in the 2000s, it was referred to as possibly the best example in the UK. Two decades later, it’s a lot to live up to.
Superficial signs are good though. The lustrously even silver paint only bears a few stonechips – on the driver’s side rear and passenger side front wheelarches, and a couple on the leading edge of the bonnet. The driver’s door is perhaps a slightly greater cause for concern, with a row of chips down its trailing edge consistent with being repeatedly knocked against a garage wall, and the door seal beneath looks new, still needing some bedding-in, given how firmly you have to push it closed. The chromework all-round is flawless though, and crucially for a Seventies Fiat there are no signs of rust.
Often-fragile interior in really superb condition
The interior is similarly flawless, unblemished apart from crinkled metal on the steering wheel boss surround, and a very minor scratch on the passenger-side dashboard wood. The half-leather trim is unmarked and in good condition, although stitching is coming away on the left-hand shoulder of the driver’s seat.
Reassuringly, the Dino V6 starts immediately without drama on the ignition key, oil pressure settling to a steady 40psi once it’s warmed through, although it does sound like there’s a slight blow on the exhaust which will need further investigation. Be warned if you’re tall – the Dino’s driving position is the clichéd classic-Italian long-armed, short-legged stress position, exacerbated by the large original steering wheel, although you’ll be grateful for it when parking – the steering is heavy at low speeds.
Sonorous engine pulls strongly
It drives superbly though. There’s a tight, precise feeling to the controls, especially the slick dogleg five-speed gearchange; and the suspension, all-independent on a 2400, is beautifully supple and controlled on B-roads, with no sagging or clanking noises. The brakes are excellent, biting at the top of the pedal’s travel and hauling the car up powerfully without wavering or fading.
According to the service history, those brakes were rebuilt last year by 20th Century Motorcars to the tune of £1125, with a full service and inspection carried out at the same time. The car was originally sold to a florist in Rome, who kept it for 17 years before Richard Banks brought it to England and carried out a full bodywork restoration in 1988. It remained in English ownership until 2004, when it went to Denmark, returning to the UK in 2020 after two successive Danish owners. One of those Danes had the engine rebuilt at Formula Automobile in 2018 for £21,381, and on arriving in the UK it received authentication paperwork from Centro Storico Fiat.
All UK MoT certificates have been retained, but given its Italian and Danish lives, its 55,560 miles can’t be verified. However, its condition and history helps justify the top-end price.
CHOOSE YOUR FIAT DINO
▶ Created initially in order to house 500 Ferrari Dino 2.0 V6 engines for Formula Two racing, ensuring competition homologation, the first Fiat Dino Spider emerged in 1966. Its styling was adapted by Filippo Sapino from his mid-engined Pininfarina Dino concept.
▶ Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed, Bertone built 2+2 Coupé followed in 1967. At the same time the Spider’s interior was redesigned to be more luxurious, reflecting the asking price.
▶ Fiat Dino 2400 replaced original specification in 1969. As well as a 2.4-litre V6, the car also featured independent rear suspension derived from the new Fiat 130 saloon in place of the 2.0 car’s live axle, a new dogleg-pattern ZF gearbox, and five-bolt alloy wheels instead of the old knock-offs. Production ended in 1973.
1970 Fiat Dino 2400 Coupé
Price £59,950
Contact Winchester Autobarn (01962 677776, winchesterautobarn.com)
Engine 2418cc V6, ohc per bank, three carburettors
Power 178bhp @ 6600rpm
Torque 159lb ft @ 4600rpm
Top speed 127mph
0-60mph 8sec
Fuel consumption 19mpg
Length 4507mm
Width 1696mm
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