Countdown to one of the auctions that will certainly travel around the world, warming the hearts of an entire generation of rockers. On Thursday 22 February Car & Classic will put up for sale the Dino Ferrari 246 GTS of Peter Grant, the manager who guided the life, death and miracles of Led Zeppelin. A character who became legendary thanks to his charisma and about whose life documentaries were filmed, the entrepreneurial mind of the group throughout its existence. It was 1972 when Grant ordered the open version of this wonderful Gran Turismo from Maranello Concessionaires, in non-metallic Bordeaux Red color with brown interior. More or less in the same year in which the band toured the world in a series of dates that would give life to the concert film The Song Remains the Same.
Bodywork signed by Scaglietti
The Dino is one of the absolute world masterpieces of car design and high Italian craftsmanship, born from the pencil of the great stylist Aldo Brovarone for Pininfarina, with the bodywork designed by Scaglietti. It is equipped with the Dino engine which takes its name from Enzo Ferrari's son (Alfredino, known as Dino) who died at just 24 years old after experimenting with the 2400cc V6 which gives its name to the model. The transverse central rear position of the engine is also very innovative, powered by three double-barrel carburettors. With its 195 HP, the Dino 246 could reach a speed of up to 235 km/h.
Like the rest of the production, which began in 1968 with the Dino 206 GT, the Spider, the third and last chapter of the model, was also marked directly with its name, without the Prancing Horse brand. It was obtained from the second version, the Coupé Dino 246 GT, without the upper part of the roof and with features such as the reinforced bodywork and a roll bar added in the passenger compartment to increase stability. The GTS was presented at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show: since then, in two years, 1,274 examples have been produced and even today, more than half a century after its launch, it is capable of making people dream like few other cars in the world.
One of 235 exported right hand drive to the UK
The car with chassis number #06040 is one of 235 exported in right-hand drive to the United Kingdom between 1972 and 1973. Peter Grant was its first owner: the second, who took over after a year, lived in London, then two more followed in Scotland. In February 1988 the car was purchased by Modena Engineering Ltd for the owner's wife's birthday, following a repaint and mechanical overhaul in Surrey. And also with the addition of new black leather for the interior and red carpets, which were then restored by the current custodian as they were considered part of the car's history. After some minor damage to the interior due to a garage fire in early 1990, the Dino was sold in Buckinghamshire later that year. There the new custodian arranged for the dashboard to be repaired and the damaged speedometer to be replaced. In that period, several important Ferrari specialists worked on the example, including GTO Engineering; until, with two more changes of ownership, the Dino reached us in an excellent state of maintenance, ready to be welcomed by a new enthusiast. There are many original documents that attest to its history – including the sales invoice to Peter Grant – and quite a few book publications in which the car is mentioned, including the famous volume on the model Ferrari Dino by Anthony Curtis. Car & Classic estimates a sales value of 275,000-350,000 pounds and invites interested parties to submit their pre-auction offers on the dedicated page.
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