Curbside Classic: 1971 Fiat Dino 2400 – Fiat By Name, Ferrari By Nature

In the Great Book of Cars That Came Out in 1967, available in my mind in every imaginary bookstore on the face of the Earth, there should be a special chapter about the Dinos. The Ferrari mid-engined one – is anything sexier than that? – and the Fiat-badged convertible, both by Pininfarina, would be there, naturally. But pride of place would have to be taken by the Bertone coupé.

I’m not sure how it could be improved. And neither were Bertone and Fiat, hence the model changing very little over its production run. Giugiaro and Gandini are credited with the design, though most of the merit is with Giugiaro: Gandini merely (but expertly) put finishing touches on his predecessor’s work.

The Fiat Dino Spider came out first at the Turin Motor Show in late 1966. The Bertone coupé was unveiled in March 1967 at the Geneva Show, as we can see above. Both cars used the 2-litre Dino V6 made by Ferrari.

It could have played out differently. Pininfarina were quite keen on getting the contract for the Coupé as well: they proposed at least a couple of variations on the same theme as their Spider. Fiat wisely preferred to keep both PF and Bertone busy, and the Bertone contract had been inked way before anyway. That blue fastback was sure pretty, though. Much more “mini Ferrari” than the Bertone design, in many ways.

No regrets, in the end: the Bertone Coupé was also near perfect and it aged very well. The whole Dino program, both for Fiat and Ferrari, was a pretty rushed affair: Giovanni Agnelli and Enzo Ferrari signed the dotted line in April 1965, aiming at a late 1966 reveal. Time was of the essence, as the V6 was supposed to be used in Formula 2 racers as soon as possible. This explains why the Fiat Dino had a relatively basic chassis, at least in the beginning. The coupé body, on the other hand, had been in preparation since at least 1964, so there were no issues on that front.

The first couple of years of the Dino were a little turbulent. Many small modifications were made, particularly to the engine, which still needed a little development. For instance, Fiat commissioned Magnetti Marelli to create the world’s first electronic ignition system for the Dino V6, thereby solving the motor’s chronic spark plug fouling issue.

When time came for a refresh in 1969, there were few external interventions: a pair of cabin vents, hitherto placed on the leading edge of the C-pillar, were added on either side of the back window, the grille became black, the taillights were modified a bit and a set of six-spoke alloys replaced the previous ones. Hardly anything, really.

The changes were far more extensive underneath that sublime body: the DOHC V6 grew to 2418cc and 178hp (up from 158 in its previous iteration), the block being changed from aluminium to cast iron to keep costs in check. A new ZF 5-speed gearbox was also installed.

Furthermore, the Dino 2400 gained a completely new independent rear suspension, inherited from the new Fiat 130. It was a much-lauded improvement over the leaf-sprung live axle that Fiat had provided to their top-of-the-range model up to that point. Better late than never.

All production was tranferred over to Maranello for the 2400s, so this Fiat doen’t just have a Ferrari engine, it was also put together by Ferrari workers (and Bertone ones for the body, of course). The Fiat Dino Spider, which sold less well than the Coupé, was deleted from the range in early 1972; Coupé production carried on until the summer.

The interior was also revised for the 2400, though still featuring genuine (and allegedly rather cheap) wood and the very same billiard ball-headed shifter found in the Dino 246GT.

It’s no limousine, but we’re talking about a genuine four-seater here. Upmarket Fiats may seem like a contradiction in terms nowadays, but the marque had a very long tradition of making larger cars, which started petering out after the ‘70s. Once the Turin giant gained control of Lancia and later Alfa Romeo, the rationale behind making cars in this segment disappeared.

It’s also the case that Fiat did not make much (if any) money with the Dino. There are various precise production numbers discussed on the web, but all come to a ball park figure of 7500-8000 units, of which coupés represent the overwhelming (75%) majority. Still, this was always meant as a limited production car; the Dino did about as well as its predecessor, the 2300S Coupé, and a bit better than the Fiat 130 Coupé (1971-77, about 4000 made).

Personally, I find these hard to resist and much more exciting to look at than the rather cold (but nonetheless elegant) 130 Coupé. The Fiat Dino has that mid-‘60s magic that can never be emulated, a heady mix of swooping Coke-bottle lines, a cabin full of wood and leather and a wailing Ferrari V6 to make the whole thing move at a respectable pace. There really isn’t more one can ask for, aside from the keys.

Curbside Comparison: 1970 Ferrari Dino 246GT and 1967 Fiat Dino Spider – Beautiful Sisters, by Filippo

Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: Fiat Dino 2400 (Again), by Don Andreina

COAL: 1967 Fiat Dino Spider – The Less Famous But Not Less Seductive Dino, by Filippo