Fiat Dino Spyder, 1967
Chassis No.: 135AS0000556 Auction: Monterey 2017 Auction date: August 19, 2017 Lot No.: S46 $110,000 | Sold • Exterior: Gray • Interior: Red • 2.0 L V-6 engine • 5-speed manual transmission • Gray exterior • Italian stripes • Red interior • Nardi steering wheel • Red boot and tonneau cover • Road lamps • Pirelli tires • Borrani wire wheels • Pininfarina design • Mileage on title reflects kilometers The Fiat Dino Spyder is a brilliant case study for what usually happens when two deeply fervent Italian automakers come together to create one car—drama, miscommunication, and of course, art and passion. This is exactly what J. Geils loved about Italian automobiles and their makers. This 1967 Fiat Dino Spyder is highly personalized and unique in a number of ways, the most striking characteristics likely being its silver paint with striping, wire wheels and bumper delete that lend the car a very sporty disposition. Neither Ferrari nor Fiat considered racing Dinos, even though the name was originally only associated with racing, a carryover from the early prototype racing Ferraris. The Dino road-car project came to be thanks to the Commission Sportive Internationale de la FIA’s decision that F2 engines would have no more than six cylinders and be based on an engine used in a production GT car, of which 500 or more would be produced in a 12-month span. For Ferrari, this was an impossibility. Thus, “il Commendatore” turned to his good friends at Fiat, and together they hatched the idea of the Dino. For the new venture, two cars would be produced: one by Ferrari and one by Fiat. Dino was the nickname of Enzo’s son, Alfredo Ferrari, who died as a result of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 1956 at the age of 24. While in the hospital, he worked on details of the 1.5L V-6 engine with Ferrari technical engineer, Vittorio Jano, who is largely credited with the design and engineering behind the racing Dino V-6. Converting the racing version of the Ferrari V-6 was largely left to Franco Rocchi and Aurelio Lampredi. After some minor squabbling, the Dinos were produced and successfully created a much needed new revenue stream for both companies. This particular car is equipped with the signature 2.0L V-6 engine and 5-speed manual transmission. Presented in a shade of silver-gray, the red interior and Italian racing stripes completely enliven the look, which is very dramatic, and in turn, very fitting for a Dino. Rolling on beautiful Borrani wire wheels, the car is sold with a hardtop. In recent years, the Fiat Dino has finally been appreciated for being a special car in its own right; it’s no wonder J. Geils liked it so much. https://www.mecum.com/lots/300179/1967-fiat-dino-spyder/
