New addition to the Automobiliac Stable

You may have noticed an uptick in posts about the Ferrari Dino GT4. And this is the reason for that.  I was idly searching for a FIAT Dino Coupe on craigslist and happened upon this Black GT4 which I suddenly realized I desperately wanted. 

I wasn't in the market for a car, per se, but I found myself dialing the number in the ad and asking questions of the seller.  It turns out the car is actually a very rare model called the 208 GT4.  This was an Italy-only car of which only about 840 were made.  The 208 was created to take advantage of tax laws in Italy on cars over 2 Liters in displacement. So Maranello de-bored the 3L V8 from the 308 GT4 down to 2L.  This decreased the horsepower, but they did change the cams to compensate somewhat.

The best part of the 208, apart from the fact that it came with the European bumpers, is that the grilles on the front and rear decklids are finished in silver, not black. With this 208 in black, the contrast is just marvelous!  The dashboard of the 208 was also black metal rather than matte silver.After a few weeks of slow, steady discussion with the seller, my mechanic and I trailered it away.  Then the car had a 3 week stay at the mechanic while he replaced the fluids, timing belts, and cam cover gaskets. We also fitted new Vredestein tires.

Now that the car has been mechanically sorted, it's really a joy to drive.  The exhaust note is fantistic too! You'll be seeing a lot more of it in these pages in coming weeks and months.  And don't worry, The GTV6 is still alive and well.  And it's still being driven regularly!

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Addio Sergio

As you may have read, Tuesday marked the passing of a giant in the field of automotive design, Sergio Pininfarina, who was 85 years old. While Sergio was not personally responsible for many of the designs that bore his family's now legendary name, it was his tremendous business acumen as much as his artistic sensibilities that saw him not only keep his father's venerable carrozzeria alive after taking its helm in the mid 1960s, but expand it, build upon it, and cement his father's legacy for all time.  In the process, he created Pininfarina's R&D center, built a wind tunnel, and using early digital technology brought his company strongly into the computer age while many of his competitors faded into second tier status or disappeared completely.  I recently took some photos of a 246 Dino, which was one of the first production cars created under Sergio's directon. I thought this a fitting time to share them with you. Click for high resolution.

Midnight Dino

It's midnight, which puts me in the mood for a late night drive. Would love to hop into this evocative night shot!

Many more photos of this car HERE

Dino on my mind

I've been a little obsessed with the Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 the past few days. They're especially lovely in non-red.  I cannot understand why these gorgeous cars aren't more sought after.  It's the only production Ferrari designed by Bertone (Marcello Gandini to be exact), and the first production V8 in a long line of V8s. Putting aside the tiresome snobbery surrounding the whole Dino badge, these are objectively very special little cars, and possibly some of the greatest 2+2 GT cars of the 1970s.