Dino (automobile)

Dino [ˈdinɔ] was a marque for mid-engined, rear-drive sports cars produced by Ferrari from 1968 to 1976. Used for models with engines with fewer than 12 cylinders, it was an attempt by the company to offer a relatively low-cost sports car. The Ferrari name remained reserved for its premium V-12 and flat 12 models until 1976, when "Dino" was retired in favour of full Ferrari branding.

Named to honour Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari's son and heir Dino Ferrari, the Dino models used Ferrari racing naming designation of displacement and cylinder count with two digits for the size of the engine in deciliters and the third digit to represent the number of cylinders, i.e. 246 being a 2.4-litre 6-cylinder and 308 being a 3.0-litre 8-cylinder. Ferrari street models of the time used a three-digit representation of the displacement in cubic centimeters of one of the 12 cylinders, which would have been meaningless in a brand with differing numbers of cylinders.

History

The "Dino" marque was created to market a lower priced, "affordable" sports car capable of taking on the Porsche 911. Ferrari's expensive V12s well exceeded the 911 in both performance and price. Enzo did not want to diminish his exclusive brand with a cheaper car, so the "Dino" was created.

Enzo Ferrari

Enzo Anselmo Ferrari, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɛntso anˈsɛlmo ferˈraːri]; 18 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italian motor racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marque. He was widely known as "il Commendatore" or "il Drake". In his final years he was often referred to as "l'Ingegnere" or "il Grande Vecchio (the Great Old Man)".

Early life

Ferrari was born on 18 February 1898 in Modena, Italy. His birth certificate had recorded his birth date on 20 February because a heavy snowstorm had prevented his father from reporting the birth at the local registry office. He was the younger of two children to Alfredo and Adalgisa Ferrari (née Bisbini), after his elder sibling Alfredo Junior (Dino). Alfredo Senior was the son of grocer from Carpi and started a workshop fabricating metal parts at the family home. Enzo grew up with little formal education. At the age of 10 he witnessed Felice Nazzaro's win at the 1908 Circuit di Bologna, an event that inspired him to become a racing driver. During World War I he was assigned to the third Alpine Artillery division of the Italian Army. His father Alfredo, as well as his older brother, Alfredo Jr., died in 1916 as a result of a widespread Italian flu outbreak. Ferrari became severely sick himself in the 1918 flu pandemic and was consequently discharged from Italian service.

Ferrari 553

The Ferrari 553 was a racing car produced by Ferrari which raced in 1953 as a Formula Two car and in 1954 as a Formula One car. The 1953 553 F2 car was raced in the 1953 World Drivers' Championship by Umberto Maglioli and Piero Carini. It was first raced at Monza in the 1953 Italian Grand Prix on September 13, 1953. In 1954 the Ferrari 553 F1 car replaced it when the World Championship returned to F1 specifications.

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Ferrari 340

The Ferrari 340 Mexico was a Ferrari race car. It used 4.1l Lampredi V12 engine producing around 280bhp. Just 4 were made in 1952, 3 Vignale Berlinettas and 1 Vignale Spyder; all designed by Giovanni Michelotti.

The Ferrari 340 MM was a more powerful version of the 340 Mexico which was intended for the Carrera Panamericana. The use of Weber carburettors helped the 340 achieve 280 hp (209 kW) at 6600 rpm. 11 examples were made, 4 Pinin Farina Berlinettas, 2 Touring Spyders and 5 Vignale Spyders (designed by Giovanni Michelotti). Some were converted to 375 MM spec.

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