1973 FERRARI Dino 308 GT4 3.0L V8 5MT (255 HP)

Vehicle Overview

In 1973, at the Paris Motor Show, Ferrari unveiled the Dino GT4. A shocking departure from the curvy Pininfarina design and an approach to the modernist, edgy style of the Bertone studios.

Enzo Ferrari tried to make the Dino a separate brand of the luxurious Ferrari. That is why the Dino didn’t feature any Ferrari badge on it. The car was easier to manufacture when compared to the V12 models from the Ferrari lineup. It was built as a 2+2 model to complement the 246 GT/GTS models in the Dino range.

It was the Fiat idea to assign the design task to the Bertone studios instead of the usual Pininfarina. For the U.S. market, the car featured a deep radiator grille. Since the Dino was the only Ferrari car that was sold on the North-American market, but it didn’t have a Ferrari badge, in mid-1975 Ferrari issued a directive to the Ferrari dealers to retrofit the existing stock with the prancing horse logo. This is why some Dinos in the U.S. will have one badge or another while some had both.

Inside, the car was made for a 2+2 seating configuration, with enough room in the back to accompany the front passengers. The luxurious seats featured leather upholstery and they were designed more for comfort than for hard-cornering. The dashboard was tilted toward the driver and in the middle of the steering wheel was a yellow button for the horn, with “Dino” word handwritten on it.

The dog-leg 5-speed gearbox already had the aluminum gate that made the Ferrari famous in the motoring history. The double-wishbone front suspension was complemented by a rear independent suspension. It is said that Niki Lauda, the former F1 champion, helped in developing the car to perform better on the road.