$270k not counting fees at Mecum Monterey Aug 2011
Mecum Auction - Top Ten Sales Results
No. 10: Lot S88
1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS
Barn Find with 2,910 miles
Sold for $270,000 Details »
HIGHLIGHTS
- Barn find with only 2,910 miles
- Original and unrestored
- Stored for over 30 years in a Texas storage facility
- Car has been cleaned and detailed since found
- Fuel and coolant lines cleaned and/or replaced
- Dual fuel tanks drained and cleaned
- Orignal carburetors and water pump have been rebuilt
- Sold new at Luigi Chinetti Motors
- Documentation includes buyers order, sales contract from Chinetti Motors, manuals
- Original toolkit
- An astonishing well preserved example
1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS Barn Find with 2,910 miles for sale by Mecum Auction
DESCRIPTION
One of the first Ferrari experts to inspect this barn-find 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS described it without hesitation as “the finest original example on Earth.” In fact, with just 2,900 miles on the odometer after sitting in storage for over thirty years, the car shows barely a hint of the decades that have passed since it last saw the road and required very little to return it to perfect readiness.
Like the other two Italians in this barn-find trifecta, the Dino’s original tires and Koni shock absorbers needed replacements. In addition, the water pump required servicing and the coolant lines were replaced with stainless steel pieces; the dual fuel tanks have also been drained and cleaned, the crossover fuel lines replaced, and the carburetors rebuilt. Otherwise, the car looks and runs as if it left Chinetti’s dealership just yesterday.
The Dino’s Rosso Corsa paint is very good overall with some checking, and the Tan interior, which features Daytona-style bucket seats, has been described as “flawless.” All chrome is in excellent condition save for slight pitting in the left front bumper, probably the result of the car’s orientation in the corner of the storage building where it was found. The rubber is supple throughout, with the exception of the lift-off roof panel sealing strips, which will soon give way to correct replacements.
Citing some of the details that reveal a car’s secrets to the practiced eye, the cadmium- and zinc-plated components show none of the deterioration that normally happens over time, and the nylon ties used to secure undercarriage lines and hoses, normally yellowed and dried out over the years, are still fresh and white, looking like they were just installed.
Unlike most barn finds, the Dino also holds a treasure trove of documentation in the form of the original buyer’s order and sales contract from Luigi Chinetti Motors, Inc., complete manuals, the original dusting cloth and the complete original toolkit, all in an astonishingly well-preserved example, the likes of which we may never see again.