<< Prev Page 2 of 2 There was one small hitch in Ferrari's plan; in order for the 206 S Dino to be in fact homologated as a Group 4 GT racer at least 50 examples had to be produced in a twelve-month period. Unfortunately for the Italian manufacturer labour unrest brought production to a halt, and understandably, Ferrari focused all its attention on readying the cars for the 1966 Formula 1 and Le Mans campaigns. This forced the few 206 S Dinos that were built to compete as prototypes.
This was a cruel twist of fate as the 206 S Dino proved to be as quick as it was beautiful. At the type's competition debut, the 1966 Sebring 12 Hours, Scarfiotti even briefly led the race shortly after the start. Sadly the reliability of the car was not up to Ferrari's usual levels and teething issues prevented the Dino converting the pace in many notable results. Highlights in 1966 included class wins at the Nürburgring and Spa and an outright victory in the Coppa Citta di Enna on Sicily.
In the second half of the year Ludovico Scarfiotti used one of the Dinos to defend his European Hill Climb championship but struggled against Gerhard Mitter in an eight-cylinder engined Porsche. He did win a round and several other privateers successfully campaigned their 206 S Dinos in local events. Due to the labour unrests, eventually only 18 examples were built of the lovely little Dino. They were raced for many years and one was even fitted with a body that resembled the much later 312 PB sports car.
Although not one of Ferrari's most successful racers, the 206 S Dino does remain as one of the prettiest cars to roll off the Maranello line. With only 18 built they are not quite as rare as the similarly styled 330 P3 and 330 P4 models but they are still highly sought after and quite a few have been in the same hands for many years. << Prev Page 2 of 2