Stunning Ferrari Dino prototype fetches €4.4 million at Retromobile

As Pininfarina’s first mid-engined Ferrari concept car, the 1965 Dino Berlinetta Speciale is truly the father of not just the Dino 206/246 but also all the mid-engined two-seater Ferraris that came after it, up to and including the latest 488 GTB. It is one of the most important and influential concept cars ever, and a defining moment in the Ferrari/Pininfarina relationship.

This is one car that deserves to be in a museum, which is where it has been since the 1960s, as a static display in the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s museum in Le Mans. It was the ACO that was selling it – with a high estimate from auctioneers Artcurial of up to €8 million.

Bidding started at €3m and, as the auctioneers were quick to point out, there was no reserve so one way or another the car was definitely going to a new home. Bids increased by €100,000, stalling after 20 minutes at the €3.8m mark (that’s €4.4 million including the premium). Not quite what Artcurial imagined perhaps but still worthy of plenty shouts of “Bravo!” and a round of applause. 

And the Dino 246 GT that came before it in Artcurial’s Retromobile sale? At €226,000 that didn’t make its reserve and was passed on… unlike another red Ferrari, a Ferrari 328 GTS, that came after the Dino concept. The 328 started at €40,000 and in what was a welcome step back to reality, sold for €74,000. 

Artcurial’s sale had top billing during the Retromobile show and the results lived up to it. Overall 73 per cent of the 154 lots were sold, totalling €32 million (about £27m), a third up on the event last year – excluding the one-off €32.1m sale of the Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti in the 2016 auction.

There might have been nothing of that order this year but still, Artcurial is claiming four new world records, with 59 lots selling for more than €100,000, 11 for more than €500,000, and six that breached the million mark. At €2.3m, the 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante sold for more than twice its presale estimate. It was the only one of the top 10 cars (see list below) that went to America; all the others were sold to European collectors.

Artcurial’s honorary chairman Hervé Poulain said: ”The current market shows both a robustness and a real vitality.” 

Top 10 Artcurial sales at Retromobile

1965 Dino Berlinetta Speciale by Pinin Farina, €4,390,400 (including premium)

1948 Ferrari 166 Spyder Corsa by Scaglietti, €2,960,400

1972 Lamborghini Miura SV, €2,338,400

1935 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante, €2,331,200

1987 Porsche 959 Komfort, €1,130,000

1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, €1,060,900

1968 Lamborghini Miura P400, €888,000

1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona by Scaglietti, €798,600

1957 OSCA Tipo S273, €578,100

1970 Maserati Ghibli Spyder 4.7, €560,200

Photography by Tom Shaxson