Description

The Ferrari Dino Berlinetta GT, officially unveiled at the 1965 Paris Motor Show as a prototype, was one of the first road-going Ferraris to carry the Dino name. Conceived as a tribute to Enzo Ferrari’s late son Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari, who had been a strong advocate of V6 engines, the Berlinetta GT was intended as a smaller, lighter, and more affordable Ferrari compared to the larger V12 grand tourers. It represented a significant shift in Ferrari’s road car philosophy, laying the foundation for the later production Dino 206 GT and 246 GT models that became icons of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The Berlinetta GT prototype was powered by a 1.6-liter V6 engine producing around 180 horsepower, derived from Ferrari’s racing program and closely related to the engines used in the Dino Formula 2 cars. Mounted transversely behind the driver, this mid-engine configuration was revolutionary for a Ferrari road car at the time, as all of Ferrari’s earlier road models had been front-engined. The decision to place the engine in the middle was heavily influenced by developments in racing, where mid-engined layouts were quickly proving superior in terms of balance and handling.

The bodywork was designed by Pininfarina and executed with the flowing, organic curves that defined Italian automotive design in the 1960s. Compact, low-slung, and elegant, the Dino Berlinetta GT had a distinctive fastback profile, with smoothly integrated wheel arches and a minimalist nose. Its proportions emphasized agility and lightness rather than brute power, setting it apart from Ferrari’s larger grand touring cars. The design was both futuristic and graceful, establishing a style language that would carry directly into the production Dinos.

Though the Dino Berlinetta GT was initially conceived as a concept car, its reception was overwhelmingly positive, and it convinced Ferrari to move forward with a mid-engined road car line under the Dino sub-brand. Ferrari’s strategy was to sell these smaller cars under the Dino name rather than Ferrari, both to differentiate them from the V12 flagships and to honor Alfredo Ferrari’s legacy. This eventually resulted in the Dino 206 GT and later the 246 GT, which shared the same design philosophy as the Berlinetta GT but with larger-displacement V6 engines.

The importance of the Dino Berlinetta GT lies not so much in its direct achievements but in its role as a turning point in Ferrari’s history. It was the first real step toward Ferrari producing mid-engined sports cars for customers, a move that would shape the brand’s identity for decades. Today, the Berlinetta GT is remembered as a pivotal concept that bridged the gap between Ferrari’s racing experience and its road car evolution, embodying both innovation and emotional heritage in one elegant package.