Italian car and coach builders have always been quick to collaborate. A prime example came in the latter half of the 1960s when Ferrari came knocking on FIAT’s door. In fact, by the time we are done with this story, we will have built a very well rounded list of Who’s Who in the World of 1960-70 Italian Auto Manufacturing.
In the 1960s, Ferrari was developing a car to compete in F2 racing. However, F2 rules had changed. Cars were now required to be homologated; that is, the engines had to be used in 500 street cars in order to race in F2. At that time, Ferrari was not building 500 cars a year.
So Enzo Ferrari called Giovanni Agnelli.
FIAT agreed to sell cars with the Ferrari engines and even agreed to rush production of the first 500 cars in order to allow Ferrari a speedy homologation. Not only that – FIAT would build the Ferrari engines! Aldo Brovarone, at Pininfarina, designed the Spider version. Giorgetto Giugiaro and Bertone designed the Coupe version. When Giugiaro moved on to Ghia, Marcello Gandini finished the design.
But the name dropping isn’t over.
The engine itself was a Ferrari V-6 designed to race. FIAT had Aurelio Lampredi, who had come to FIAT from Ferrari, make the V-6 calm enough for street use. So, we had Ferrari designed engines modified by FIAT and built by FIAT and car bodies designed and built by Pininfarina and Bertone put together at FIAT’s Rivalta assembly plant in Torino.
It will get even stranger in a bit.
Following the 1950s death of Alfredo Ferrari, nicknamed “Dino”, Ferrari had called their V-6s "Dino"s. Alfredo had championed V-6 engines at Ferrari, so it was a fitting honor.
Ferrari put the engine in their Dino 206 GT and Dino 246 GT (both also styled by Pininfarina) and the Dino 308 GT4, styled by Bertone. To avoid confusion, FIAT called their vehicles the Dino Spider and Dino Coupe. Ummm…yeah. Not confusing at all. Imagine the confusion of any spectator noticing the “FIAT” stamp on the Ferraris’ engine blocks.
From 1966-1969, all the Dinos sported 2.0L engines capable of, well…it depends upon who you ask. FIAT claimed 158 hp. Ferrari, on the other hand, talking about the exact same engine, claimed 180hp. Independent auto journalists sided with FIAT, stating Ferrari had no technical data to support their claims. Torque maxed at 120 ft-lbs at 6,000 rpm.
The FIATS had 4-wheel disc brakes, independent front suspension and a live axle rear. While not ground-breaking in terms of suspension, the FIAT Dinos did break new ground with their ignition system. In 1968, the Dino became the first car with electronic ignition standard, courtesy of Magneti Marelli.
The Ferrari Dino 206 GT also broke new ground, becoming the first mid-engine car produced by Ferrari.
In 1969, the engines were upgraded to 2.4Ls. The FIATs now sported independent rear suspension to match the front and added an anti-roll bar. Needless to say, road handling was much improved.
The 2.4L upgraded the Dino’s horsepower to 178 with 159 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm.
A few of the early 2.4 Dinos were produced at Rivalta, but by late 1969, production of the FIATS switched to Ferrari’s plant at Maranella alongside the Ferrari Dino 246 GT.
Yes, most of the FIAT Dino 2400s were born on a Ferrari assembly line! ( I told you it got stranger.)
Overall, the Coupes sold far more copies than the Spiders. FIAT ended up selling around 7,500 units overall, with about 6,000 of those being Coupes and 1,500 being Spiders. The rarest, and certainly most highly prized now, are the ~420 Spiders built at Ferrari. Well preserved copies of Ferrari-built FIAT Dino 2400 Spiders have topped $240,000 at auction.
We are not yet quite done adding names to the mix though.
As Ferrari and FIAT ended production of their respective cars using the Dino V-6 2.4L, Ferrari allowed Lancia to use the motor. Lancia immediately put a version of the motor into their Stratos and proceeded to win 4 WRC championships with it.
We have several FIAT Dinos in Fiat Club America. I have been lucky enough to see 2. If you ever have similar luck to catch sight of one in the wild, remember you are literally viewing a Who’s Who of Italian automotive design and engineering from the 1960s and 1970s all wrapped up into one pretty little FIAT Coupe or Spider.
~Michael "Tazilon" Brenner
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Car and Driver, John Phillips, “The Best Odds: 1966-1972 FIAT Dino Spider”, 30 Aug 2025
Carrozzieri Italiano, Andreas Schdeil, “FIAT Dino: When Ferrari’s Race Engine Moved in With FIAT” 10 Feb 2025
Autoevolution, Vlad Radu, 1966-1973: “The Story of FIAT’s Iconic Ferrari V-6 Powered Sports Car” 23 Apr 2025
En.wheelz.me, “A Classic Italian Stallion: The 1969 FIAT Dino 2400 Coupe”, 28 Jan 2025, no author cited
Car Origins, “The Unlikely Offspring: A Chronicle of the FIAT Dino’s Evolution”, no date or author cited
Motor Trend, Rory, Jurnecka, “This Fiat Looks Like a Cruiser, but It Hides a Ferrari Heartbeat”, 13 Oct 2025