 1971 Ferrari Dino 246GT: imagine it with the 599's face |
Despite vigorous denials from Modena, there will be a 'cheap' Ferrari, slotting in under the 430 Modena, reports Auto Express.
The iconic company is preparing to launch the 420 Dino, said the magazine. With a face bearing a resemblance to the 599 Fiorano but a body suspiciously like a Porsche Cayman, the car (pic on the Auto Express Web site -- see link below) will cost some £80,000 to £90,000, filling the gap left by the inexorable price hikes for the current entry-level 430 Modena, whose base price is now over £120,000.
The Dino takes its name of course from founder Enzo Ferrari's son, and the number from the 4.2-litre, 90-degree V8 that'll sit under the bonnet -- it'll be a front-engined car with around 480bhp. It's designed to compete with the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Porsche 911. The original Dino, which lasted from 1968 to 1976, was powered by the end of its life by a 195bhp 2.4-litre V6.
According to the story, there's some debate as to whether the first 420 Dino to be launchedl will be a coupé-cabriolet with a folding hard-top, or a hard-top GTB, which will then be followed by a targa model. The car's not due to launch until 2010, so Ferrari has a little time to make up its mind.
The company expects to make up to 5,000 cars a year, with the costs of production to be shared around a number of partners, including aluminium manufacturing specialist Alcoa, whose job it'll be to build the chassis. The bodywork will be in carbon fibre -- crashing or even grazing it could be very expensive.
And with that gap plugged, this means the 430 Modena's replacement can be even more expensive -- expect it to be closer to £150,000 and deliver maybe 550bhp. Auto Express reckons it'll also arrive around 2010.
For pictures, follow the link:
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)