The Fiat Dino 2400 Spider

The 1970 Fiat Dino 2400 Spider is a car whose origins can be traced back to a dilemma faced by Enzo Ferrari in the mid-1960s. To obtain the necessary homologation for his new Formula 2 single-seater, Il Commendatore needed to build 500 road-going cars powered by his race-bred V6.

The trouble was, Ferrari’s clientele was never going to go crazy for a two-litre six-cylinder engine when they’d fallen for the brand precisely because of its grand and intoxicatingly powerful V12. A savvy business decision was thus taken to fit these new four-cam engines in a less expensive Fiat sports car billed as a Dino, which was to be offered in both Coupe and Spider guises.

While the Coupe was styled by Bertone and was, in our honest opinion, a bit frumpy, the soft-edged Spider was entrusted to Pininfarina and was a delectable little thing. The echoes of Ferrari 206 GT were clear to see, especially in those voluptuous curves atop the wheels, though the car bore a distinct personality of its own.

Records show that 1,163 Fiat Dino Spiders were built, though only 420 of those were in the enhanced and most desirable 2400 specification. The Dino 2400 Spiders benefitted from a torquier 2-4-litre engine (the same as the unit found in the Ferrari 246 GT) and independent rear suspension.

This Fiat Dino 2400 Spider

The Fiat Dino 2400 Spider we’re offering was built by Fiat in 1970 and registered in Milan by its first owner on 7 August. In 1978, one Rosanna Brighenti from Caldonazzo in Italy became the second owner, choosing to re-register the car in Trento. The car was assigned the number ‘TN 250718’.

This Fiat Dino had two further Italian owners, the latter of whom boasted an impressive and sizeable collection of predominantly Italian classics, before it was bought by its current owner in 2014.

Its current owner, a prominent collector based in England, was attracted by both its elegant colour combination of metallic silver over red and its impressive condition – the Dino is believed to have been restored during its tenure in Italy, the results of which are still obvious today.

Since 2014, this Fiat Dino Spider has been maintained and serviced by The Light Car Company, and having received the car here at Belchers Farm, we can confirm that it presents beautifully. There are so many intricate details to drink in on these charming little roadsters, the combined result of which we believe elevate it far closer in desirability to its Ferrari cousin than its value would suggest.

Take the tiny half-moons on the bottoms of the needles on the dash, for example, or the tiny Dino scripts on the pieces of chrome trim behind the front wheels. Fortunately, once you’ve stopped ogling the car in minute detail and fired up that rorty 180bhp V6, this UK-registered Fiat Dino Spider is a joy to drive, boasting all the spriteliness and agility its sinuous curves would suggest. Just why aren’t these cars on the radar of more collectors?

Price: £135,000 (GBP)