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Dino 246, only original once

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Published on 07 March 2018

Later this year, it will be a quarter of a century since my friend bought his red Dino 246. I was a guest in his house when the car was delivered. The price? $100K. Now, two or three engine restos and at least two gearbox rebuilds later, his car is worth a great deal more money. It is also no longer red but the original colour (shall I say, yellow, green or blue?). The original steering wheel has been restored to its former glory. The car has been re-upholstered in Connolly hide. Inspecting it recently, I was overawed by the car's beauty and the rich scent of the hide. Back in the day, all Ferraris, it seemed, had to be red. But now we have a better understanding of the need to keep cars as they left the factory. As far as possible. Seeing this gorgeous machine made me ponder again about the relative merits of leaving a car absolutely untouched or returning to it to 'as new' condition. This car is much better than it was when it left the factory. I think the fact that it had experienced a colour change in its first couple of decades certainly justifies having it repainted but had my mate's Dino still been the original colour, I wouldn't be so sure. What do all you other club members think about this question: to restore or not to restore? Incidentally, the Dino was never officially called a 'Ferrari', Dino being a sub-brand.