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Fiat Dino 2400 Spider – 1971

“Everything you see I owe to spaghetti”. The quote by Sophia Loren is probably known by most people. It might as well go for the Fiat Dino Spider. While the Dino coupe from Giugaro and Bertone is elegant, but with a masculine expression, its open sister from Pininfarina shows as inarguably feminine and sensual curves as the most sexy woman of the 1950s and 60s, Sophia Loren.

The 2400 Spider has a lot of things going for itself. The independent coil sprung rear suspension comes from the Fiat 130 coupe. The bullet proof 5-speed gearbox is from ZF and as used by Aston Martin. Brakes are shared with the more powerful De Tomaso Pantera and Lamborghini Miura. The advanced electronic Dinoplex ignition was developed especially for high revving Ferrari engines by Magneti Marelli and has proved its efficiency in Le Mans.

Engines were all built by Fiat in Torino with same technical specifications and regardless of whether they went into a Fiat Dino or the Dino 246 GT. Despite different factory claims from Fiat (180 BHP) and Ferrari (195 BHP) they developed the same horsepower output. While the Fiat Dino with 2.0 engine were built by Fiat in Torino, the 2400 Fiat Dino were built at the Ferrari plant in Maranello, by Ferrari mechanics and side by side with the 246 GT’s. Its is therefore as much, or as little, a Ferrari as the Dino 246 GT. The fact is that they all belong to the Dino family and none of the cars were ever badged as a Ferrari.

The non-factory paint on this car is old and shows scratches and cracks in certain areas. The body is however very straight with no dents. Fitting of panels and doors are excellent and with the even gaps all around that are typical for an unrestored, unwelded and accident free original car in good condition. The original upholstery shows wear and both seats are cracked. Wood veneer on dashborad is partially faded by sun. This is about the worst that that can be said about this car.

All mechanics are in very good condition. Both cylinder heads were rebuilt 8 years ago and the car has done less than 5.000 km since. The engine runs superb and is the best 2.4 we have driven including several 2400 coupes and 246 GT’s. The 5-speed ZF gearbox is precise and shifts flawlessly. Suspension, brakes and steering are all sharp and the car drives smoothly and precise with no sqeaks or rattles from suspension whatsoever.

With only 424 built cars out of a total production of 7.803 Fiat Dinos, the 2400 Spider is indeed the most rare of all production Dino’s including the 246 GT’s. This is a good opportunity to acquire one of these highly sought after cars as they rarely come up for sale. It is priced at the lower end of the market reflecting that some buyers might find it in need of a new paint job and upholstery work. Otherwise it is a fantastic driver and can easily be enjoyed as it is.