For those who have ever argued whether the 1968-1974 Dino was a “real” Ferrari, rest assured, it is. The debate was rooted in Enzo Ferrari’s decision to name the sports car for his son, Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari, who died in 1956. The young engineer had provided inspiration and technical input for a race-winning V6 engine that, a decade later, powered this pivotal road car in the Ferrari lineage. It was the exotic automaker’s first mid-engine model and the progenitor of a line that continues today. Recent near-million-dollar auction sales for Dinos have drawn attention.
Pioneering Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov would have been thrilled to see the new-generation mid-engine Vette comparing favorably with far more expensive sports cars. And he would have been floored to see the new-for-2023 Z06 version called “an American Ferrari” by a leading automotive magazine. Lapping a racetrack faster than all but a handful of exotics and priced from $110,000 to nearly $180,000 with all options, the Corvette Z06 has indeed “arrived” in a new echelon of the performance car world.
Will the 812 GTS be Ferrari’s final front-engine, naturally aspirated V-12 spider? Based on the appropriately named 812 Superfast Berlinetta, the 812 GTS shares a lineage with a line of classic open Ferraris, including the magnificent 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider of the early ’70s. The 812 GTS has a retractable hardtop roof and a 789-horsepower 6.5-liter V-12. Bonhams’ Scottsdale auction is offering a 2021 812 GTS with just 217 miles.
All those rumors of a V6-powered Ferrari turned out to be true. The Ferrari 296GTB unveiled on June 25 is a mid-engine model with a new V6, and it’s part of a hybrid electric powertrain that cranks out an astounding 818 horsepower.
The first mid-engine Corvette is finally going into production in February. The $59,995 base price seems almost unbelievable until you remember that Chevrolet will make it up in volume.
Ferrari revealed its new F8 Spider and 812 GTS near the start of fall. Both are regular production Ferraris and the 812 GTS has no production limit and is based on the 812 Superfast.
If you fell in love with the Ferrari 488 but didn’t get one, you now have the luxury of more choices. You could get on a wait list for its replacement, the F8 Tributo that debuted on March 5 at the Geneva Auto Show. Or, you could take your pick from all the 458s and 488s that will be traded in for the new car.
