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The Fiat Dino – A Fiat With A Ferrari Formula 2 Engine

The story behind the Fiat Dino is legendary. It’s a car that only exists because of a rule change for Formula 2 racing in the late 1960s, which after much wheeling and dealing with Enzo Ferrari, resulted in a handsome Fiat grand tourer fitted with a modified version of the Ferrari-designed engine from the company’s Formula 2 race car.

This rule change required F2 engines to have no more than six cylinders, and they needed to be based on a road-car engine with a minimum of 500 produced in any given year. This homologation requirement was beyond Ferrari’s production capabilities at the time and so Enzo Ferrari went looking for a solution.

The solution to this dilemma would be Fiat, the famous Italian automaker who needed a new halo car at the top of its model range. A deal was struck that included Ferrari engineers designing a version of the F2 engine for road use, this engine would then be built by Fiat and used in both the Fiat Dino and the Ferrari Dino.

Now some will be quick to point out that the original Ferrari Dino was in fact never called the Ferrari Dino, it was just called the Dino. Many enthusiasts and motoring history buffs refer to it as the Ferrari Dino for the simple fact that it was built by Ferrari, and this name helps to differentiate it from the other car to share its engine – the Fiat Dino.

By the mid-1960s Enzo Ferrari had noticed the popularity of the then-new Porsche 911 – a rear-engined six-cylinder sports car that was priced well below a Ferrari and which was selling in significant numbers. Enzo wanted to develop a competitor for the 911 but he didn’t want to dilute the Ferrari brand name, so instead he created a new marque named Dino in memory of his son who had died in 1956.

The Dino that the team at Ferrari designed would have the engine behind the driver just like the 911, though in a mid-engined position rather than rear-engined, it would also have six cylinders, it would sell for considerably less than a Ferrari, and it would prove slightly faster than its rival from Stuttgart.

Above Image: The engine that powered both the Fiat and Ferrari Dino, a lightweight all-alloy 2.0 litre V6.

The Fiat Dino was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone, it looked nothing like its Ferrari-built sibling with its engine instead mounted up front and a passenger cabin that could accommodate four people, with space for luggage in the trunk.

Of course the centerpiece of the Fiat Dino is its engine, its design is said to be somewhat related to a V6 Formula 2 engine designed by Alfredo Ferrari in the 1950s before his death, though the Dino engine used in this application was a newer design by Vittorio Jano.

This V6 has a swept capacity of 1,987 cc, a 65º bank angle between the cylinders, double overhead cams per bank, an alloy block and heads, and hemispherical combustion chambers. It would later be offered in more powerful 2.4 litre form, however in its original 2.0 litre form it was capable of 180 bhp at 6,600 rpm and 120 lb ft of torque at 6,000 rpm. This power was sent back through a five-speed gearbox to a limited-slip differential.

The Fiat Dino has steel unibody construction, double wishbone independent front suspension, a live axle on leaf springs in the rear, and it has four wheel disc brakes. The performance and comfort of the Fiat Dino ensured it was a popular car when it was released, despite the fact that only 500 needed to be made for homologation Fiat would sell 1,133 of the first generation and 424 of the second generation.

The 1967 Fiat Dino Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1967 Fiat Dino that is presented in what is arguably the best color for the model – bright red. With just 25 miles on the odometer after a comprehensive restoration, this Dino is doubtless one of the best in the world and it’s about as close as anyone can possibly come to buying a brand new car.

During the restoration the car was fully disassembled and taken back to bare metal, the engine was rebuilt along with the transmission, and the completed car is now presented in immaculate condition throughout.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to roll across the auction block on the 22nd of May with a price estimate of $60,000 to $80,000 USD.

The post The Fiat Dino – A Fiat With A Ferrari Formula 2 Engine appeared first on Silodrome.

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A Porsche-Diesel Super 319 “Volks Schlepper” Tractor – $20,000 to $30,000 USD

Finding a restored 1960s-era Porsche for sale with a projected price of between $20,000 and $30,000 USD isn’t something we’ve typically seen for decades, not since the popularity of older air-cooled cars from Stuttgart took off like a rocket.

The only vehicles carrying Porsche badges from this era that fall anywhere near the affordable range now are mostly tractors, with diesel powered air-cooled engines and gleaming bright red paintwork.

Most members of the classic car world are well acquainted with the fact that Ferruccio Lamborghini built tractors long before he began building supercars, but many don’t know that Ferdinand Porsche designed a slew of tractors himself – some of which remain in service on farms and vineyards to this day.

The Porsche-Diesel Super was built between 1956 and 1963 but the design work on the first Porsche tractors had begun all the way back in the early 1930s alongside the car that would become known as the Volkswagen Beetle.

The connection between the Beetle as the “folk’s wagon” or “people’s car” and the Nazis have been well documented, but many don’t know that Ferdinand Porsche was also designing a “volks schlepper” or “people’s tractor” right alongside it.

Much like the Beetle these Porsche tractors were designed to be as mechanically simple and reliable as possible, they were also designed with a hydraulic coupling between the engine and transmission – to make them easy to drive and eliminate the chance of the driver burning out the clutch.

Porsche tractors were offered with 1, 2, 3, or 4 cylinder diesel engines – these engines were designed to be as tough as possible and unusually it was possible to remove each cylinder and its head individually. This helped simplify the process of working on them considerably and it meant a single person could perform extensive work on an engine without needing additional help to lift long cylinder heads and other heavy parts.

Above Image: The transmission levers are positioned between the legs, one is for changing gear and the other for changing between the two transmission ratios.

Despite the fact that the Porsche tractor designs were advanced they couldn’t be put into production immediately after the war as only companies that already had experience building tractors were permitted to start building them once again – due to tight restrictions on materials.

As a result of this, Porsche licensed his designs to two companies to build them under contract, one German company and one Austrian. This all changed in 1956 when Mannesmann AG bought the rights to the engine and tractor design, putting them into mass production in Germany in a former Zeppelin factory. From 1956 until 1963 this factory built over 125,000 Porsche-Diesel tractors and exported many of them around the world.

During the years of production only 1,000 or so Porsche-Diesel tractors were sold in North America, locally built tractors were far more affordable and at this time the Porsche brandname wasn’t yet quite as famous as it is today.

The top of the line Porsche tractor was the Porsche-Diesel Super, it’s powered by an air-cooled, four-stroke diesel engine with a swept capacity of 2,466cc. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 4-speed dual-ratio transmission and there’s a power takeoff for powering farm machinery and ancillaries.

The demand for restored Porsche tractors has been shooting up in recent years and as a result we’re seeing more and more of them come to market. There are clubs dedicated to keeping them on the road and helping to source parts, and they’re warmly welcomed at both car shows and rural shows for display.

The restored Porsche-Diesel Super you see here benefits from a full restoration, it’s accompanied by owner’s manuals and restoration invoices, and it’s being offered with a price guide of $20,000 to $30,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s.

The post A Porsche-Diesel Super 319 “Volks Schlepper” Tractor – $20,000 to $30,000 USD appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/porsche-diesel-super-tractor-volks-schlepper/
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Porsche 924 Carrera GTR – 1 Of 17 Factory-Built Examples

The Porsche 924 Carrera GTR is remembered today as the ultimate iteration of the 924 thanks to its turbocharged inline-four cylinder engine that was turning out 375 bhp in race trim – enough to give the car a top speed of 180 mph and a 0 to 60 mph time of just 4.7 seconds. Not bad for a 2.0 litre.

As the model name suggests, the 924 Carrera GTR was developed for racing. Porsche would enter the model into a number of world class events, the most famous of which was the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Endurance racing typically rewards reliability and fuel economy as both of these factors mean cars spend less time in the pits and more time out on track. With its 2.0 turbo the 924 GTR proved remarkably reliable despite the engine’s high state of tune, and it was less thirsty than its naturally aspirated rivals – in fact it spent the least time out of any other car in the pits.

The GTR was based on the regular road going Porsche 924, a car that had sold well for Porsche but received mixed reviews from the motoring press. The project to build the 924 had originally been a joint effort between Volkswagen and Porsche, two companies with history going back decades.

Originally dubbed “Project 425” the plan had been for Porsche to design the car using an existing VW/Audi inline-four engine, the car would then be sold by both VW and Porsche, with Porsche using it as their entry level model to replace the aging Porsche 914.

Due to the 1973 Oil Crisis VW pulled out of the deal, Porsche bought the rights to it and continued on their own, and the car would become the German automakers first production car with a front engine, rear wheel drive configuration.

The design of the 924 was sleek and it won the car many admirers, it’s been suggest that these admirers included the design team of the first generation Mazda RX7 which was released in 1978 and bares more than a passing resemblance to the 924.

Above Image: The car is fitted with 16 inch centerlock BBS alloy wheels fitted with internally-finned turbine covers to improve brake cooling.

Porsche engineers took an Audi four-speed manual transmission to use in the 924, it was originally a front-wheel drive transmission but Porsche engineers modified it and used it as a rear-mounted transaxle to help give the car better weight distribution.

As an “affordable” entry level sports car carrying the famous Porsche badge, the 924 sold well, in fact it helped keep Porsche alive for a few critical years. A small number of higher performance versions of the model were released including the Porsche 924 Turbo, the Porsche Carrera GT, and the car you see here, the Porsche 924 Carrera GTR.

It would be the Carrera GTR that would provide the stylistic basis for what the Porsche 944 would become, a model that shared largely the same underpinnings as its predecessor. By the time the Porsche 924 left production in 1988 over 150,000 had been built and Porsche was on much firmer financial ground.

The Porsche 924 Carrera GTR Shown Here

The Porsche 924 Carrera GTR you see here is one of few that were never raced in period, the car was bought by a Japanese owner who kept the car fastidiously well-maintained.

It is believed that he drove it a few times at Suzuka and Fuji however it’s thought that the car was never raced competitively, and as a result it remains in remarkable condition throughout thanks to regular annual servicing by Porsche specialists.

As one of just 17 factory-built customer cars this 924 Carrera GTR will be high on the wish list for any Porsche collector, and the opportunity to buy one this well preserved is rare.

RM Sotheby’s will be offering the car at the Amelia Island auction on the 22nd of May with a price guide of $375,000 to $450,000 USD, if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

The post Porsche 924 Carrera GTR – 1 Of 17 Factory-Built Examples appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/porsche-924-carrera-gtr/
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Original Helmet From Steve McQueen’s “Le Mans” Film

Few motorsport films have been as enduringly popular as Steve McQueen’s epic 1971 cinematic effort Le Mans. The movie was partly filmed during the actual running of the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans and funnily enough the production company’s camera car finished 9th overall and 2nd in class (though it wasn’t officially counted).

I won’t dig into the plot here as it’ll ruin it for those of you who haven’t seen it, I can tell you that the film includes genuinely remarkable footage of the race and the cars of the era, including the Porsche 917 and Ferrari 512.

The helmet you see here was worn by Fred Haltiner as the character Johann Ritter, the listing explains that it was also worn at times by Steve McQueen, Brian Redman, Jo Siffert, and Derek Bell.

After filming wrapped the helmet was autographed by 13 people including Dr Wolfgang Porsche, Jackie Ickx, Hans Herrmann, Herbert Linge, and a number of others.

This lot is said to also contain photo evidence Steve McQueen wearing the helmet and some shots of the film shoot. The starting bid is listed as €18,000 ($21,800 USD) and no bids have been cast at the time of writing, there are still over 8 days left to get your bid in however.

Visit The Listing

Images courtesy of Live Auctioneers

The post Original Helmet From Steve McQueen’s “Le Mans” Film appeared first on Silodrome.

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The AMC Spirit AMX – The Gremlin’s Handsome Younger Brother

This is a first year AMC Spirit AMX from 1979, this was the high-performance version of the then-new AMC Spirit – a compact car capable of good fuel efficiency that could still fit the company’s 304 cu. in. V8 under the hood.

Although it wasn’t originally intended as a race car the AMC Spirit , and the AMC Spirit AMX in particular, proved remarkably competitive as both circuit and drag racing cars. The Spirit AMX famously won its class at the 1979 Nürburgring 24 Hour endurance race, taking 1st and 2nd in class from a field of 120 cars.

The team’s drivers included A-list actor James Brolin as well as AMC drivers Amos Johnson and Dennis Shaw, factory Mazda driver Jim Downing, Lyn St. James (who would become the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award), and motoring journalist Gary Witzenburg.

Other AMC Spirits were also raced by privateers in International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Champion Spark Plug Challenge and Racing Stock Class events, and due to their small size and ability to accommodate a V8 they became popular with drag racers.

Above Video: Watch the exploits of the AMX team including actor James Brolin that took 1st and 2nd in class at the 1979 Nürburgring 24 Hour endurance race.

When it was first released in 1979 AMC offered the Spirit the base engine was a 121 cu. in. (2.0 litre) inline-four supplied by Audi, fundamentally the same engine used in the Porsche 924 though with some modifications applied by AMC.

The car was built on a modified version of the AMC Gremlin platform, a car that had shown great promise but had struggled due to its rather unconventional looks.

Buyers could opt to upgrade the base engine to either AMC’s 232 cu. in. (3.8 litre) or 258 cu. in. (4.2 litre) straight-sixes, with the top engine option being the 304 cu. in. (5.0 litre) AMC V8. Transmission choices included both a 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic as well as both 4 and 5-speed manual transmissions over the life of the model.

The two most interesting cars that were based on the Spirit platform were doubtless the sporting Spirit AMX and the unusual AMC SX/4 – a four-wheel drive version with lifted suspension that many now consider to be decades ahead of its time.

Collector interest in these cars seems to have been increasing in recent years and it’s getting harder to find good examples that are original and rust free. Many were scrapped years ago when their values were low, sadly a common plight for cars like this.

The 1979 AMC Spirit AMX Shown Here

The car you see here is a first year model Spirit AMX, it’s fitted with the 304 V8 as you would expect, sending 125 hp to the rear axle through a TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

This amount of power from a 5.0 litre V8 seems a little low however this is mostly down to emissions requirements, owners have found a number of ways of increasing the power output to well over 200 hp relatively quickly.

As an AMX this car has the popular decals installed over a black background, it’s currently showing fewer than 8,400 miles on the odometer, and it has air conditioning, power locks, power steering, and power brakes.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to cross the auction block in late April with a price guide of $30,000 to $35,000 USD.

The post The AMC Spirit AMX – The Gremlin’s Handsome Younger Brother appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/amc-spirit-amx-car/
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For Sale: A Bombardier B7 – An Original V8-Powered 7 Person Snow Coach

It’s not everyday you get the chance to buy a restored Bombardier B7, these were the world’s first dedicated production “snow coaches” able to carry groups of people, and this one is powered by a 221 cu. in Ford Flathead V8.

The Bombardier B7 was designed by mechanic and self-taught engineer Joseph-Armand Bombardier after his 2 year old son Yvon died during the winter because no vehicles could traverse the snow and get him to hospital.

Joseph-Armand was heartbroken by this loss, upon realizing it was a tragically common event, particularly for people in more remote Canadian communities, he set about creating a vehicle that would “float on snow” – allowing freedom of movement all year long.

The First Bombardier Snow Coaches

His first design was completed in 1935 and patented shortly thereafter, he called it the Bombardier B7 because it could carry seven people including the driver. The key to the success of the B7 was its clever tracked rear and its interchangeable front end – you could attach either wheels or skis depending on the surfaces you expected to encounter.

Due to the weight of steel it was decided to build the bodies from nature’s carbon composite, otherwise known as wood, which would provide a cabin structure without being excessively heavy. The vehicles proved reliable and capable of tackling terrain that was sometimes impassable even on foot, as a result the demand for them was strong and the first Bombardier factory was established in 1940.

Soon the B7 was joined by the B12, a similar vehicle able to carry 12. These were boom times for the company and even the outbreak of World War II hasn’t stopped production – customers just needed to prove to the government why they needed a snow vehicle.

In 1948 disaster struck for Bombardier when the Quebec government began clearing snow from secondary roads, this meant that many people no longer needed a snow-capable vehicle during winter and orders dropped off a cliff.

Above Image: Joseph-Armand Bombardier with an early B7 – Image courtesy of the J. Armand Bombardier Museum.

Led by Joseph-Armand Bombardier the company began to pivot, in the early 1950s a new kind of personal snow vehicle was created by Bombardier to replace sleds with dogs – they called it the Ski-Dog but due to a mix up at the printshop creating the first brochures the vehicle became known as the “Ski-Doo.”

Over the course of the company’s history it would produce everything from trains and planes to jet skis, snowmobiles, and motorcycles. Today the aerospace division is a separate entity, however it remains one of the largest manufacturers of business and private jets in the world.

The 1940 Bombardier B7 Shown Here

The 1940 Bombardier B7 you see here is a rare surviving example, largely thanks to the fact that it spent many years of its life in a museum. It benefits from an older restoration and the woodwork all presents well – most original B7s haven’t survived to the rigors of their environment and the challenging jobs they were frequently asked to do.

This B7 is powered by a Ford Flathead V8 with a swept capacity of 221 cu. in. (3.62 litres), though it isn’t mentioned if this is the original engine. It’s mated to a 3-speed manual transmission driving the rear tracks.

Clearly the top speed of vehicles like this is relatively low due to the fact that they weren’t built to go fast, they were built to go slowly over just about any terrain you could point them at. It’s believed that this Bombardier was originally used at a ski resort, as many were. It has now been recommissioned for use and the seller reports that it is once again in running and driving order.

If you’d like to read more about this Bombardier or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on Bonhams, it’s due to roll across the auction block on the 20th of May at the Amelia Island Auction.

Above Image: The driver sits on the left and operates the transmission via a column shift, the B7 has both a heater and headlights, and it uses round portholes down the sides as they offer better strength in high winds.