www.QV500.com - Ferrari Dino Part 5: 206 GT Competition History

Despite Ferrari never intending to race the Dino, its combination of wonderful handling and spirited performance inevitably meant some found their way onto the track. Had the required number been completed for homologation into the two-litre GT classes, 206's would have been a really tantalising proposition. As it was though, production Dino's were rarely seen in competition. Both variants (206 and 246) were at the mercy of regulations that often put them up against much more powerful machinery and consequently, just a hanful of apperances were ever made. Luigi Chinetti was unsurprisingly behind one of these, his North American Racing Team preparing a 206 GT for what would become the models solitary international outing; the 1969 Sebring 12 Hours.

NART entered a lightly modified car for American's Sam Posey and Bob Dini. Fitted with an extra set of driving lights and plastic headlight covers, the front and rear bumpers had been removed. It was forced to run in the two-litre prototype class where Porsche 906 and 206 SP Dino prototypes were hot favourites, Posey doing well to qualify 29th overall. This was actually quicker than any other two-litre GT and suitably demonstrated the Dino could have been a class winner. Chinetti's car went on to last the full 12 hours, Dini and Posey eventually coming home in 36th overall having covered 166 laps. Good enough for tenth in the two-litre prototype class, the 206 would have been classified sixth had it been more appropriately categorised. Despite such obvious potential though, the 206 GT was never to compete on the international stage again.