View source for Fiat Dino

{{Infobox automobile
| name          = Fiat Dino
| image         = File:Fiat Dino reg 1968 1987 cc.JPG
| caption       = Fiat Dino Coupé
| manufacturer  = [[Fiat Automobiles|Fiat]]
| production    = 1966–1973
| assembly      = Italy: [[Rivalta di Torino|Rivalta]], Turin (1966–1969)<br />Italy: [[Maranello]], Modena (1969–1973)
| designer      = {{ubl|Spider:|Filippo Sapino at [[Pininfarina]]|Coupé:|[[Giorgetto Giugiaro]] at [[Gruppo Bertone|Bertone]] (initial design, 1963)<ref name="europeancarweb.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.europeancarweb.com/features/0203ec_italdesign_giugiaro/index.html |title=Italdesign Giugiaro |website=europeancarweb.com |access-date=24 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901042920/http://www.europeancarweb.com/features/0203ec_italdesign_giugiaro/index.html |archive-date=1 September 2007 }}</ref>|[[Marcello Gandini]] at Bertone (final design)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://driventowrite.com/2017/03/22/fiat-al-fredo-1967-fiat-dino-coupe/|title=Fiat al Fredo|website=driventowrite.com|date=22 March 2017 |access-date=9 January 2024}}</ref>
}}
| class         = [[Sports car]] ([[S-segment|S]])
| platform      =
| layout        = [[Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout|Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive]]
| body_style    = 2-door [[coupé]]<br />2-door [[Roadster (automobile)|spider]]
| related       = [[Dino 206 GT and 246 GT]]
| engine        = 2.0&nbsp;L ''[[Ferrari Dino engine|Dino]]'' [[V6 engine|V6]] (1966–69)<br />2.4&nbsp;L ''Dino'' V6 (1969–73)
| transmission  = 5-speed [[Manual transmission|manual]]
| wheelbase     = Coupé: {{convert|2550|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}<br />Spider: {{convert|2280|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}
| length        = Coupé: {{convert|4507|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}<br />Spider: {{convert|4109|–|4237|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}
| width         = Coupé: {{convert|1696|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}<br />Spider: {{convert|1709|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}
| height        = Coupé: {{convert|1287|–|1315|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}<br />Spider: {{convert|1245|–|1270|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}
| weight        = Coupé: {{convert|1270|–|1380|kg|lbs|0|abbr=on}}<br />Spider: {{convert|1150|–|1240|kg|lbs|0|abbr=on}}
| predecessor   = 
| successor     =
| sp = uk
}}
The '''Fiat Dino''' (Type 135) is a [[Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout|front-engine, rear-wheel-drive]] [[sports car]] produced by [[Fiat]] from 1966 to 1973. The Dino name refers to the [[Ferrari Dino engine|Ferrari Dino]] [[V6 engine]], produced by Fiat and installed in the cars to achieve the production numbers sufficient for Ferrari to [[homologate]] the engine for [[Formula 2]] racing.

==History==
===Background===
The Dino road cars came to be because of [[Enzo Ferrari]]'s need to [[Homologation|homologate]] a V6 engine for [[Formula 2]] racing cars.
In 1965 the [[Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile|Commission Sportive Internationale de la FIA]] had drawn up new rules, to be enacted for the 1967 season. F2 engines were required to have no more than six cylinders, and to be derived from a production engine, from a road car homologated in the GT class and produced in at least 500 examples within 12 months.<ref name="ruoteclassiche">{{cite journal |title=L'importanza di chiamarsi "Dino" |trans-title=The importance of being named "Dino" |journal=[[:it:Ruoteclassiche|Ruoteclassiche]] |date=February 2000 |number=136 |publisher=Editoriale Domus |location=Milan |pages=52–62}}</ref><ref name="lastampa 1965">{{cite news |url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,8/articleid,0102_01_1965_0051_0008_8164787/ |first=Ferruccio |last=Bernabò |title=La Fiat costruirà motori per la Ferrari |trans-title=Fiat will build engines for Ferrari |newspaper=[[La Stampa]] |date=2 March 1965 |language=it |access-date=30 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="epoca" />
Since a small manufacturer, like Ferrari was in the mid 60s, did not possess the production capacity to reach such quotas, an agreement was signed with [[Fiat]] and made public on 1 March 1965: Fiat would produce the 500 engines needed for the homologation, to be installed in a GT car which remained to be specified.<ref name="lastampa 1965" /><ref name="epoca" />

Dino was the nickname of Enzo's son [[Alfredo Ferrari]], who had died in 1956 and was credited with the concept for Ferrari's Formula 2 V6 racing engine, believed to be designed by [[Vittorio Jano]] with a peculiar 65° angle between the [[cylinder bank|cylinder banks]].<ref name="ruoteclassiche" /> In his memory, V6-engined Ferrari [[sports prototype]] racing cars had been named Dino since the late 1950s.
The conversion of this racing engine for road use and series production was entrusted to the engineer [[Aurelio Lampredi]], who had previously designed several 4-cylinder Ferrari engines. Interviewed in the early 1980s, Lampredi noted that "things didn't work out exactly as Ferrari had foreseen": Enzo Ferrari had counted on building the engines at [[Maranello]], but Fiat's management insisted on taking control of production, to avoid any breaks in the engine supply.
The resulting Fiat-built V6 ended up being installed in two very different vehicles: the Fiat Dino, a front-engined grand tourer assembled in Turin by Fiat, and in Ferrari's first series-produced [[Mid-engine design|mid-engined]] sports car, built in Maranello and sold under the newly created [[Dino (car)|Dino]] marque. Even on the cylinder block casting, the name FIAT was visible which was not in line with the newly created DINO make.

===Fiat Dino (1966–1969)===
[[File:Fiat Dino 2400 Coupe 2 (cropped).JPG|left|thumb|Side view of a 1971 Dino coupé 2400]]
[[File:Fiat Dino Coupé (5750756274) (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|Rear 3/4 view of a Dino coupé]]
The Fiat Dino was introduced as a 2-seater Spider at the [[Turin Motor Show]] in October 1966;<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,5/articleid,0112_01_1966_0251_0005_5416935/ |title=Ecco la "124" Sport e la Dino spider |first=Ferruccio |last=Bernabò |date=3 November 1966 |page=5 |newspaper=[[La Stampa]] |language=IT |access-date=28 May 2015}}</ref> a [[2+2 (car body style)|2+2]] Coupé version, built on a {{convert|{{#EXPR:2550-2280}}|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} longer [[wheelbase]], bowed a few months later at the [[Geneva Motor Show]] in March 1967.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,11/articleid,0114_01_1967_0051_0011_6707608/ |title=Ecco i coupé Fiat Dino e 124 Sport |first=Ferruccio |last=Bernabò |date=2 March 1967 |page=11 |newspaper=[[La Stampa]] |language=IT |access-date=28 May 2015}}</ref> The two bodies showed very different lines, as they had been designed and were manufactured for Fiat by two different coachbuilders: the Spider by [[Pininfarina]], and the Coupé by [[Gruppo Bertone|Bertone]]—where it had been sketched out by [[Giorgetto Giugiaro]] in 1963 and finished after his departure to [[Ghia]] by his replacement, [[Marcello Gandini]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicandsportscar.com/features/going-it-fiat-dino-2000-coupe-and-2300s-coupe|title=Going for it: Fiat Dino 2000 Coupé and 2300S Coupé|website=classicandsportscar.com|access-date=9 January 2024}}</ref> Curiously the Spider type approval identified it as a 2+1 seater.<ref name="ruoteclassiche" /> The Spider had poorer interior trim than the Coupé, below par for its class: the dashboard was covered in vinyl, the metal-spoke steering wheel had a plastic rim, and the interior switchgear was derived from cheaper Fiat models.<ref name="epoca" /> After a few months this issue was addressed, and Spiders produced after February 1967 had a wood-rimmed steering wheel as well as a wood trim on the dashboard  like the sister Coupé car had since the beginning.<ref name="epoca" />
Option lists for both models were limited to radio, metallic paint, leather upholstery, and for the Spider a vinyl-covered [[hardtop]] with roll-bar style stainless steel trim.

The car was offered with an all-aluminium [[DOHC]] 2.0&nbsp;L V6, coupled to a 5-speed [[manual transmission]]. The same 2.0-litre engine was used in mid-engined, Ferrari-built [[Dino 206 GT and 246 GT|Dino 206 GT]], which was introduced in pre-production form at the 1967 Turin Motor Show and went on sale in 1968.
Fiat quoted {{convert|160|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} for the Fiat Dino, while in 1967 Ferrari—presenting the first prototype of the Dino 206 GT—claimed {{convert|180|hp|abbr=on}} despite both engines being made by Fiat workers in Turin on the same production line, without any discrimination as to their destination. Jean-Pierre Gabriel in "Les Ferraris de Turin" notes that, "La declaration de Ferrari ne reposait sur aucun fondament technique"—Ferrari's statement had no technical basis.{{sfn|Gabriel|2003}}

===Fiat Dino 2400 (1969–1973)===
[[File:1970 Fiat Dino 2400 Spider Red (3174710741).jpg|thumb|right|1970 Fiat Dino 2400 Spider]]
In 1969, both Ferrari and Fiat introduced new 2.4-litre Dino models. The Fiat Dino 2400 premiered in October 1969 at the Turin Motor show; besides the larger engine, another notable improvements was [[independent rear suspension]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,5/articleid,0127_02_1969_0247_0005_6526881/ |title=La 128 Familiare, le Fiat Dino 2400 le 124 Sport 1600 novità del Salone |first=Ferruccio |last=Bernabò |date=27 October 1969 |page=5 |newspaper=[[La Stampa|Stampa Sera]] |language=IT |access-date=29 May 2015}}</ref>
The V6 now put out {{convert|180|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}}, and used a [[cast iron]] instead of the previous light alloy [[engine block]]; the same engine was installed on  the [[Dino 206 GT and 246 GT|Dino 246 GT]], Ferrari's evolution of the 206. Whereas the original Dino was equipped with a [[live axle|rigid axle]] suspended by [[leaf spring|leaf springs and 4 shock absorber]]s, 2.4-litre cars used a coil-sprung independent rear suspension with 2 shock absorbers derived from the [[Fiat 130]]. Rather than engine power and absolute speed, the most important consequence of the larger displacement was a marked increase in torque, available at lower engine speeds; the Dino 2400 had much better pickup, and it was found more usable, even in city traffic.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,17/articleid,0128_01_1969_0277_0017_4978883/ |title=La "Fiat Dino 2400", anche auto da città |first=Michele |last=Fenu |date=3 December 1969 |page=17 |newspaper=[[La Stampa]] |language=IT |access-date=29 May 2015}}</ref> Other modifications went on to improve the car's drivability and safety: larger diameter [[clutch]], new [[ZF Friedrichshafen|dogleg ZF]] gearbox with revised gear ratios, wider section [[Pirelli Cinturato]] tyres,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cinturato.net/page/index|title=Pirelli Cinturato ™|website=www.cinturato.net|access-date=14 February 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219121227/http://cinturato.net/page/index|archive-date=19 December 2014}}</ref> and upsized brake discs and callipers.

Cosmetic changes were comparatively minor. Both models were now badged "Dino 2400". On the coupé the previous silver honeycomb grille with the round Fiat logo on its centre had been replaced by a new black grille and a bonnet badge. A host of details were changed from chrome to matte black, namely part of the wheels, the vents on the front wings and the cabin ventilation outlets—the latter moved from next to the side windows to the rear window. At the rear there were different tail lights. The spider also sported a new grille with two horizontal chrome bars, five-bolt instead of [[Centerlock wheel|knock-off wheels]], as well as a new bumpers with rubber strips. Inside only the coupé received an entirely redesigned dashboard and new cloth seats, with optional leather seat upholstery; front seat headrests were standard on the coupé and optional on the spider.<ref name="ruoteclassiche" />

===Production===
Spider and coupé bodies were produced respectively by Pininfarina and Bertone. 2.0-litre and early 2.4-litre cars were assembled by Fiat in [[Rivalta di Torino]]. Starting from December 1969 the Fiat Dino was assembled in Maranello on Ferrari's production line, alongside the 246 GT. Between 1966 and 1969 there were 3,670 2.0-litre coupés and 1,163 2.0-litre spiders made; with only 420 built, the 2400 Spider is the rarest of the Fiat's Dinos.<ref name="ruoteclassiche" /> Of the total 7,803 Fiat Dino produced, 74% were the popular coupés and only 26% were spiders.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Sass |first=Rob |title=A Fiat or a Ferrari? |journal=[[Sports Car Market]] |date=February 2011 |volume=23 |issue=2 |page=30}}</ref>

==Specifications==
The Fiat Dino coupe used an all-[[steel]] [[unibody]] construction. The Spider had an aluminum trunk lid. The dual-circuit braking system with [[vacuum servo]] operated on four wheel [[disc brake]]s. The upgraded [[Lucas Industries#Girling|Girling]] brakes of the Dino 2400 were shared with sports cars like the De Tomaso Pantera and Lamborghini Miura. [[Steering]] was of the [[worm and roller]] type by French manufacturer Gemmer.

===Suspension===
Front suspension was of the [[double wishbone]] type. The upper wishbone consisted of a stamped steel [[control arm]], the lower one of a stamped steel link and an adjustable forward [[radius rod]]. Coaxial [[coil springs]] and hydraulic [[Shock absorber|dampers]] were attached to the upper wishbone; an [[anti-roll bar]] was fitted.

On 2.0-litre cars, the rear suspension consisted of a [[solid axle|rigid axle]] on [[Leaf spring|semi-elliptic springs]] (single-leaf on the spider, two-leaf on the coupé) and twin hydraulic dampers on each side. It was located by a longitudinal reaction strut on each side, linked to the axle at the front and to the aft leaf spring attachment point at the rear.

On 2.4-litre cars, the independent rear suspension consisted on each side of a long oblique stamped steel link (incorporating the spring seat) and a transverse link, attached to the same crossmember which supported the differential; there were coil springs, single hydraulic dampers and an anti-roll bar.

===Engines===
{{see also|Ferrari Dino engine}}
A peculiarity of Dino V6 engines was a 65° angle between the [[cylinder bank]]s, instead of the usual 60°. The valvetrain consisted of 12 [[poppet valves]] timed by two chain-driven [[DOHC|overhead camshafts]]. [[Compression ratio]] was 9:1 on both engines. Fuel was delivered via three twin-choke downdraught [[Weber Carburetors]], normally 40 DCN 14 on 2.0 cars and 40 DCNF 12 on 2.4 cars.

The 2.0-litre V6 had [[Bore (engine)|bore]] and [[Stroke (engine)|stroke]] respectively of {{convert|86|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} and {{convert|57|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}, for a total displacement of 1,986.6&nbsp;cc. The [[engine block]] was alloy, with inserted special [[cast iron]] wet [[Cylinder (engine)#Cylinder sleeving|cylinder liners]]; [[cylinder heads]] were aluminium as well, with cast iron [[valve seat]]s and [[hemispherical combustion chamber]]s.
In 1968 the 2.0-litre Fiat Dino became the first car to have [[electronic ignition]] as standard. The Dinoplex C electronic capacitive discharge ignition was developed by [[Magneti Marelli]] expressly for the high-revving Dino V6 engine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dinoplex.org |title=The Magneti Marelli Dinoplex Ignition |website=dinoplex.org}}</ref> Performance was impressive, with a 0–60&nbsp;mph time of less than 8 seconds. Early Dino's were later on equipped with the Dinoplex C ignition. Its primary function was to prevent fouling of the sparkplugs in town use.

The 2.4-litre V6 had bore and stroke respectively of {{convert|92.5|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} and {{convert|60|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}, for a total displacement of 2,418&nbsp;cc. The redesigned engine block was cast iron.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:91%;"
! Model || Type || Configuration || Displacement || Power || Torque || Top speed
|-
|rowspan=2| '''Dino''' ||rowspan=2| 135 B.000 ||rowspan=2| [[DOHC]] [[Poppet valve|12v]] 65° [[V6 engine|V6]]<br />[[aluminium]] [[Engine block|block]] ||rowspan=2| {{convert|1986.6|cc|cuin|1|abbr=on}} ||rowspan=2| {{convert|160|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on|adj=mid|[[Deutsches Institut für Normung|DIN]]}} {{nowrap|at 7,200 rpm}} ||rowspan=2| {{convert|163|Nm|lbft|0|abbr=on}} {{nowrap|at 6,000 rpm}} || Coupé: {{convert|200|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}
|-
| Spider: {{convert|210|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}
|-
|rowspan=2| {{nowrap|'''Dino 2400'''}} ||rowspan=2| 135 G.000 ||rowspan=2| DOHC 12v 65° V6<br />[[cast iron]] block ||rowspan=2| {{convert|2418|cc|cuin|1|abbr=on}} ||rowspan=2| {{convert|180|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on|adj=mid|[[Deutsches Institut für Normung|DIN]]}} {{nowrap|at 6,600 rpm}} ||rowspan=2| {{convert|216|Nm|lbft|0|abbr=on}} {{nowrap|at 4,600 rpm}} || Coupé: {{convert|205|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}
|-
| Spider: {{convert|210|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}
|}

===Transmission===
Both series cars used an all-[[synchromesh]] 5-speed [[manual transmission]], with an hydraulic single-plate dry [[clutch]] (up-sized on the 2400), and a [[limited slip differential]].
Two-litre Dinos used a transmission of Fiat's own design. This was changed on the 2400 to a [[ZF Friedrichshafen|ZF]]-sourced [[List of ZF transmissions|S5-18/3]] [[dog-leg gearbox]], the same found on the [[Fiat 130]] as well as on other manufacturers' cars.

==Motorsport==

The Fiat Dino was never raced officially, and only seldom by [[Privateer (motorsport)|privateer]] drivers.
The one notable participation was at the [[1968 24 Hours of Le Mans]], where a two-litre Spider was entered by the French Fiat-Abarth importer in the sports prototype class.<ref name="epoca">{{cite journal |title=Una Ferrari made in Torino |first=Carlo Alberto |last=Gabellieri |journal=Auto d'Epoca |date=December 2005 |volume=XXII |number=12 |pages=54–64 |language=it}}</ref> Driven by Marcel Martin, Jean-André Mesange and Hubert Roche, it finished the race 18th overall.<ref name="epoca" />

==Concept cars==
[[File:Dino Ginevra 3686 at Quail 2023.jpg|thumb|right|1968 Fiat Dino Ginevra]]
The 1967 '''Fiat Dino Parigi''' was presented at the 1967 [[Paris Motor Show]] and named after this venue, applying the [[Kammback]] designs and a [[shooting brake]] body style.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.escuderia.com/fiat-dino-parigi/|title=FIAT Dino V6 Parigi. Pininfarina's study of the theories of Wunibald Kamm|website=escuderia.com|date=13 September 2021 |access-date=18 February 2024 |last1=Sánchez |first1=Miguel }}</ref> A year later, at the 1968 [[Geneva Motor Show]] [[Pininfarina]] showcased the '''Fiat Dino Ginevra''', a specially bodied [[berlinetta]] based on Dino Spider mechanicals.<ref name="epoca" /> Both concepts were designed by [[Paolo Martin]].
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |author1=Buckley, Martin  |author2=Rees, Chris |title=World Encyclopedia of Cars |location=London |publisher=Anness Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=1-84038-083-7}}
* {{cite journal |first=Don |last=Weberg |title=Great Save: The Dino Project Kept Ferrari Racing and Gave Fiat a True Exotic |journal=Classic Motorsports |date=November 2005 |page=73}}
* {{cite web |title=The Fiat Pages |website=carsfromitaly.net |url=http://www.carsfromitaly.net/fiat/index.html |access-date=7 June 2007}}
* {{cite book |first=Jean-Pierre |last=Gabriel |title=Les Ferrari de Turin |location=Nimes |publisher=Editions du Palmier |year=2003 |isbn=2-914920-25-3 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Fiat Dino}}
* [http://www.dinoitalia.com Club Dino Italia] {{in lang|it}}
* [http://www.dinouk.com Dino UK]

{{Fiat}}
{{Early European Fiat vehicles}}

[[Category:Fiat vehicles|Dino]]
[[Category:Coupés]]
[[Category:Roadsters]]
[[Category:Pininfarina]]
[[Category:Bertone vehicles]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1966]]
[[Category:1970s cars]]
[[Category:Grand tourers]]