Ferrari Dino 208 GT4 | Prancing Horse on a Budget: Still Great!

18 February 2025 Redazione News, Vintage

Words Andrea Albertazzi / Photos Ferrari S.P.A.

You might think a lot change in 50 years, but some annoying aspects have remained substantially the same. Take taxes for example, especially those on high-performance cars. They were there, they are still here today and I am sure that tomorrow they will still be here, trying in every way to ruin fun cars market. This is why in 1975 Ferrari was forced to downsize the V8 of the Dino 308 GT4 and give birth to a version with a modest 2-liter with just 170 horsepower. And then I hear that some dare to complain about today’s hybrid supercars. This was the best way to make the model in question more accessible, bypassing the bite of taxes introduced in Italy.

We are talking about a car that perfectly embodies that typical 70s design, made of sharp edges, a body that Bertone managed to model despite a layout that did not leave much room for imagination. With a wheelbase just 210 mm longer than the Dino 246 GT two-seater, the 208/308 GT4 kept the engine in central rear position, but added two seats, which although small were incredibly useful, increasing the practicality and usability of a small grand tourer with a very Italian look. The small unidentified object, thanks to one of the very first downsizing in history, had lost a few liters under the engine compartment, dropping to 1,990 cc, but despite everything and thanks to a weight that was just over a ton (1,150 kg) performance guaranteed a thrust that could top 220 kph. Admit it, you didn’t expect that.

A Ferrari that circumvented the age-old problem of super-taxes, with 4 seats, those in the back not only suitable for children, a luggage compartment with an independent panel located behind the engine and one under the front hood – perhaps for a few soft bags – retractable front headlights, a V8 that maintained an intense sound thanks to the two pairs of exhaust and performances that were all in all up to the historical period. For me, nothing is really missing here and I confirm that without a shadow of a doubt the design has passed the test of time with flying colors, crystallizing that square shape autographed by Bertone as a timeless classic. Then add the fact that in its five years of production, which ended at the dawn of the new decade in 1980, just 840 units were built, and the intrinsic value of the Dino embraces a much-desired and deserved revaluation on the market.

Its 50^th anniversary seemed to me a good excuse to rediscover this model that has often been unfairly mistreated for the simple fact that it had to – in its time – make downsizing compromises, a situation that has become the norm in the automotive landscape in the last decade. The point in favor of the Dino 208 GT4 was the fact that it did not adopt any shortcuts, maintaining the same naturally aspirated pot as its bigger sister. Perhaps this is why it was seen as a second choice and not as what it actually represented, that is, the opportunity to put a Ferrari in the garage that did not imply high management and maintenance costs as in most cases.

7,700 rpm, trust me, this V8 can make itself heard even if the yellow badge does not feature a prancing horse, but the word Dino, in memory of Enzo’s son, who died prematurely. It is certain that the emotional value has increased in step with the nostalgia for a period that we can define distant, especially according to the traditional sports cars we have today. The Dino 208 GT4 has in its own way tried to open a gap, but the time was not yet ripe to accept certain choices, especially when they have to do with one of the most loved and respected brands of all time, I would add. However, if you ask me what sensations the smallest Ferrari ever made can arouse, my answer will have nothing to do with reverential respect, for the simple fact that I am among those who consider the Dino a true Ferrari worthy of note, even with the 2-liter. A courageous project that, even if it didn’t tear up the asphalt at every acceleration, managed to keep intact the taste of burning petrol, the roar of the transverse V8 and a futuristic shape that still turns heads today, regardless of the color of its body.