Ferrari’s new ‘Dino’ caught testing

Ferrari’s upcoming mid-engined V-6 powered sports car to be called ‘Dino’ has been caught testing. Ferrari has been contemplating bringing out this car for a while now and looks like this will come on the roads in some time.

The ‘Dino’ brand of Ferrari was created to offer a relatively low-cost sports car  which would be capable of taking on the Porsche 911 as Ferrari’s other V12s well exceeded the 911 in both performance and price. Enzo Ferrari did not want to diminish his exclusive brand with a lower priced car, so the ‘Dino’ was created, named after his son and heir. The Dino was manufactured from 1968 to 1976 .

This mule, which was caught on camera by Autocar, UK, is based on a Ferrari 458 Italia and has an engine note completely different from that of both the normally aspirated 4.5-litre V8 in the 458 Italia and the turbocharged 3.9-litre V8 of the 488 GTB. The sound was similar to that of the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 that’s been testing in the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde. This 503bhp engine has been developed by Ferrari and is understood to be the basis for the engine to be fitted in the new Dino. The rear body is different from 458 Italia, with the Dino having shorter doors and a shorter rear section, along with larger and different-shaped side air intakes to provide cooling to the engine. There also appear to be changes to the rear wheel arches, suggesting a different engine mounted underneath.

The test mule was spotted in Germany, close to the headquarters of Bosch. Ferrari and Bosch are likely working together on advanced engineering and software projects, and this prototype indicates that Bosch is involved in the development of the V-6 for the new Dino. The car is due to be launched in 2018 and is to be seen whether it will make its way into India. In all likelihood, it should.