Dino 246 GTS Restomod

Upgraded to Ferrari 3.6 Litre V8 (Stage 1) Engine

Once Kevin O’Rourke had completed his original Dino 246 GTS upgrade featuring a Ferrari 3.2 litre V8 engine with 300bhp (We could really refer to this as the prototype car) it was featured on the PETROLICIOUS website along with the beautiful photography of JAYSON FONG.

The Petolicious article featuring the Moto Technique Dino 246 V8 Restomod was picked up by a representative of American Ferrari collector David Lee and an offer to buy it was made.

Kevin O’Rourke although flattered by the offer, politely refused and told them his car was not for sale. A second increased offer plus a stock Dino 246 was then offered in exchange for the upgraded Dino V8. Again, Kevin declined this very generous offer too.

The question was then asked..

“Can you build us one?”

...a question that stimulated the creative mind of Kevin O”Rourke and got him thinking that inquisitive thought again… “What if?” but also more importantly “What can we do better?”

Kevin accepted the challenge and with an ‘Unlimited” budget and the abundance of talent and facilities at Moto Technique set about working closely with his client to produce what would become a Dino 246 GTS with a Ferrari 3.6 Litre V8 engine producing 400bhp!!!

The thing that has to be appreciated more than anything about this project is that there is no Manual that explains how to do this. It is only possible based on the experience and technical knowledge of the Moto Technique engineering department and their many decades of working on Dino’s and Ferrari’s that such a project can be embraced.

The client also had an input as to some details that he wanted on his Dino, this included not only a V8 producing 400bhp, but if he was going to fit a Ferrari V8 engine in his Dino, he wanted to see it and so requested a perspex engine cover that would allow this visual spectacular.

Although this seemed quite a challenge, Moto Technique rose to the occasion and produced what is arguably the most wonderful addition that really enhances the exterior visual beauty of this car.

So in little under a year the Moto Technique team set about the task of taking a bunch of ideas and improving the original Dino 3.2 V8 (300BHP) prototype in every single area possible.

The car was stripped down to a bare shell and was rebuilt from scratch.

They took a Ferrari 2.9 Litre V8 and bored and stroked it to 3.6 Litres. With the advancements in ECU’s since the original Dino “Prototype” they added a MoTec engine management system to get the very best out of new 400bhp engine. It has been mapped to start, hot or cold wether its up a mountain or down by the seashore and deliver the power smoothly through a Ferrari 328 gearbox. This car will pull effortlessly from 30mph in 5th gear right up to its top speed which is in excess of 170mph.

Fitting a V8 engine into a space made for a 2.4 litre V6 is quite challenging and technical solutions have to be found for issues such as cooling. Other features that were added were “fly-by-wire” throttle, hydraulic clutch, electric power steering, bigger brakes and callipers, and adjustable suspension upgrades.

One of the aspects of original Moto Technique Dino V8 upgrade which received the most comments was the addition of Ferrari 360 18 inch wheels. As Kevin himself admits this was a bit of a “Marmite” issue, people either loved them or hated them. “How can you put 360 wheels on a Classic car” was a common question, but as Kevin points out, with more power, you need superior stopping power and with bigger Ferrari 360 brakes and callipers came bigger wheels to clear the callipers. At the time there really was no other option.

On the Dino 3.6 Litre V8 upgrade which had an unlimited development budget, Moto Technique where able to look at the original Dino 15 inch Campagnola wheels, scan them with Modern 3D technology and recast them to 17 inches. This gives the upgraded Dino a period correct look, but also the possibly to use modern Pirelli tyres, which offer superior grip.

Its all well and good adding all these amazing features, but they have to work together in harmony, and this is where Moto Technique excel, by testing and developing to make sure that this car is engineered to give the best driving experience possible in terms of power, handling and reliability, whilst respecting the characteristics of the original Dino.

A few cosmetic and creature comfort details to complement the car were added such as fared-in perspex headlight covers with invisible fixings, a Snap four exhaust system, air conditioning and iPod connectivity. The doors were engineered to close like limousines and the interior trim was finished in an original “flares and chairs” Daytona specification in stunning red leather.

All in all, Moto Technique have taken an original Dino 246 GTS and created the ultimate evolution of one of the most beautiful Italian sports cars of all time and turned it into the true sports car that it had always had the potential to be.