Ferrari Dino engine

V6

The production Dino V6 began as a discussion between Vittorio Jano and Enzo and Dino Ferrari about the ideal 1.5 L engine for use in the 1958 Formula Two auto racing series. Jano, formerly of Alfa Romeo and Lancia, pressed for a conventional 60° V6 but the Ferraris were open-minded.

60°

Jano's 60° design incorporated some of his ideas from the Lancia Aurelia, and were used in a number of Formula One, Formula Two, and Grand Prix cars from 1959 through the early 1960s. Appearing in 1958, it used a 77x71 mm bore and stroke for 1984 cc and produced 200 hp (149 kW) in the 196 S. Two larger versions were also produced, the 245 hp (183 kW) 2497 cc 246 S and 296 hp (221 kW) 2962 cc 296 S. These engines continued in the 1962 196 SP and 286 SP. The latter had a 90 mm bore and 75 mm stroke for 2863 cc and 260 hp (194 kW).

This engine was so small that very little room was available for smooth intake tracts. The Ferraris were convinced that a freer-flowing intake could result in more power, so a new design was called for.

65°

Ferrari designers began work on the first Dino V6 engine in 1956 and the engine was running by the end of the year. The engine displaced 1489 cc. This engine was installed in the Ferrari 156 F2 car and was first raced in the Grand Prix of Naples in April 1957, where it finished in third place behind two Lancia-Ferrari V8 Formula One cars.

The result of the trio's creativity was the world's only 65° V6 engine. The extra 5° between cylinder banks gave Ferrari the straight intakes he wanted. As this engine was not a true V6 but had a separate crank pin for every connecting rod, the crank pins were offset by 55 degrees within every pair of cylinders. This ensured an even firing order for the complete engine as well as an even distance between firing pulses per cylinder bank. Thus the engine was as smoothly running as a conventional 60 degree V6, but had greatly enhanced potential for the design of harmonically balanced exhaust manifolds, giving much better performance. Although the Dino V6 was discontinued with the introduction of the V8, the 65° design continues to this day: It reappeared on Ferrari's 1992 456 V12.

The 85x71 mm 2417 cc engine used in the 246 S/I produced 280 hp (209 kW) with dual overhead camshafts pushing two valves per cylinder. The mid-engined 1961 246 SP used this same engine, as did the 156 F1.

The 65° Dino V6 quickly replaced the 60° unit in racing, and made its way to the street as well. Ferrari needed to have the engine in 500 production vehicles to homologate it for racing use. The company worked with Fiat to develop a sports car to house it, and the front-engined Fiat Dino project was born.

In competition, the 1965 166 P used a tiny 1.6 L (1593 cc) version of the 65° unit. Both bore and stroke were different from the earlier engine at 77x57 mm and output was impressive at 175 hp (130 kW). Bore was up to 86 mm for the 218 hp (163 kW) 1987 cc version found that same year in the 206 SP as well as the 1966 206 S.

In 1968, Ferrari debuted its own Dino 206, the company's first mid-engined road car. It used the 2.0 L engine from the 206 SP mounted transversely between the rear wheels. After producing just 157 cars, Ferrari bumped the bore and stroke up from 86x57 mm to 92.5x60 mm for 2419 cc. This increased power to 195 hp (145 kW), but the engine block was now made of cast iron rather than aluminium.

The same V6 engine was handed off to Lancia for use in its WRC-champ Stratos in the early 1970s, but Ferrari's Dino had moved on to 8 cylinders.

Applications:

V8

Dino's project also created a V8 engine with a conventional 90° bank angle. First appearing in 1962's 268 SP, the new V8 used the same 77x71 mm bore and stroke as the Colombo V12. Output from the single overhead camshaft engine was 265 hp (198 kW). A smaller version was also produced, with stroke dropped to 66 mm for 2459 cc. This engine was used in the 248 SP and produced about 250 hp (186 kW).

The Dino V8 was retired in 2004 with the introduction of the new F136 engine used in the Ferrari F430.

2.9

The Dino V8 (now bored to 81 mm) replaced the V6 in the next line of street Dinos to be produced by Ferrari, the 1973 GT4 and 1975 GTB "308" cars. Although the model name suggests 3.0L, the V8 displaced only 2927 cc which rounds down to 2.9L and was another DOHC 2-valve design.

Applications:

Fuel injection

The 1980 "i" models added fuel injection to the existing 2.9 L (2927 cc) engine.

Applications:

Quattrovalvole

4 valves per cylinder were added for the 1982 308 and Mondial Quattrovalvole (or QV), bringing power back up to the pre-FI high of 245 hp (179 kW).

A very unusual Dino Quattrovalvole was used in the Lancia Thema 8.32. It was based on the 308 QV's engine, but used a cross-plane crankshaft rather than the Ferrari-type flat-plane. The engine was constructed by Ducati rather than Ferrari, and was produced from 1986 through 1991.

The Quattrovalvole was also used by Lancia for their attempt at the World Sportscar Championship with the LC2. The engine was twin-turbocharged and destroked to 2.65 litres, but produced 720 hp in qualifying trim. The engine was later increased to 3.0 litres and increased power output to 828 hp.

Applications:

2.0

These small V8 variants were chiefly intended for the domestic market, where cars with engines larger than two-litre incurred in an almost doubled 38% value added tax.

In 1975 the company introduced the Dino 208 GT4. The bore was reduced from 81 to 66.8 mm but the stroke remained at 71 mm. Output was reduced as well, from 255 to 170 PS (188 to 125 kW). Applications:

Turbocharged

1982 saw the introduction of the 208 Turbo. The 208 Turbo featured 220 PS (162 kW), more than the fuel injected 308 from the previous year.

Applications:

288 GTO

The turbo also served as a development platform for the forthcoming 1984 288 GTO sports car. That famous Ferrari was meant for Group B racing, with a 2855 cc version of the 308's engine (bore was down by 1 mm to meet the regulations of the class). With two IHI turbos, a Behr intercooler, and Weber-Marelli fuel injection, the GTO boasted 400 hp (298 kW) from Dino's engine.

Applications:

3.2

The 1985 328 and 3.2 Mondial used a bored and stroked 3.0 QV V8 (to 83x73.6 mm) version called the Tipo F105CB. That naturally aspirated 3.2 L (3186 cc) engine boasted 270 hp (201 kW).

Applications:

F120A

In 1987, the F40 sports car debuted with the Tipo F120A engine. The 2936 cc Dino-based engine now had an 82 mm bore and 69.5 mm stroke and 16 psi of turbo boost for 478 hp (356 kW). The F40 sold well, but was the last Dino-powered sports car.

Applications:

3.4

The 1989 introduction of the 348 and Mondial t saw the Dino V8 pushed to 3.4 L (3405 cc) with an 85 mm bore and 75 mm stroke. Power was up to 300 hp (224 kW) in that 288-based car. This version was known internally as the Tipo F119.

Applications:

3.5

The 1994 F355 included their first production 5-valve engine, and sported a 2 mm longer stroke for 3496 cc and 380 hp (283 kW). This Tipo F129B was used from 1994 through 1998. It was revised as the Tipo F129C, debuting in 1998 and used through 1999.

Applications:

3.6

The 1999 360 Modena retained the 85 mm bore of the F355 engine, but increased the stroke to 79 mm, to raise the displacement again to 3586 cc and 400 PS (298 kW). Modifications to the intake/exhaust and an increased 11.2:1 compression ratio produced 425 hp (317 kW) for the 360 Challenge Stradale. This Tipo F131 was produced from 1999 through 2004.

Applications:

V12

A new V12 engine family debuted in the 1992 456 as the Tipo F116. It featured the Dino 65° V angle with an 88 mm bore and the same 75 mm stroke as the Dino V8 found in the 348.

It was then revised again as the "Tipo F133" and used in the front engined 550 (5.5 litre) and later in 575M Maranello and 612 Scaglietti (5.75 litre).