Ford CEO Jim Farley wanted to take a 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT home. He stayed in the bidding war until the very end, when someone else offered $1,000 more than he had done a minute before. The reserve was not met, and the car was eventually sold for $76,000 more.
Jim Farley sparked a massive bidding war on Bring a Trailer, trying to take home the classic Ferrari Dino, a stunning model finished in Rosso Chiaro over a Nero leather interior. Farley is a car enthusiast and an avid collector, owning an impressive fleet of rolling treasures.
A 1966 Ford GT40 Mk1, a 1964 Shelby Cobra 289, and a 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 are parked in his garage, alongside a 1932 Ford Roadster and a 1987 BMW 325i Convertible. He is also the owner of the most powerful production Mustang ever built, the GTD “Spirit of America.” So the Ferrari Dino would have fitted right in.
The auction officially closed with a bid of $366,000 after Jim Farley had placed his most generous offer before it closed: $365,000. The red Ferrari Dino was eventually sold after the auction for $442,000, which far exceeded the highest bid.
Photo: Bring a Trailer
Jim Farley has long been an active participant on the collector car auction circuit, bidding on and eventually winning some amazing vehicles over the years. He has also been a seller on the website, where he parted ways with his 1972 DeTomaso Pantera and his 1937 Lincoln Model K Coupe. His yellow Pantera went to someone else’s home for $293,000 after Farley had won the car on the same platform for $121,000 in 2024.
He has also lost several times, admitting last year, in a conversation with Ford Authority, that he isn’t exactly skilled at that particular task. The same publication was the one that saw him involved in the Ferrari Dino auction late last week. It is unknown if he stopped willingly, because bidding went too far or it just ended before he got the chance to make another offer.
A 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT arrived in America with a starting price of $13,900, which, adjusted for inflation, would be the equivalent of roughly $85,000 in today’s money. Nowadays, the model retails for anything between $350,000 and $450,000, depending on originality, mileage, and condition.
So probably, Jim Farley will be looking for another deal elsewhere, but it won’t be easy. Ferrari produced only 2,487 Dino 246 GT coupes and 1,274 Dino 246 GT spyders during the car’s entire production run, between 1969 and 1974. This one rolled off the production line of the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy, on May 26, 1972.
Photo: Bring a Trailer
So what is Jim Farley actually missing here? The car he lost at auction has spent most of its life, from 1975 to 2023, in California, after being delivered new to Bill Harrah’s Modern Classic Motors of Reno, Nevada. This means that the warm climate protected the gorgeous bodywork, designed by Aldo Brovarone and Leonardo Fioravanti in the Pininfarina atelier, from corrosion.
The Scaglietti-built example has just undergone restoration at Classic Rescue Coachwork LLC of Oakdale, New York, where it was stripped to bare metal and repainted in its original Rosso Chiaro. Prior to repainting, it had the suspension overhauled in 2024 and received an R134a-based air conditioning system in 2025.
The 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT is powered by a mid-mounted 2.4-liter V6 engine. Because of strict emissions regulations, the car was tuned differently for North America compared to the rest of the world. While the European-spec Dino came with 192 horsepower (195 horsepower) and 166 pound-feet (226 Newton meters) of torque, the American-spec had to resort to 175 horsepower (177 metric horsepower) and 160 pound-feet (217 Newton meters).
The Ferrari Dinos sold in Europe could rocket from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in 6.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 146 mph (235 kph), but the American Dino was 0.6 seconds slower and maxed out at 142 mph (228 kph).
Photo: Bring a Trailer
A five-speed manual transmission with a dog-leg first gear layout puts the power down through the rear wheels. The driver controls the transmission through the exposed chrome gated shifter in the cabin. That is where the fixed-back bucket seats with headrests, upholstered in Nero leather and refurbished earlier this year, welcome the driver and passenger. A Becker Europa II AM/F radio provides the soundtrack on board.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel frames the Veglia Borletti instrument cluster, which includes the tachometer with a redline starting at 7,750 rpm, an analog clock, and auxiliary gauges for oil temperature, coolant temperature, oil pressure, fuel level, and amperage. The five-digit odometer shows this Ferrari has traveled 21,000 miles.
The Dino rides on 14-inch Cromodora five-lug alloy wheels with Dino-branded hub caps and Michelin XWX tires. A full-size spare sits in the front compartment. Four-wheel ventilated disc brakes provide the stopping power. The braking system was overhauled back in 2020. Work involved replacing the hard lines and hoses, servicing the master cylinder, and rebuilding the calipers.
This Ferari Dino got away. Hopefully, Jim Farley will get better luck next time. Fingers crossed for him!
