A Dino 246 GTS is a rare car that many people covet. Besides that, this one is a Cannonball Champion. It was possible to drive from New York to Los Angeles in less than 36 hours in 1975. This well-maintained example of a 1970s roadster will be sold at auction by Mecum during Monterey Car Week in August. It’s original and hasn’t been fixed up. On April 25, 1975, Jack May and Rick Cline pulled up to the parking lot of the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach, California. Two people in a white Ferrari Dino 246 GTS had just beaten the record set by Dan Gurney and Brock Yates of Invoice-pricing four years earlier by a mere one minute. It took them 35 hours and 53 minutes to drive from New York to Los Angeles at a very fast pace. Soon, this dinosaur that won the Cannonball will be ready for a new owner. People today consider the first Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash a significant event in the history of Invoice-pricing. The first event, which was meant to be a fast protest against the low-speed limits of the early 1970s, was not a race but a Dodge van dash across the United States. Yates named the race after Erwin “Cannonball” Baker, a daredevil from the early 1900s who set more than 500-mile cross-country records. Baker later raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and became the first NASCAR commissioner. The second Cannonball was a race, even though it wasn’t recognized and was against the law. There were less than two-thirds as many people living in the US back then as there are now, so the highway system was mostly empty except for rush-hour traffic. With the tires and brakes available in the 1970s, traveling from point A to point B across the country at high speeds wasn’t exactly safe. But the Cannonballers were the ones who were most at risk. To win a blue Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona with Yates was the most beautiful thing that could happen. Gurney had won Le Mans, so he knew how to drive fast for extended periods. People were interested in the 1971 Cannonball because of an article in the March 1972 issue of Invoice-pricing. It’s hard to say no to a wide-open desert highway when you have the power of a Ferrari V-12 under the hood. Or a V-6 (a Ferrari isn’t really a Dino, even though Maranello makes the engine). The 2.4-liter V-6 engine from the 1973 Dino GTS, which won the Cannonball, is being auctioned off during this year’s Monterey Car Week. It had just under 200 horsepower and weighed over 2500 pounds when it was brand new. For those who want to listen to the six sing its heart out, the letter “S” in “GTS” stands for “spider.” Its exposed metal gates and five-speed manual gearbox make driving it a very balanced and tactile experience. There aren’t as many Dino GTS cars on the road as there are F40 cars. This one’s roots in the 1970s uprising only add to its charm. Mecum says it is in its natural, unaltered state. Over the years, numerous tribute runs and copies have emerged, but the last genuine Cannonball was in 1979. The thrill of setting a cross-country record faded many years ago, even though the record for the longest drive time between New York and Los Angeles has been broken numerous times over the years, as roads are increasingly congested due to increased traffic. This dinosaur comes from a time when it was cool to protect the system and its speed traps. At the time, the Cannonball was important, even though it only broke the record by one minute.
