This one might be a little difficult for some people to accept. Ferrari->ke252 chairman Sergio Marchionne has stated in no uncertain terms that Ferrari would be bringing back the Dino->ke1932 nameplate, complete with a V6 engine. Ferrari has obviously done this before, but this time the car won't be a sub-brand, this will be a full-on Ferrari with prancing-horse badges and everything. Marchionne has also stressed that this was not a move to greatly expand production or introduce a new price point. The engine is likely to be a relatively small one, breathing with the aid of a pair of turbochargers.

Marchionne hinted at this being a 500 horsepower car, from which we can draw a few conclusions. That's the same amount of power as a 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and with previous incarnations of the Dino having been small, mid-engined sports cars,->ke506 it seems likely that the new Dino will be aimed at higher-performance versions of the 911->ke282 (much as the original was), as well as the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT.->ke4853 Whether the Ferrari will be built to convert so easily into a track machine isn't something we know yet, and will probably come down to whether Ferrari is willing to risk being shown up by a Porsche->ke1 on the track.

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Why it matters

The question of where the new Dino will fit into the lineup is one without an obvious answer. The car is too similar to the 2016 488 GTB to get too close in price, but with Ferrari having already said that it won't be a cheap car, it can't be too far below it either. There is speculation that the Dino could replace the California T when the current model is due for a new generation in 2018. But while the California T's price range starting at around $200,000 seems like it would be around where Ferrari would price the car, it is likely to be a very different car from the California T.

A lot of people think that Ferrari's V-12 GT cars have become entirely too hard-edged, and that they're now essentially sports cars with a bit of extra luggage space. For these people, the California T is a much more livable and practical alternative, and this has been good for Ferrari's sales. So it is much more likely that the Dino will slot in next to the California T, as this is the safest course for Ferrari to take.

The original Dino was introduced in 1968 and was named after Enzo Ferrari's son, who had died tragically young of muscular dystrophy. Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari designed the V6 engine which was first used by Ferrari Formula 1->ke190 team, but which would then find its way into the road cars which bore his name. Ferrari had never built a V6 road car before, and due to concerns that one might tarnish the brand, Dino became a sub-brand, and Dinos wore no Ferrari badging at all, not even on the engine.

But history has been kind to the Dino, much more so than it was to several cars that Ferrari was perfectly willing to admit to. This probably played a part in the decision to make this one a full-fledged Ferrari, and although there aren't a lot of details yet, it's exciting to imagine what the new Dino might be like.

Ferrari Dino

Read our full review of the original Dino here.