After 54 years, a father, a former soldier, bequeaths his Ferrari Dino to his son "It will never be sold".

Charles Trevelyan has never forgotten that moment. In 1968, he went to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a friend, driving a simple MGB. The race? He hardly remembers it. What marked him for life was somewhere else, parked in the closed park: a yellow Ferrari Dino 206 GT. Through a fence, the lens of his camera snuck up to immortalize the car. The photo still exists, yellowed by time. But the emotion remains intact. In front of this Dino, Charles' heart stopped. In his eyes, no other car in the world could match its proportions, its design, its natural elegance. That day, he made himself a promise: one day, he would own one.

Three years later, the dream becomes reality

The dream came true in 1971. Charles was only 26. An officer in the British army and a helicopter pilot, he earned £1,000 a year tax-free. By adding up his savings and selling his Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV, he managed to raise enough money to order a Ferrari Dino 246 GT from Maranello Concessionaires in England. The invoice came to £4,435 in November 1972, including military discount. When the price went up by 150 pounds, Charles was ready to cancel. But the dealership's founder, Colonel Ronnie Hoare, stopped him dead in his tracks: he was determined that the young officer should drive off in his own car. Ferrari. The Dino is delivered to Charles' parents while he's on assignment in Germany. On his return, the car is already waiting for him in the family garage.

A Dino turned time capsule

More than half a century later, the scene is virtually unchanged. The same garage opens to the same Ferrari Dino 246 GT, chassis number 05286, dressed in a rare Azzurro Blue with beige leather interior. The silhouette is as pure as ever, the plunging muzzle intact, the four tailpipes true to form. Charles has protected his Ferrari like a national treasure. Parked in a former military hangar, covered by a parachute, it has never seen snow and rarely rain. It has never been restored or rebuilt. The engine has never been rebuilt. Everything is original, right down to the owner's manual still wrapped in factory plastic. The odometer reads just 17,000 miles, or just over 27,000 kilometers. In 54 years, the Dino has never left its owner by the side of the road.

The unadulterated pleasure of a "vintage" Ferrari

Under the hood, the mid-mounted 2.4-liter V6 develops 192 hp, transmitted to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. On paper, the figures may seem modest today. But at the end of the 60s, the Dino was the epitome of Ferrari sportiness: 0 to 100 km/h in around 7 seconds and 235 km/h top speed.

For Charles, pleasure goes far beyond performance. He evokes the particular "clunk" sound of the doors closing, the precision of the gearbox, the mechanical harmony. He's even installed a radio with a microphone to record the sound of the engine as it upshifts under full load. "It's childish," he admits. But the thrill is still there. Even today, he continues to take his Dino to the Prescott Speed Hill Climb, where modern Ferrari owners come to greet him, happy to see the car they now consider an icon.

A stronger legacy than market value

Time has finally taken its toll. Charles drives less than he used to. So, after 54 years together, the time has come to hand over the Dino to his son, Piers. An obvious handover: Piers is a classic car specialist, and knows every sound and reaction of the Ferrari. "It will never be sold," Charles asserts without hesitation. More than a car, this Dino has become a family story, an emotional and mechanical heritage. The son drives the car "magnificently", with the same respect as his father. The Ferrari Dino 246 GT will therefore continue its journey, intact, preserved, handed down from generation to generation. Rare proof that some Ferraris are not just collectors' items, but living witnesses to a passion that endures the test of time.