David Lee could probably spend several minutes listing the Ferrari from his garage without driving around it twice. 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, LaFerrari Aperta, Daytona SP3… and, more recently, an extraordinary 250 GTO a white one purchased for $38.5 million. This acquisition helped push the value of his car collection above $200 million.
We were just talking to you recently about this famous American collector, who now employs a full-time Ferrari mechanic to maintain his cars. We also showcased his amazing F12tdf, created especially by Ferrari in tribute to his 1964 250 Lusso Competizione.
But amid all these extremely rare Ferraris, one question naturally comes to mind: if he had to sell everything and keep just one Ferrari, which one would he choose? His new 250 GTO? His 288 GTO, the one he dreamed about when he was in high school? His Enzo, the first car that he considers to have truly marked the beginning of his career as a collector? The answer is much more surprising.
A Ferrari that isn't really a Ferrari
To find the one, you have to look at a car that’s much less prestigious on paper: his 1973 Dino. But to call it just a Dino would be particularly misleading.
David Lee started with a question: What might the Dino have become if Ferrari had continued to develop it? The original model, equipped with a V6 producing about 160 ch, was appreciated for its styling but was far less impressive in terms of performance. The collector therefore decided to envision his own evolution of the car, setting one rule: to stay as close as possible to Ferrari’s technical specifications. The project quickly spiraled out of control. The car was entrusted to a specialist who, according to David Lee, was given virtually «carte blanche.» Eighteen months of work and over a million dollars later, the Dino emerged profoundly transformed.
«The Dino was built by Ferrari. It was designed by the people at Ferrari and by Pininfarina. All the original parts used were Ferrari parts. Ferrari built the car. The only reason it’s a Dino and not a Ferrari is that, according to Enzo, if it wasn’t a V12, it couldn’t be called a Ferrari. This one had a V6. […] It’s gorgeous. Even when it’s standing still, it looks like it’s going really fast. I love its style. It’s also a mid-engine car. But people wondered: why isn’t it faster? Well, it was a V6. It had about 160 chevaux. Obviously, it couldn’t be much faster.» — David Lee
From 160 to about 400 ch
In particular, its V6 has been replaced by a V8 derived from Ferrari technology, mounted transversely. The engine has been reengineered to produce approximately 400 ch.
Brembo brakes, Koni suspension, modern electronic controls: the entire car has been adapted to its new performance capabilities, while retaining a look that’s close enough to the original. The result is a classic Ferrari that’s become much faster—but above all, a car that David Lee can actually drive. He recounts, in particular, having competed in a rally behind the wheel of this Dino against much newer cars, which struggled to keep up with him.
The one he would keep among all the others
Faced with a collection that includes Ferraris worth 5, 10, 20, or even nearly 40 million dollars, David Lee doesn’t single out the rarest or the most expensive one. «If I had to have just one Ferrari, for one reason or another, I think it would be this one,» he explains, referring to his Dino. For him, it would be his ideal all-around Ferrari: the one that «ticks all the boxes.».
David Lee often explains that he doesn’t buy his Ferraris just for their value and that he wants to drive them. Even his $38.5 million 250 GTO has to hit the road. And yet, if he had to keep just one in a garage worth over $200 million, it wouldn’t be that 250 GTO. It would be a 1973 Dino that’s been modified with a V8 engine to create, in a way, the Ferrari that Maranello might have built. A unicorn!
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