I must thank Nuno for first giving me this idea: I have a new series I'm starting on my blog which is 10 Myths of the Mondial and 10 Facts I'm going to tackle the most egregious and slanderous myth first and foremost. Myth #1 -- The Mondial 8 is SLOW. In 1981 - the 4 major US car publications all got their hands on the Mondial 8: 1) Road and Track 2) MotorTrend 3) Car and Driver 4) Autoweek They all tested the car with wildly varying results: 0-60 & 1/4 Mile From Worst to Best 1) Autoweek 0-60: 9.9s no 1/4 mile (with 2 people and luggage though) - they quoted a 0-60 for a 308 GTS 2) Road and Track 0-60 9.4 1/4 Mile 17.1 3) Car and Driver 0-60 9.3 1/4 Mile 16.9 4) MotorTrend 0-60 8.2 1/4 Mile 16.2 All these numbers come from my own library which you may verify here: Resources | Ferrari Mondial t ---- I've concluded there is only 1 of 3 possibilities: 1) MotorTrend is lying 2) The other 3 either did not test optimally 3) The car MotorTrend got was 'special' Let me address these 3 possibilities: 1 - MotorTrend is lying: Logically, I can't see why Motortrend would 'rig' their numbers...there is no advantage to it. I further argue if they 'rigged' their numbers...why were subsequent tests of the QV, 3.2 and T not 'rigged' as well by MotorTrend? It seemed after the 8, all the numbers were pretty much in line with all the publications. 2 - 3: The 2nd and 3rd possible reasons ultimately don't matter. The reason it doesn't matter is, if a Mondial 8 can be 'rigged' to do 8.2 0-60 and 1/4 Mile at 16.2 - then Ferrari would do it with all their 8s - why just one copy? So going with MotorTrend with have a 0-60 of 8.2 and a 1/4 Mile of 16.2...Sure not FAST at all in 2015 standards...but let's compare it to other cars of the time: -- As benchmarks Road and Track compared it to the Ferrari 308GTSi and Porsche 928 the 308GTSi has a 0-60 of 7.9 1/4 Mile of 16.1 the 928 has a 0-60 of 8.1 1/4 Mile of 16.2 Benchmarks Source MotorTrend (Page 3) http://alexachua.com/rt_1981.pdf So it is .2 seconds slower than the 308 and .1 second slower in the 1/4 It's .1 seconds slower than the 928 and same 1/4 mile trap time. What exactly is SLOW about that? ----- So given this I have a theory on what happen historically. They only built around 700 of these - with say 25% coming to America - that's what 200 copies? Nobody has the actual opportunity to drive and really test one -- Reporters of other car mags and laymen can only spend $1.95 for a magazine, and if they got 3/4 that said the car was slow - well that's it then - it's the gospel truth. MotorTrend's test gets ignored (http://alexachua.com/1981_mt.pdf) and an automobile myth is born.... --- DO you own an 8? Have you done a 0-60 Test? Let me know! and would love to hear comments and where I may have went wrong in my analysis. Thanks all.
Take 10 cars and 10 drivers and you get 10 different results. A Mondial 8 was called slow because all it predecessors were faster and "the only way is up", or in this context: faster....
Yes I agree with Bart, variations in the drivers, variations in the air temp and altitude, variations in the fuel even. I was with the Tv Show 'Top Gear' in Italy with a Bugatti Supersport, Zonda, McLaren etc etc. Anyway I went out for a jolly in an FF Ferrari and I can tell you it was not quick that day, it was not quick at all. In fact all of the cars were panting and wheezing because of the altitude. So air density on the day is a big factor. I do take your point about the Mondial being slagged off relative to the 308 though, but hey that's journalism for you. JOURNALISTS RULE NO 1. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story. Those who watch JC on Top Gear will realise that ha ha. Anyway who cares how fast it is, I like it because it screams it's nuts off and you feel like you are going 150mph when you are only going 80mph whereas the Lotus you feel like you are going 80 when you are actually going 160 and in the time it takes the Ferrari to get to 80. So sometimes in the real world very very fast isn't always very very much fun.
Paul, Once again you are my favorite "Combat Librarian - Airborne" [While in Vietnam I invented an insignia; parachute with crossed pencils bellow.] Anyway, I am seriously unimpressed with the 928. I mean, THAT was supposed to be a serious car. Now I have never driven a 928. But during that time I drove every 6 CS series BMW I could find. I still think the 635csi of the era is georgeous. But a 16 second 1/4 mile? And they were asking serious money for that car. My 1984 Z-28 would turn 15.1 all day long. And DID. But the fuel injected stuff RAN better.
Not at all Paul, I'm the one who has to be thankful for all your research and work. Priceless! Fact. I know stories here in Portugal. For instance: car journalists do a comparison between the Audi A3, the BMW 3 series and the Mercedes-Benz C class. The one who wins isn't necessarily the best car, but the manufacturer to lended a second or third car to the amusement of more than one journalist, or the manufacturer who lends the car over the weekend for free, or the manufacturer who lends a second car for the journalists' wives. The truth suffers as a consequence. The Mondial may very well have been the victim of this, or people's absurdly high expectations. After the Mondial 8 debut, I imagine a lot of journalists simply jumping on the latest bandwagon, with fear of speaking out against the mainstream opinion for an array of reasons. I'm not bashing journalist, as journalism is a profession that deserves my utmost respect. There are good and bad professionals everywhere. But I can't account to this day understand and/or explain the bad reputation glued to a good product. Kind regards, Nuno.
Again...these number are nothing to brag about in circa 2015...but based on this - I think the Automotive press was largely unfair (except MotorTrend) and were simply looking for a whipping boy.... Or I will give them the benefit of the doubt - the one difference with the MotorTrend article I noticed was their car was fully broken in....The other magazines mentioned they got early models...
I didn't think Motor Trend actually went through their own testing with the cars? Maybe they are just quoting the European spec 0-60 time? Car and Driver though has always done their own testing. It also makes me wonder if Motor Trend got their hands on a European-spec car while the others has US models?
Hi Brian, Actually they had the car for a few weeks. The actual road test where I got the numbers are right here: Source: MotorTrend Mondial 8 Test http://alexachua.com/1981_mt.pdf I quote (Page 83 or 4th page of the PDF) "The Mondial is a *wink* or two slower than the 308...1/4 mile in the low 16s terminal speeds favor the 308 by *2* MPH" But as the Car Gods saw fit - this review was relegated into the dustbin of history, and the other 2 rose to prominence......and with only 200 copies of the 8 floating around the US, who actually has he ability to test it again to verify? I doubt people that plunked down 63K ($170,000 in 2014 Dollars) back in 1981 really cared if the car did 0-60 in 9 secs or 8 seconds - just wanted the car to look good for "Muffy"
Paul has posted the ultimate information that completely wipes out the idea that the Mondial 8 is slow, imho: Mondial 8: 0-60mph/100kph: 8,20 secs. 308 GTSi: 0-60mph/100kph: 7,90 secs. The 308 is one of the most valuable and collectable cars of the 80s, doing the standing 1/4 mile just 0,1 seconds faster than the Mondial 8. I never ever heard anyone say the 308 was slow, namely in its day. Kind regards, Nuno.
Thanks Nuno...what would be the best proof is somebody that owns an 8 - do a 0-60 test and video it....
The 8 is a lovely car, and I do prefer the old styling as compared to the 3.2. The main difference in driving the 16valve compared to the 32valve is the 5000rpm -7000rpm QV 'rush' This I have to admit is as addictive as turbo rush and always freaks people out when I take them for a run in it....in a good way I must add though. But I do suspect that there is little different in performance when head to head. If you really want to go quicker Lotus recommend weight loss and this certainly works with the Mondial. Gone are the heavy heat shields spare wheel aircon rads and pipes also lighter batt and other stuff you can't see. Light alloy sheilds are substituted on mine. Result is mine goes like hell and is as quick nearly as a 360 and is quicker than our 3.2
You are kidding, right? My god, I was twenty-one in 1981 and the Poor 308 GTB"i" was MURDERED by the european press; I still got all the articles, it is so embarassing. My Brother in law has an Alfa-Romeo Montreal at the time, against which his neighbor tested his new 308 GTB"i": the old Montreal was quicker and faster. At the time, everyone in Europe agreed That the 308 GTB"i" was a slouch... which is why today it is still the least désirable of all the versions of the 308 family Rgds
Even so nerofer, the 308 is more collectible than the Mondial. Something happened to the 308 that hasn't happened yet to the Mondial. The 308 overcame that reputation, don't know how and why, whereas the Mondial hasn't (don't know how or why either). Today few remember and insist on the 308 being slow, whereas "slow" is the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to the 8. Kind regards, Nuno.
It's because the 308 is beautiful. Full stop. I love my mondial but would swap it in a heartbeat for a 308 or 328
The 308gt4 was once called a Berton badged joke it's a 2+2 and they were about 10k 3 years ago, now they are going for 75k the Mondial will be next.....unfortunately. Remember the horrid little Dino with plastic seats that everyone hated, it had a rubbish little underpowered and slow Fiat/Ferrari V6 that the Tifosi hated. Well not so long ago you could get them all day long for 8-10K, they were rust buckets and they didn't even have a Ferrari badge.....nobody wanted them. Then suddenly we were told how gorgeous they were and the market was born, now they go for 375K+ and that's pounds not dollars! Look at the 400i even that's going for serious money now, it's a 4 seater, chews fuel like a power station and is the size of a small house in Kensington, looks wise it's not one of his nibs best, yet prices are on the up. I'd just like to add that I liked the Dino in the days when no one wanted them, but rust put me off and finding a good one was impossible because they were all so neglected.
Agreed, nerofer and Nathan. A 308 GTB carburetted vetroresina wins me over! Bell, I'm with you: If I were to stick with my Mondial purely for investment purposes, I would have ditched it by now. Back on topic: don't know about you guys over there in the US and the UK, but over here Mondial 8s are very, very rare to come by. Kind regards, Nuno.
One of these days, the Mondial will likely converge in price with the 3x8 of the same drive train. Taller folks can fit in a Mondial than in a 3x8 of the same year. And, they are making no more of either.
Well, relying on memories is one thing, but going back to printed matters is better. So I went to the attic and came back covered in dust, but with "Sport Auto" number 234, july 1981, proudly in hand: road test of the "Mondial 8", euro version. The test is very comprehensive, even including meteorologic conditions such as température, humidity, atmospheric pressure, Wind, etc... As I write on a tablet and not a computer, I shall quote only a summary here: "Everything can be forgiven to a Ferrari, except lacking in performance, which, unfortunately, is the main outcome of our road test of the "Mondial 8"; her character is not really deserving of the proud name she wears. Her performance are much worse than those of the eight years old 308GT4. The "Mondial 8" does not really reach a bare 220 km/h in top speed, and takes 28'8 sec for the standing kilometer, against a true 250 km/h and 26'0 for the GT4. Performance-wise, the outcome is truly disappointing: what should be thought of a Ferrari unable to stand up against the big BMWs and Mercedes on the highways? The "Mondial 8" is 30 km/h slower in top speed, and 2 seconds behind for the standing kilometer than a standard Porsche 928; and even 20 km/h in top speed behind a Jaguar XJS whose accelerations are a tad quicker despite her automatic transmission. Thèse results are very disappointing; it Is of the most urgent matter that the engine personnel at Ferrari take things in hand, the sooner the better" On the other hand, looks, aesthetics, suspension, roadholding and comfort were complimented Rgds
All we can do is hope one day the Mondial 8 will some how sky rocket in price. Maybe when there are only a few left on the road. About the time my 17 yr old son is 80 lol. Mine is black and red it's getting to be a rare color. I do not like seeing the results of the prices or stats since I own an 8 but maybe one huh.
