Hello Mondialos! My brothers, one of the things I've been happy to do is acquire every magazine that ever talked about the Mondial. (all variants) You can always access them here. We all know it's been in vogue (maybe lazy) to trash the Mondial. When I began my mission to collect every magazine article, I had assumed I was on a mission of folly. I was to gather a bunch of insults and derision. I accepted that I was a masochist, why else would I desire to collect a gallery of the profane and macabre on the object of my desire? To my surprise, the magazines were overwhelmingly positive! Being 100% transparent, I acknowledge not all articles were rainbows and unicorns, but I would say the vast majority, you can take a look yourself. I'm sure all of you have read a multitude of car reviews, if you're like me, you often skip to the last paragraph, where you read the summation - basically what the magazine reviewer's overall thoughts of the car were. I've tried to especially include those closing paragraphs. The one thing that must be reminded to people is these are quotes from people that actually DROVE and REVIEWED the cars versus a internet writer penning an article and 'pseudo-driving' the car by reading an old Time magazine retrospective... Hope you enjoy Mondial Fans, and just one more step in righting the wrongs of automotive history. Vintage quotes. Mondial 8 ..the Mondial has poise, speed, panache, and beauty. For even $100,00 (with the air conditioning) it is a fine value against a lot of expensive cars -Wheels 1981 the Ferrari Mondial is a sure bet to be successful. The Mondial offers a higher level of luxury than other Ferraris, along with genuine seating for four and, most importantly, it looks like a Ferrari. -Autoweek 1981 "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", and concluded, "The Mondial is not the greatest Ferrari ever issued by Maranello, but it is by no means the least." -Motortrend 1981 "..it must be icing on the cake for the Mondial owner to know that he has bought not just the most rational Ferrari design, but certainly the best handling one. And if that's a surprise to you, it certainly was to us." -MotorSport 1981 "..every component in its make-up standing at alert ready to play its part in ensuring a balance and grip which mark this down as easily the best handling Ferrari." -Wheels 1982 "When it comes to getting around corners, the Mondial inspires confidence. the extra foot of wheelbase makes the car feel a good deal more stable than the shorter 308 in practically any operating situation-straight head at high speed, caning it around fast sweeper or scrambling in decreasing-radius sphincter-thighteners." -MotorTrend 1981 "Like other Ferraris, its road manners are impressive..In our skidpad evaluation, the car worked its way up to a delicate oversteering stance, one in which either power or liftoff would swing the rear end out gently. Maximum lateral acceleration was 0.812g, essential identical to that of our last 308's. We had no opportunity slalom the Mondial, but we'd estimate its performance be in the sam range as the 308's 60.6 mph. -Road & Track 1981 "The long wheelbase gives the Mondial a decisive advantage over the 308 in straight-ahead stability; ...it turns with the poise of a dancer but only when you turn the wheel." -Car 1981 Mondial QV When you’re in the mood, it’s as exciting to drive as any Ferrari should be – as Ferraris always have been. The difference with this Ferrari, though, is that if your mood changes, if traffic or road conditions force a change of tempo, the Mondial is still a friendly car in which to drive and to ride. -Motor 1982 The Quattrovalvole engine is a turning point in the Mondial’s fortunes. Before the acquisition of the extra power, the Mondial’s performance was pleasant but not supercar-ish enough to please those who can be – and were – easily won over to other camps. Now it has the urge to please a wider area of buyers, coupled the refinement of suspension, ride quality noise suppression and drivetrain smoothness that makes it uncompromisingly modern. Plus a very high build quality and enough promise of real durability to set the sale on longevity... -Car 1983 …the Mondial Quattrovalvole does a splendid job keeping the Ferrari magic alive, combining it with the performance that one takes for granted from a car carrying the Prancing Horse emblem and offering high levels of trim and refinement to satisfy the discerning buyer. -Motorsport 1983 The 4-valve engine gives vastly improved performance off the line, as Americans want to enjoy, much stronger acceleration all the way up…We now feel that the Ferrari has a Mondial with real raison d’être; faster, better looking, with wind-in-the-hair driving and all the attention from the sidelines you can handle. The Cabriolet was genuinely admired by most observers; drive it ,and you will be not be ignored -Road and Track 1984 Mondial 3.2 I think it’s Ferrari’s most elegant car…the Mondial’s shape is perfect…In short, the Mondial is the one Ferrari that causes heads to turn in appreciation rather than shock. -John Phillips III of Automobile 1987 We racked up 600 or 700 miles during our Memorial Day weekend and became quite attached to this Ferrari…It won us 1001 compliments about our fine taste in automobiles…All things considered, our trip by Ferrari was more entertaining than the race we went to see. -Car and Driver 1987 It is a car with few rivals, perhaps the closest being the Porsche 928S…once you have experienced the wonderful noise produced by the V8 engine in full cry, and sat behind that steering wheel, with the power surging in, you can forgive the car for the few detractions it may have. They seem to pale into insignificance as the rev counter needle sweeps past the 7000rpm mark and you slam that gear lever through the gate. It is a different world of motoring. -Autocar 1986 Mondial t Not only does the Mondial t Cabriolet offer all the right pieces, but it also tingles your soul with all the right sensations…Admittedly, the Mondial t Cabriolet provides only a taste of the Grand Prix experience. But it’s a stronger flavor than almost any other car can provide. Plus, the Mondial t is easily the most comfortable and practical of the high-priced Italian exotics. -Car and Driver 1991 The old Mondial was much better than its reputation, and the new Mondial t is better still. To me, it is the most desirable Ferrari this side of an F40, and for about $82,000, it certainly is one of the few remaining buys in the exotic league. If you are ready for the challenge, grab one now before the word gets around and the line grows long. -Automobile 1989 That the Mondial is fun to drive, fast and practical should make it Ferrari’s most popular car. After all, it does much of what a Porsche 911 does for much the same sort of money – and adds extra style, greater handling competence, and an even finer engine. Now that it has been so intelligently worked-over, and so discreetly yet effectively improved, its appeal is stronger than ever. Yet sales are unlikely to improve. Why is this wonderful car so unfairly ignored? -Car 1989 The Mondial emerged as that motoring contradiction: a practical Ferrari. The Mondial t has enough performance to be enthralling, ride comfort enough to teach some mid-range saloon car manufacturers a thing or two and a mild whiff of the Prancing Horse mystique. This becomes positively rampant when the V8 is busking in the higher rpm ranges and the plump tyres are being asked to do some work. Maranello Concessionaires candidly admits that it is not easy to persuade customers to try the charms of the Mondial, “but once we got them into one, they swear by them and are quite likely buy another.” -Motorsport 1992 It may not provide the fun and exhilaration of an F40, but the Mondial t is a jolly fine, very fast car.. -Road and Track 1990 ..it’s a glorious chariot. It tends to get a bit ignored because it looks a little gawky alongside the gorgeous 348, whose engine it shares…But it’s more fun. Its chassis is emphatically more friendly and more communicative. The 348 might have might have bigger tyres and a higher ultimate level of sheer grip. But making use of it is a real task. In the Mondial, you can explore the limit, because the chassis and steering work more progressively and provide better feedback. -Car 1993 the duality of the practical and the exotic sums up the Mondial very well. Despite their quirks, Ferraris have earned enviable reputations as durable machines when maintained properly. And because of their quirks, these cars offer added satisfaction to those learning how to drive them properly…Driven fast or slow the Mondial is exhilarating. -Road and Track 1991 Recent Articles In my car collection, I have a Mondial QV... I love my Mondial with a passion. My car guy pals think I'm just a little bit strange, why you got a Mondial QV? Because it's just a cool car. What they don't understand is that I need cars to communicate with me....and it puts a smile on me face. This really is a cool car. -John Pogson - The Drive May 2016 6 Time British Championship Winner for Ferrari 15 Years Ferrari Engineer in Maranello 25 Years Ferrari Specialist in Italia Autosport "The Mondial has been the perennial underdog Ferrari along with the V-12 400i/412. Both are having the last laugh, but Mondial prices in particular have been climbing. Offered in 2+2 coupe and convertible body styles, the Mondial shares the revvy 308/328/348 flat-plane crank V-8 with all of the visceral thrills that entails. Striking Pininfarina looks, decent reliability, Ferrari sounds and room in back for the kids? What’s not to like?" -Hagerty - August 2015 "..the V8 sings and the chassis is a delight, with many thinking it sweeter in the ride and handling than the equivalent two-seat models...Find a good one and you’ll get one of Ferrari’s most reliable and inexpensive cars." -Mark Pearson "Autocar" May 2015 "The Mondial might be a four-seat GT car on paper, but it's still a mid-engined screaming Ferrari at Heart." -Terry Shea "Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car" August 2014 "The Mondial is a highly usable, underrated Ferrari with good parts availability..." -Malcom McKay - "Classic Sports Car" June 2013 "Ferrari Mondial makes an excellent practical classic Ferrari. With four seats, a comfortable ride, that quintessential Ferrari sound track and in later forms - impressive handling and performance, the Mondial represents excellent value for the money." -"Italia" July 2012 Hope you enjoyed something opposite of the peanut gallery we're instructed to listen too and believe. Who to trust? An aspiring internet blogger that wasn't even born when these cars were built, or professional car reviewers of the most respected publications reviewing them at the time? You choose.
Your most welcome David!! I had to do a double take each time I read a positive review. I was so trained by internet articles to assume the Mondial was unanimously panned by auto reviewers, I couldn't believe it. Each magazine I would buy, I would say "Okay, this is the one that really let's the Mondial have it" - but nope - most after the disastrous Road and Track/Car & Driver reviews on the 8 were overwhelmingly very positive. What these young internet authors also didn't realize was 1980 was a terrible time to be a performance car manufacture. You had the triple kiss of death: 1) Oil Crisis 2) EPA Smog Regulations 3) US Recession All the cars from 1980 suffered because of this. That's why Ford was able to get away with a 1980 Mustang 'Cobra' that did 18s for the 1/4 mile.....but you don't hear multitudes of internet articles bashing Mustangs do you.. hahaha Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yeah, I agree! I've had a Mondial 3.2 for 15 1/2 years, & I have no complaints at all other than the expensive regular cam belt & bearing changes. But this time, I'm trying it myself. Hill Engineering bearings and belts cost about $300 combined, so what the heck?
Here are comparative stats....oh my God! Look how *SLOW* the Mondial is - damn it's slug! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Paul, the numbers are too generous for the Mondial QV coupe, I'd love it to be so much faster to 60mph, however in real life it is probably just the 7.6 seconds as for the QV convertible in your stats. cheers braq
I thought so too..unfortunately, the only formal test I could find of the Mondial QV Coupe was from Motor Magazine in 1982 If you know of another road test I can use - I would love to use any 'slower' figure (if for anything else to maintain intellectual honesty) Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thank you Paul for assembling these interesting reads. I am young enough ( ;-) to remember the very dark days of motoring. Where Mustangs had 2.3 Pinto engines, and 8 cylinder cars had less than 150 HP. Even the 350 Corvette was reduced to this. To get the "good" motor, you had to buy an automatic trans. Yes indeed those were dark days. The Mondial was a stand out in performance then, but compared to other supercars, there were other choices. I believe the 4 seat motif took away from this car's image and sporting nature. Most other Fcars were 2 place. I see the appeal of 4 place, and appreciate the engineering that went into it. Anyway, thank you again for taking the time to assemble and present this info to us all. Happy 4th!!!! Rich
No, if I was to come up with one, you'd be the first to know though. It just doesn't fit, so I'd rather use the one from the convertible and assume the 6.4 a typo, cheers braq
Most people assumed the Mondial was about as fast as a Prius and handled like a bus. That's what 30+ years of myth spreading does for ya! If you ever want to check out the actual articles where they had a test of the Mondial as well as competitors - just go to the wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_Mondial Click on the source and it will take you straight to the magazine article that performed the road test (and accompanying 0-60 and 1/4 mile.) Trust but verify! Cheers
If Magnum P.I. had driven a Mondial, his performance would have been 5% faster and he could have landed 3 times as many chicks!
