Is the Mondial the poor relation?? | FerrariChat

Is the Mondial the poor relation??

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by stevej33, Feb 16, 2004.

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  1. stevej33

    stevej33 Karting

    Feb 16, 2004
    76
    Lincoln, UK
    Full Name:
    Steve Jollands
    Im quite new to Ferrari ownership, but it seems that us poor Mondial owners are seen as not 'real' Ferrari owners. I love my car, and in the middle of full body / interior restoration, having bought a car that has been neglected
    by the last few keepers!! But mention the 'M' model, and people seem to turn off, and start talking about their £150,000 showcars! I dont want to sound contraversial for the sake of it, but have others come across the same attitude amoungst other fellow owners, or im i just unluck so far???
    ps any advice on upgrade mods for the 3.0 QV that make the car more user friendly in every day use would be appriciated........
    pps my 'a' button somtimes sticks so appologies for the spelling!!
    Happy driving
    steve j
     
  2. tomkranz

    tomkranz Karting

    Dec 22, 2003
    152
    Berkshire
    Full Name:
    Tom
    I, too, have come across that, but can't say I care much :)

    Look at it this way:

    - Mondials are cheaper than other models
    - longer wheelbase makes it an easier car to get used to

    Both of those make it an excellent first Ferrari!

    - extra 2 seats mean if you have kids you have many more opportunities to take it out for a spin

    I love mine :)

    There's always someone who has a 'better' model - or thinks they do. Don't care - I can throw the kids in the back and nip down the shops. That means more time driving my Mondial, which means more fun for me as an owner.

    Cheers,
    TOM
     
  3. andrewg

    andrewg F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Sep 10, 2002
    4,667
    Chester, England
    Full Name:
    AndrewG
    Steve I have very fond memorys of mondials (may even get another at some point) they may not be the fastest Ferrari, but they make the most sense, that and they handle well round a track and you can fit a full months shopping in one!

    all you need to do to make it more user friendly everyday is keep on top of servicing and make sure all the electrics keep working as they should (a set of non milimeteric wheels will help come tyre time)
     
  4. Babylon

    Babylon Karting

    Jan 2, 2004
    140
    Steve,

    a bit early for me to say with any real evidence to back it up but so far, I've only had positive comments about my '91 Mondial t. I suppose i could've bought an older 308 for the same money but for me the Mondial is every bit as much a Ferrari as anything else and it comes with the added bonus of a pair of rear seats for the kids - something which helped sell the idea to the wife!

    I've been invited by Dylan, the salesman at the new Dick Lovett franchise in Cardiff to a programme being filmed tomorrow night which will be shown live on S4C at 7pm so it wouldn't appear he has anything against Mondials.

    Cheers,

    Mikey
     
  5. ric355

    ric355 Guest

    Dec 21, 2003
    1,375
    I'd rather have a Mondial than a Mondeo....
     
  6. OrangePeel

    OrangePeel Rookie

    Jan 27, 2004
    7
    Herts/Essex border
    Full Name:
    Neil Pearson
    Stuff all that. Just enjoy your car for what it is.
     
  7. stevej33

    stevej33 Karting

    Feb 16, 2004
    76
    Lincoln, UK
    Full Name:
    Steve Jollands
    Well, ive got a week off work now to crack on with it, so sorting out the pittyfully slow electric windows and re-trimming the carpets is this weeks tasks! i seem to remember that wiring the window motors direct from the battery via a relay sorts them out....
    On the subject of wheels and tyres, i bought 5 standard, re-con wheels with 4 new tyres on e-bay last year for £325! so the 390TRX's are staying on for the sake of originality, plus i think they look pretty good anyway!
    But at the end of the day, i love it, so it matters not what people think i guess!!

    steve j
     
  8. ric355

    ric355 Guest

    Dec 21, 2003
    1,375
    I think that is the right attitude.

    Like all Ferraris, the Mondial has historical significance, and without it we wouldn't have had other models that followed. It was one of the early practical Ferrari's and has Dino heritage.

    To quote from "The ultimate history of Ferrari" by Brian Laban,

    "[The Mondial] was the model which, in 1980, finally replaced Bertone's 'four-seater' 308 GTB/4. It was another 2+2 - that was the whole point - it was styled by Pininfarina but looked a lot squarer than the curvy GTB and GTS, and in its first version it was called the Mondial 8. It arrived with the fuel injected two-valve generation of the 3-litre V8, and around 215bhp. Aside from a slightly stretched wheelbase and a taller roofline, it had most of the chassis detail of the two-seaters and genuinely offered a very decent compromise between wothwhile rear seats, surprising comfort and refinement, and the real Ferrari driving experience. In 1982, in line with its 308 cousins, it became the Mondial qv and, almost inevitably, from 1983 there was a cabriolet version.

    You could argue for a very long time about whether the Mondial was a better-looking car than the GTB/4, or whether it was really any better to drive, but it was certainly more popular - in truth, probably because it was by now more completely thought out as a practical, comfortable, easy to live with 'family' car. As such, it was another interesting string to the Dino family's bow"


    F40 owners - eat ya' heart out !
     
  9. tomkranz

    tomkranz Karting

    Dec 22, 2003
    152
    Berkshire
    Full Name:
    Tom
    LOL. At Christmas we descended on our relatives - I had all 3 kids plus 2 suitcases and all the presents in the Mondial, and my wife followed in the Discovery with carry cot and the kid's bikes, as well as her brother and his wife and their luggage.

    Fully laden the Mondial is just as much fun to drive - plus the kids behaved themselves for the 2 hour drive, because they were in Daddy's Ferrari.

    No way could I have managed that with just a 2 seater.

    All hail the Mondial! :)

    If only that seat squab in the middle of the rear seats wasn't there I could squeeze all five of us in :) Oh well .....

    Cheers,
    TOM
     
  10. tbakowsky

    tbakowsky F1 World Champ
    Consultant Professional Ferrari Technician

    Sep 18, 2002
    19,344
    The Cold North
    Full Name:
    Tom
    The Mondial is a very nice Ferrari. They have the same drive line as the 328 and rated for the same power(i think). They have the added bonus of 4 seats and you can take the car on long drives and not be tired at the end of it. They ride nice, handel good and you can put the top down. Name me another Ferrari you can do this in without spending a whole wack-o-cash.

    Tom
     
  11. 365boy

    365boy Formula Junior

    Nov 5, 2003
    357
    Brighton, England
    Full Name:
    John Leaman
    Of course the Mondial is a 'real' Ferrari.

    But is the 924 a 'real' Porsche and the Biturbo a 'real' Maserati...?

    Puts it in perspective I think....

    John
     
  12. stevej33

    stevej33 Karting

    Feb 16, 2004
    76
    Lincoln, UK
    Full Name:
    Steve Jollands
    i really dont think tht a mondial qv can be compred to 924 can it??
    240bhp mid engine, 32valve V8 or a VW with a van engine.....
    or am i missing somthing!!
    or is this just what i mean about £150,000 show cars, and real world people
    having a car they never thought they'd be able to own.
    makes you think i guess.........
     
  13. Philjay50

    Philjay50 Formula Junior

    Jan 16, 2003
    595
    Chester, England
    Full Name:
    Philip
    I too own a Mondial and can say that at times I feel like a poor relative when it come up in conversation. To some point it has spoilt my ownership.
    I was at LeMans a couple of years back and we were talking outside the bar at Arnage (by the fountain, these who have been will know where I am) I mentioned I had a Mondial, they were almost sympathetic.
    In contrast, the NA sites seem to treat them with the same reverance as any other model (within reason)

    Having said all of that, I love it. I WOULD have another Mondial, my wife and I have lots of room for our luggage on our trips and it's great fun to drive.

    Interesting comment about the electrics, I have not had big problems but I cannot get the clock to work properly, any ideas.
     
  14. stevej33

    stevej33 Karting

    Feb 16, 2004
    76
    Lincoln, UK
    Full Name:
    Steve Jollands
    I think it would be quite interesting to find out how many Mondial's are
    still on the road in the uk. Here in Lincoln, ive only ever seen one other,
    and that was in a worse state of repair than the one im restoring (even before i started it!!)
    Mine is a 84' QV that started life in Azzurro Blue, with beige leather, but for the last 6 years has sported Rosso Corsa (a ferrari specialist tells me it makes them worth considerably more to first time buyers??)
    Should i keep it red, or back to the original colour?? its about to have a bare metal respray, so its down to either originality or value? but i guess there cant be many blue ones out there anymore........

    your thoughts.........
     
  15. Philjay50

    Philjay50 Formula Junior

    Jan 16, 2003
    595
    Chester, England
    Full Name:
    Philip
    Snap, Mine is an 84 in Blue, when I get round to a repaint I will either keep it blue or go for metalic Black.
     
  16. Robertb

    Robertb Formula 3

    Nov 19, 2003
    1,331
    South Oxfordshire, U
    Full Name:
    Robert
    I wish Ferrari would make another Mondial- imagine a mid engined 2+2 based on the 360m. The extra seats are a real benefit. The lack of rear seats in my 355 means it usually stays at home because I like to go out on jollies with wife and kiddy.

    Makes me start to think about a 996...
     
  17. 365boy

    365boy Formula Junior

    Nov 5, 2003
    357
    Brighton, England
    Full Name:
    John Leaman
    Stevej33...

    Exactly my point - you CAN'T compare a Mondial with a 924 because one is a proper representation of what makes the company great - and the other one ain't.

    John
     
  18. ric355

    ric355 Guest

    Dec 21, 2003
    1,375
    My view is that originality is better over value. I doubt you would be adding much to the value in keeping it red. Most first time buyers want a red Ferrari, which is why they are 'worth more'. However, someone who wants a blue one will probably pay a premium for it if it is exactly what they are looking for and is harder to come by.

    I think the best approach is to have it how *you* want it to be, and ignore possible future value (unless the only reason you are restoring it is for profit - but then most restorations cost more than the final valuation don't they?).

    I like my cars to be original - so if it were mine it would be blue.
     
  19. davem

    davem F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 21, 2002
    8,210
    Stepford, Connecticut
    Full Name:
    dave m
    If it matters your Mondial T will leave an older 308 in its dust!

    Actually i think Mondials stink. Rid yourselves of those Euro Mondials. Ship them stateside for proper disposal!!
     
  20. Modificata

    Modificata F1 Rookie

    Apr 27, 2003
    2,654
    Hampton, England
    Full Name:
    Andy Rasool
    Dave

    Leave our Mondials alone! Its not our fault the the US government liked to detune the Mondials you guys were shipped!

    Anyway I've been meaning to call you to say thanks for everything while I was in the states. It was good to meet you. Sorry I didnt get to call before I left but things were quite busy (as you know). Anyway will call you in the next few days.

    Adnaan
     
  21. davem

    davem F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 21, 2002
    8,210
    Stepford, Connecticut
    Full Name:
    dave m
    OK well leave one nice Mondial t for Adnaan then! Hope you are feeling better now. It was nice meeting you as well and thank you again for dinner.
    My eyes were bigger than my stomach that night!!
    Best, Dave
     
  22. funkyboogalooo

    Dec 30, 2003
    5

    So are you saying the whole bi-turbo era wasnt proper Maserati? Because I would have to disagree.
    I owned one of only 21 rhd Karif's which was one of the last bi-turbo's before the Ghibli. It had 285bhp on tap, awesome torque and comfort to die for. it was trimmed in alcantara and leather with a hand stitched alcantara headlining. OH yes and it too had four seats. I never had a moments trouble with it and still wish i hadnt sold it.
    Ok so it wasnt a Ghibli, Merak or Sebring but it was an important part of a marques history and growth.
    As the Mondial is looked upon in Ferrari circles as is the bi-turbo in Maserati. personally i think this is wrong.
    Just my 2c worth.
    Mike
     
  23. Daytonafan

    Daytonafan F1 Rookie

    Oct 18, 2003
    2,748
    Surrey, England
    Full Name:
    Matthew
    Why is it that luxury car manufacturers seem to generate such snobbery amongst their own models. My every day car is a very tired Porsche 944S2 that is often not considered a real Porsche. However it is every bit as fun to drive as a 911, has far more boot space and probably drinks less fuel. Oh and it costs less than half the price of a an similar aged 911 too.

    If you love your Mondial then just enjoy it as a great car and forget what everyone else thinks.
     
  24. Alanmondial

    Alanmondial Rookie

    Nov 1, 2003
    34
    Dublin, Ireland
    Full Name:
    Alan Butler
    I bought my '81 Mondial 8 last year after reading all the usual magazine artcles about Mondials being a 'starter' Ferrari. Now that I have it I can't see any reason to every want to sell it. Okay, the '8' might not be the quickest thing under the sun but it looks great and, most importantly, sounds great. I too have a family and yes it is fantastic to think that we can all enjoy such a great car
     
  25. stevep

    stevep F1 Veteran

    Jan 19, 2004
    8,345
    Geordie Land
    Full Name:
    steve
    Alan it looks stunning mate, enjoy!
     

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