Mondial 3.2 bought on BaT, attempt to drive home..

Quite the adventure Mark....and perfectly illustrates why I would never recommend a person's first drive in a vintage car unfamiliar to them be over a long distance far from home. I should know because I did exactly the same thing when I bought my QV. Long story short, while I managed my 700 mile trip home with no issues, the next day I discovered the fuel line for the cold start enrichment valve was not connected to the valve and was just pumping raw fuel on top of the engine. I count my blessings every time I get in the car because the outcome of that first trip could have been disastrous.
Do yourself a favor: trailer (or truck) your car home and make the shake-down runs in your new-to-you 40+ year-old car short, close to home, and with your favorite fire extinguisher riding shotgun.
- Dave

 

Back in the early 90's when I had a 308QV that I bought from Auto Palace in Pittsburgh, I moved to Atlanta, and would drive it back and forth to PA to see my folks. Because it was so hot here in the summers, I would take the car back to PA in May, and then drive it back to Atl in October... thankfully I never had any mechanical issues along the way... but I did have a flat tire once and hit the remains of a deer that had been splattered all over the road.. that totally ripped off the deep spoiler... each trip was an adventure. but the Ferrari drove well each time.

 

Enjoyed the video Mark, wish it went a little smoother for you but sounds like you handled the issues well. In the beginning of the video you said you were going to pick up an ‘old’ Ferrari and I thought Mondials aren’t old I remember when they came out! Then I did the math and realized you are correct indeed they are old now.

 

Great video! As much as I wanted to, your experience is EXACTLY why I didn't drive mine back to TX from NYC. I could just see myself on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in the Appalachian Mountains. (cue the dueling banjos)

 

You're a BRAVE MAN!

Not for driving the Mondial cross country.

...for staying in a Motel 6 in Mohave!

 

Mark, this video was awesome. Thank you for posting. I did not know the Mondials had a fan behind the oil cooler. The 308's do not have this. I am curious about your oil temps and why this was a concern. Did they keep rising past 235-240? Or did they stabilize there? The only reason I ask is in the 308 if its crazy hot...say 93 degrees and high humidity or higher and you are dsoing some spirited driving for a while the oil temps can get above that halfway mark. For me if it gets higher then I want I just run the defroster full blast and suffer.

 

Copy. I guess on the 308 hitting 3/4 mark in those conditions would not be cause for alarm. Those are about as legit as conditions as you can put a Ferrari through outside of lapping Road Atlanta in August!

 

Great Video!

 

Back when those cars were new, there was no such thing as a 40-year-old Ferrari.

 

Hmmm unique perspective!

 

I repatriated a 50+ year old Daimler V8 (think Jaguar Mk2 with a 2.5L V8) from Belgium (to Bristol) a few years ago. Trip went fine, apart from locking myself out of the car just before boarding time for the Channel Tunnel train. ;-)

Probably not the best idea, but I like an adventure.

 

This is a super video! As good of a buying format as Bring-a-Trailer is, at the end of the day it's still like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. I went back and looked at this auction... no hints of these problems on there.

 

Yeah but did you see behind them on the to-do list at the selling garage it said 'sell that cobbled together Mondial to some Aussie mug' ... or words to that effect.

Buying a elderly secondhand car is always a bit of a lottery.