Considering a Mondial t Coupe. "t" owners weigh in please...

Great cars. Rare cars. I think I know all of the people that have them (there were of course only 42 of them) and any of them that were for sale recently did sell. But you never know! This would be the place to find one. Any reason why you have not pulled the trigger on this one you describe?

 

For me the Mondial t is a unique and highly rewarding car when its running OK. Fantastic engine, moderately fast in 't' guise, great stable (but obviously midengine influenced) handling, comfortable on a long journey, lots of room inc. option to get 2 kids in the back and of course rarity value.

As regards things to look out for, my 'hit list' would include :-

Ensure electronic suspension is fully functional - megabucks if it isn't
Ditto ABS
Check sills carefully- any corrosion means that replacements will be necessary sooner rather than later. Look for the car to have been regularly undersealed / WAXOYLED or similar, and make sure it has always been garaged
Minor corrosion at the base of the A-pillars seems to be normal and is simply a matter of repaint every so often
Check all electrical items are working - check cost of any repairs if not - can be substantial
Engine-wise the checklist is exactly as per the 348 - beware any 'check engine light' issues or whatever. Check fuel system from pumps to injectors carefully - they can leak and I think were the subject of at least one recall
Obviously it must have a full service record with no gaps or mysteries, and not have been worked on at any time by anyone who doesn't understand the car and its specific requirements - this can spell trouble in future
Beware any non original mods - why?
Finally of course you want it to have the original manual, toolkit etc otherwise you will feel compelled to purchase on ebay - at a price...

If the above check out OK then you have the makings of a magnificent purchase. Mind you, I have a vested interest as my beloved 41k 't' coupe is regrettably up for sale at £18.5k (see pistonheads)...!

 

I only have a grip on resale of these cars but do not claim to be the expert. However with that said I will let you know that it’s a sellers market on a nice no stories Mondial T coupe. While the market range runs from forties to twenties (depending on condition) I can safely say that if the car is at all what you expected to see then feel good in the high thirties. If it’s a gem (better than expected) then plan on forties. That’s not saying there are not some buys to be had. Example: I was helping a gent on eBay with a T coupe. He really had no idea how to market the car and that ultimately led to the car going for a super price (to an F-chat member). Most buyers were unsure of the car after conversing with the undereducated (on Mondial T) seller so they would loose interest. Then of course the seller was pummeled by these buyer types that SAY they want a Ferrari but never actually buy one. I am sure you know the type; there are literally hundreds of them looking to waste a seller’s time at any moment. That style of “buyer” brought the seller to a point that he just wanted out of the Ferrari market. Soooo along came the F-chater with the right money in hand at exactly the right time. Bingo, nice sale for the buyer. But that does not mean that you can use that price on that particular car for a comparable.

Anyhow, enjoy the search. You have glanced at one in photographs lets see if you find another.

 

1 = This is not the end of the world. You have 13 years of records. That is a lot. What do you fear your not seeing?
2 = Tool kit & jack. These parts are available. And, the car is still a Ferrari without them.
3 = Check it out closer before you assume that this is an issue.
4 = Independents are offen times the best thing for a non-current production Ferrari. This can be a plus.

A cab is a wonderful car too. Plenty of those to look at.

 

Here's my take....

1 - Records mean diddley-squat. I've seen falsified records for just about every type of ferrari, so they are not gospel.
2 - Original tool kit is NLA new - there are plenty of aftermarket ones available. Either way, the original tool kit is crap and won't help you at all. If you want a tool kit that's functional, make up your own. If you want it for the sake of completeness, then that's another matter entirely and "worth" about $500 against the price of the car.
3 - Cosmetics might be very easily fixed or might cost $$$. Either way these cars are getting up to 20 years old and some cosmetic issues are to be expected.
4 - This is a HUGE plus, but it depends on the mechanic involved. Full Dealer service history would be a negative to me and I'm sure many others here.

Sorry for the cynicism, but what REALLY matters is the true condition of the car now. Doesn't matter what has happened in it's past - if some twit blew the engine up but it has since been rebuilt by someone like Dave Helms (in your neck of the woods and I'd DEFINITELY have him do a PPI on any car you are considering), then that is a massive plus. If the car has a few scratches in the paint, but that paint is original and not covering up some serious panel damage, then that is a plus. e.g. My car was hit on the rear right QP - that entire panel was replaced by one of the best Ferrari shops in the US and it's now better than new. If it had been filled with body filler then it would look the same, but would be VERY different.

With only 40 t Coupes in the US I am stunned that they do not command a huge price premium. Maybe it will take some time.....

YMMV etc., Dave

 

I suspect mine is #43...

Great car, love it, usual electrical gremlins with dashboard etc. Being custom tuned as we speak. I must say the head turning coefficient is great.

 

Three words: P P I

 

Ohhh my. Wily, could you post a photo. That color combo is to die for & I would luv to see a shot of it. I have a photo of a cab like that but a coupe would be even better.
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There is a stunning T Coupe in town. Finally sorted and proven reliable, I doubt they would part with it but one can always ask. Kris and I have made weekend runs with the couple that own it and they really enjoy the car.

Dave

 

As for the Cabrio, we love ours. Twice as much fun with the top down than up. However, It pains me that without a roll bar I can not take it to a track.
Dave

 

John,

I bought my tCoupe in 1999. Participated in just about all Pacific FCA events. Entered the 2002 and 2004 International meets. Won the Coppa GT Award in 2004 @ Laguna Seca. Still drive it regularly. Well balanced and just enough power to keep me out of big trouble. The Coupe is up to temp now, ready for my drive.. got to go. Good luck with your search......

Allen

 

Love my T cab! But I prefer an open top to a sunroof. Also hear that the sunroofs are expensive to fix and it may be difficult to find parts?! I'd probably get less sunburn on my scalp and ears in a coupe.

One of each would be awesome. I've dreamed of that for a while. Some guys say they handle better in performance driving because of the stiffness of the body. I wouldn't know. Driving my T cab is fun enough for me. I've thought about a regular modial QV coupe to tinker with and modify.

Dave

 

Do you have a nice big photo of this car... I LOVE the color, and would love a shot for my screensaver!

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

 

Yup, I think it is crazy good too. This car was for sale a month ago or so, damn near had me making room for another!
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This car looks very nice

 

I bought mine last November from a dealer in California and had it transported to Florida. I was looking for a long time and finally found a good example at a very good price. I wholeheartedly recommend it as it is a GREAT drivers car. I've always loved the later Mondial cars (3.2+) and like many great designs (especially Italian) look so much better in the flesh than in 2D.

I've owned a 1983 308GTSi QV (silver/red) in the past and would without even 1% doubt stick with my Mondial T IMHO. The longer wheelbase changes the experience in that you lose absolutely none of the visceral feel but gain in other ways.

The 348 motor has great grunt and the stiffness over the cab is really only evident when pushing hard through corners. Brakes are a HUGE improvement over my QV. There were subtle cosmetic differences between the 3.2 and T, which really lend the car an Italian muscle car look.

I mean this in no bad way at all, but for me, I always prefer the inherent masculinity of coupes in general. I'll spare the world my thinning hair, pot belly, and out of date music, thank you. If a coupe version of a car would cost $50k, and a cab $40k, I'd pony up the extra for the coupe, just my personal taste. I prefer platinum watches over gold. Patek Phillipe over Rolex.

But it is especially accentuated on the Mondial because of the dramatically swept C pillars. The strong roofline lends the T a character that is both elegant and masculine. In addition, the smaller intake vents is a design feature I definitely like.

But I think the newer gearbox/engine layout is the best part of the car. Even though it is almost identical weight & distribution you do feel the mass behind you much less on the T than on the 3.2. It is a profound difference, feeling more 348ish than you would think. If they say that the 348 was th first truly modern Ferrari, then the Mondial T is the proof of this evolutionary process. Coming out before the 348 by a few months, the T was the first production Ferrari to have the current longitudinal-oriented engine with transverse (T) layout gearbox. The first to have power assisted steering, the first to have an electronically adjusted suspension.

Good luck finding one, I looked for 3 years but you may get lucky. Of course, with only 42 out there they are tough to find but is ultimately very very rewarding. The major is more expensive that the earlier cars as the motor needs to come out, but is worth the extra effort. This is a car that you really have to justify replacing with a more recent/more expensive model (up to a point of course) because of the sweet handling nature the longer wheelbase while losing NONE of the excitement. Plus the rarity adds to its enjoyment as well. And if that weren't enough, the fact that they are comically under-priced and under-appreciated just makes it a more enjoyable buy as well.

Ferrari has lost me on its current design language. I do love the cars. I admire and respect them enormously. The new 599 really is a technological showcase and the F430 is probably the best drivers car ever made. But for my money, 1988-2003 was one of the best times for all car design. Todays cars are safer, go faster, and have great technology built into them. But they lack the soul that the earlier cars had. It seems that the sweet spot of safety, driver involvement,
beauty, and technology had a perfect storm around this time. The original BMW E30 M3 was so much more fun and soulful than the last generation cars. Another great BMW, the E39 M5 was much more entertaining and fun than the technologically superior E60 M5.

I really really admire the newer Ferraris but if I had $450K to spend, I would buy a 288GTO and have change left over for a good Mondial T Coupe and a 550 with a proper manual gearbox and know that my investment was going up rather than down.

 

fantastic package. Add a tubi and you'll be driving the thing all week. Enjoy

 

Michael, I saw that beautiful T 'vert at FoW a couple of weeks ago and I was tempted to buy it as an "his and hers" to my coupé!

I realized today, thanks to F-chat, that the beautiful convertible was based in Vienna, just like my coupé is.
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