Mondial 8 Daily driver advice, judge4? Dino 208?

The Mondials are quick enough for the real world, and the later ones are quicker than most 308s. But after you have one for a while, you grow up and realize that is not the point. It is a brilliantlly designed and packaged European sized Grand Touring car, suitable for everyday use, long trips, and is quite reliable. To me the immense amount (for a Ferrari) of interior room in such a small package is amazing. Much more interior room front and back for example, than an XK8. a bigger car. It is also at a technology level where it is easy to service and it's commonality of parts with the 308 series ensures supportability for years to come.

It is pure understated class for folks who know. And the passionate tactile and aural Italian genetics of chassis, gearbox and engine are instantaneously available in every drive. Immense fun.

The electrical system can be sorted - typically by 3 simple things that will make a big difference:

1. Always keep a good battery charge. A small battery tender from Pep Boys does the trick. For some reason the car is VERY sensitive to low battery voltage.
2. Fusebox Upgrade to the later fusebox if possible, if not keep the fuse contacts tight and clean. I also recommend a competant simple re-wire around the fuel pump relay and connector commonly infamous for burning out at the connector.
3. Replace ALL of the metal boxed weather sensitive Bosch relays in the car with the newer replacement sealed black plastic ones from NAPA or wherever matching the original Bosch part number.

I would also say putting a newer technology type of tire is the best thing you can do for the car. The original TRX and Gatorbacks really hold the car back. Lots of options here, with the new Superformance replacement alloys for the early cars really brillantly solving a lot of concerns. If you like to upgrade your car, there also many other options available.

It's almost too good to be true, but it is.

 

Very true. It's next on the list after the interior goes back in mine. Tough to get work done on a car that is 7000 miles away again.

This is the point that is lost on most. The 308s are cool cars, but look how the V8s have grown to be more usable ever since the Mondial was dropped from the line up. Owners want useable cars, otherwise you end up with 23 year old 308s that have ~25k miles (like mine) whereas the Mondials always end up with more miles because you can actually use them as a real car.

Are the Mondials reliable enough to use every day? Absolutely, but they are old cars and they will require the proper feeding and watering. Cost effective? No. Fun? You bet.

As for the styling, I'm in the camp that prefers the shape of the Mondials. They really don't photograph well, but in the metal, they're very well proportioned and styled, its tough to do with a mid engined 2+2.

Not all of us want the flashiest car out there, but a well mannered usable car to drive when ever and where ever. For this, the Mondial is perfect (among the V8 cars that is, everyone knows my opinion on the V12 2+2s...).

 

Fusebox with spade fuses instead of the ceramic bullets.

Good luck!

 

Well, the spade lug terminal fuse box change occurred after the Mondial QV was introduced. I should know, I replaced the Euro-style "bullet" fusebox with a later (3.2) spade lug terminal fuse box purchased brand new from FNA in 2001 into Birdman's QV Coupe before he bought it!

That car was (is) a sweetheart! I drove that car for the first time in 1985 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, showed it at the Annual Meet in Atlanta in 1989 and bought it in 1999 for my 40th birthday. Sold to Birdman after putting 30K miles on it in five years.

Of course the Mondials are, as a species, good daily drivers. I've looked after quite a few 8's, QV's, 3.2's and t's. I liked the t Coupe so much, I just took delivery of 81834 yesterday! I would MUCH rather have an FI Mondial of any stripe than a carb GT4, at least if I intended to use it more than very infrequently.

We used to have an informal group of Mondials we took to FCA track events in the late 1980's, early 1990's called "Team Moondog." It was great!

-Peter

 

Agreed, for the most part. While I like my mondi 8, I would never use it as a daily driver. I just don't have the budget for that.

 

Team Moondog! Yeah!

So it was YOU that ran up all the miles on our car! It should turn over to 80K this month! Drive 'em man!

BTW, thanks for the fusebox Peter! No problems with it at all.

We should all stop telling everyone how great the Mondials are. Pretty soon everyone will want one and we won't be cool anymore.

Birdman

 

Signs? I'll say. How about that big hole in the car. That'e one sign for sure!

I don't think thats a QV either. The intake plenum looks like a M8. Way overpriced for condition if its an 8. Slightly less overpriced if its a QV.

Birdman

 

I bought a 75 GT4 end of 2004. The reason I looked long and hard for a '75 is because I live in the LA area, and I know that trying to smog a multicarb car is extremely frustrating and costly. My car is yellow, and the car looks great in yellow. IMHO Better than red. The other nice thing about an early 308 is that it makes more power than the later cars (better cams) . You got remove the thermal reactor mufler and replace it with some aftermarket free flowing mufler. IMHO, a (any) Ferrari will never be a daily driver. It is also not a SUV, and although the GT4 has a "back seat" sort of lke a 911 has a back seat, its best use, just like the 911, is to lay your jacket down. To me the Mondial is sort of the "taxi cab" of the Ferraris, and I fail to see the point. Ferraris are sports cars period. The reason to buy them is for esthetics, not practicality. If a Mondial turns you on, buy it. But do not buy it because it is more "practicle".
In driving together with my friends with Euro 308QVs I find have the same acceleration. The mechanical Bosch FI on those cars with the resrtictive swash plate is not that effiecient especially at high revs. But they are more trouble free the carbs and cleaner also.

 

Depends. Its a parts car as is.

I wouldn't try and restore it unless it was given to me and there was a full sack of unmarked 10's and 20's in the trunk...

 

having restored an 82 QV back to health I would say that the pictures show a car well down the road to nowhere. If there is that much rust in the doors, the frames have probably gone (not replaceable) and the wings!!!! Can't tell if its an * or QV cos the early QV's looked very similar. Agree with earlier comments, umless its free or almost, look again

 

I don't think it's that far gone. It just will never be a concourse car. You can take it to a decent body shop and have them weld in some patches on the rust holes, grind down and fix the bottoms of the doors and give the car a basic paint job. You could get out of that for a couple grand. Not to concourse standards, but fine as a driver. If it's really a QV, I think its worth doing. The guy wants way too much. $10K would be the absolute top end and you better be prepared to drop another $3K to $5K on the car immediately, assuming it has no major engine issues. If it needs a clutch immediately or something, then the price should reflect that. Of course you would change the timing belts immediately, but that's cheap to do yourself. Exhaust? Take it to a decent custom exhaust place and have them put a decent sounding not to expensive exhaust on it. Balding tires? Who cares, the TRX wheels suck. Get some 348 wheels on eBay. What does the interior look like?

Marankie - Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but a taxi of Ferraris? That's harsh. People DO in fact buy Ferraris for practical reasons. Do you have children? If you did, than you would understand the reason behind having a functional back seat. I can put the whole family in the Mondial for a nice drive. Doesn't work so well in the 308. Why do you think Ferrari makes and sells so many 2+2 cars? Is the 456 a taxi too?

Birdman

 

Too right. one of these "improvements" that are not really an improvement at all. You can also demist your car in the winter much better with both heat and AC on that way. Like big rounded knobs for radio controls, these older controls are much preferable over a whole assembly of identical electric push buttons.....

 

in reference to the car above, it seems as though the throttle body is rotated 90* to the right. and its missing the vacumm ports for the WUR and backfire passby. that's an 8 plenum though.