>>Ferrari Mondial

Ferrari Mondial

Ferrari Mondial

Manufacturer	Ferrari
Production	1980–1993 6,884 produced
Assembly	Modena, Italy
Predecessor	Ferrari 208/308 GT4
Class	mid-engined
Body style	2+2 Coupe 2+2 Cabriolet
Related	Ferrari 208/308 GTB & GTS Ferrari 328 Ferrari 348

The Ferrari Mondial is a 2+2 coupe automobile produced by Ferrari from 1980 through 1993. It replaced the angular 208/308 GT4. The "Mondial" name came from Ferrari's history — the famed 500 Mondial race car of the early 1950s. Despite its predecessor being Bertone styled, the Mondial saw Ferrari return to Pininfarina for styling. It was sold as a mid-sized coupe and, eventually, a cabriolet. The Mondial was conceived as a 'usable' model, offering the practicality of four seats and the performance of a Ferrari. The car had a slightly higher roofline than its stablemates, with a single long door either side, offering easy access and good interior space, reasonable rear legroom, while allround visibility was excellent.

The Mondial was produced in fairly high numbers for a Ferrari, with more than 6,800 produced in its 13-year run, and was one of Ferrari's most commercially successful models. The car body was not built as a monocoque in the same way as a conventional car; the steel outer body was produced by the famous Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Scaglietti, just down the road in nearby Modena, built over a lightweight steel box-section space frame. The engine cover and rear luggage compartment lids are in light alloy. The seats and interior were trimmed in Connolly hide, contrasting with the body color. Most cars were painted rosso red, but some were black or silver, and a few were dark blue.

The Mondial was the first Ferrari car where the entire engine/gearbox/rear suspension assembly was mounted on a detachable steel subframe, making engine removal for a major rebuild or cylinder head removal much easier than it was on previous models. Unusually, the handbrake is situated between the driver's seat and the inner sill. Once the handbrake is set it drops down so as not to impede egress and ingress. Instead of the conventional "H" shift pattern, the gearbox has 1st gear situated in a "dog leg" to the left and back, behind reverse. This pattern allows quicker gear shifts between 2nd and 3rd gear, and also between 4th and 5th.

Mondial 8

Mondial 8

Production	1980–1982
Engine	3.0 L FI V8

The Mondial was introduced as the Mondial 8 at the 1980 Geneva Auto Salon. It was the first Ferrari to depart from the company's familiar 3-digit naming scheme and was fairly mild, relative to other Ferraris, in terms of performance drawing criticism from the motoring press. It used a mid/rear-mounted Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection V8, shared with the 308 GTBi/GTSi, mounted transversely. The engine was originally used in the 1973 Dino 308 GT4. The K-Jetronic system is mechanical, with a high pressure pump which streams fuel continusly to the injectors; it does not have a computer, just a few relays to handle the cold start sequence etc. The chassis was also based on the 308 GT4, but with a 100 mm (3.9 in) longer wheelbase at 2,650 mm (104.3 in). The suspension was the classic layout of unequal-length double wishbones & Koni dampers all around.

The Mondial 8 is considered one of the marque's most "practical" vehicles, due to its 214 hp (160 kW), proven drivetrain, four seats, and relatively low cost of maintenance (major services can be performed without removing the entire engine/transmission subframe).

Mondial Quattrovalvole

Mondial QV (Quattrovalvole)

Production	1982–1985
Engine	3.0 L 4v V8

The first Mondial engine, although a DOHC design, used just two valves per cylinder. The 1982 Quattrovalvole or QV introduced a new 4-valve head, the combustion chamber design was purportedly based on the early 80s F1 engine. Again, the engine was shared with the contemporary 308 GTB/GTS QV, and produced a much more respectable 240 hp (179 kW).

Mondial Cabriolet

A new Cabriolet bodystyle was added for 1983. Body styling remained the same as the coupé variant, with the roof maintaining the 'buttress' design of the roof, though the Cabriolet required the rear seats to be mounted closer together laterally. The introduction of the Cabriolet saw the popularity of the Mondial rise, particularly in the American market, where the convertible body style was highly desirable. The Cabriolet has the added distinction of being the only 4-seat, mid-rear engine, convertible automobile ever manufactured in regular production.

3.2 Mondial

3.2 Mondial

Production	1985–1989
Engine	3.2 L Tipo F105CB 4v V8

Like the new 328 GTB, the Mondial's engine grew in both bore and stroke to 3.2 L (3185 cc) for 1985. Output was now 280 hp (201 kW).

Available in both Coupe and Cabriolet forms, styling was refreshed with restyled and body-coloured bumpers, similar to the 328 with more integrated indicators & driving lamps, and new wheels with a more rounded face. The 3.2 also boasted a major interior update, with a more ergonomic layout & a more rounded instrument binnacle, later cars sported ABS (1987 onwards). Fuel injection remained the primarily mechanical Bosch K-Jetronic (CIS) with an o2 sensor in the exhaust providing feedback to a simple computer for mixture trimming via a pulse modulated frequency valve that regulated control fuel pressure. Ignition system was Marelli Microplex, with electronic advance control and one distributor per bank of the V8. The 1988 Mondial 3.2 would be the final model year that retained the relatively low maintenance costs of the 308/328 drivetrain, allowing major service items like timing belt and clutch replacement to be performed with the engine/transmission package still in the car.

Mondial t

Mondial t

Production	1989–1993
Engine	3.4 L Tipo F119 V8
Transmission	5-speed manual Valeo auto-manual

The final Mondial evolution was 1989's Mondial t (Coupe and Cabriolet). It was a substantially changed model, "spearhead of a new generation of V8 Ferraris", according to Road & Track magazine. It was visually different from preceding Mondial models, the most recognisable being the redesign of the air intakes to a smaller, neater rectangular shape. The door-handles were of a visually different design and, along with the bumpers, became body coloured, whilst a painted black band was added around the bottom of the body.

Mondial t coupe.

The 't' called attention to the car's new engine/transmission layout: the previously-transverse engine was now mounted longitudinally whilst the gearbox remained transverse, thus forming a 't'. By adopting this layout, a longer engine could be mounted lower in the chassis, improving handling dramatically. The 't' configuration was used by Ferrari's Formula One cars of the 1980s, and would be the standard for the marque's future mid-engined V8 cars, beginning with the 348, introduced later in the year. The transverse gearbox was fitted with a Limited Slip Differential with a twin-plate clutch design with beveled gears driving the wheels. Later in production, a Semi-automatic transmission termed "Valeo" was available as an option; while shifting was by means of a traditional gear lever, the clutch was actuated automatically without a clutch pedal. The engine was up to 3.4 L (3405 cc) and 300 hp (224 kW). The engine was now controlled by Bosch Motronic DME 2.5 (later DME 2.7) electronic engine management that integrated EFI and ignition control into a single computer unit. Two of these were used in the car: one for each bank of the engine. Engine lubrication was upgraded to a dry-sump system.

The Mondial's chassis would underpin a new generation of 2-seat Ferraris, right up to the 360, but the 2+2 Mondial would end production just four and a half years later in 1993. However, the "t" layout of the engine and transaxle, adapted from Ferrari's Formula One cars, continues to be used in mid-engined V8 model Ferraris to date, albeit with a more sophisticated chassis. The new layout saw the engine and transmission mounted on a removable subframe; the assembly could be removed through the underside of the vehicle for maintenance. This is necessary for timing belt replacement, making this a costly procedure for the owner who does not have a lift. On the other hand, the clutch was now located at the very rear of the drive train. This makes clutch replacement and service a simple, inexpensive, and readily owner-doable proposition.

The "t" was home to other Ferrari firsts: It used power assisted steering for the first time, and had a 3-position electronically controlled suspension for a variable trade off between ride quality and road holding. It also had standard ABS.

The Mondial t represented the most substantial upgrade to the Mondial model line in performance and handling since its introduction in 1980. Previous Mondials had rarely justified their price premium over the competition in terms of bare performance statistics, which led to some poor press coverage. The "t" offered greater performance whilst retaining a mid-engined layout and a practical packaging layout, and was more favorably received. It also had the advantage of two usable rear seats.

Despite over a decade in production, with consistent updates throughout, the Mondial's final models weighed less than its earlier models; typically, updates to a long production run add significant mass to a particular model. The company has not produced a mid-engined 2+2 car since, in fact front-engined V12s such as the 456 and the current 612 Scaglietti, were the company's only 4-seat vehicle offerings until 2009's V8 "California". However, the California is front engined, leaving the Mondial t as the most modern 4-seat, mid-engined, Ferrari yet produced.

PPG Pace Car

The Mondial based Ferrari PPG Pace Car was built exclusively for PPG Industries to use as a safety car for the PPG Indy Car World Series as part of its pace car program. Built by Ferrari under the design of I.DE.A Institute at a cost of approximately $1 million, it was introduced at the1989 Champion Spark Plugs 300 in Laguna Seca.

In 2004, one of its examples was offered at a Christie's auction held during the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it was sold for €70,500.