Ferrari Mondial - Loving the Unloved and Approachable - Test Drive | Test Drive 

Griots: I bet you can’t sell that Mondial over there collecting dust in the corner! Paul: Hold my beer! 😅

Next road trip video.... Paul in a Mondial, Todd in a Lambo Jalpa.

The Mondial is one of my favourite Ferraris. IMO, it's a great package and a great Pininfarina design that is ageing well. It's also the right amount of performance for the road. You can actually rev it all the way out in 2nd and 3rd without putting your licence and freedom at great risk. If you buy the T's predecessor, the 3.2, power is down by 10%, you lose the power steering, the switchable suspension, and the engine sits higher, so the handling isn't quite as good, but they're 30% cheaper to buy, you don't need to remove the engine to change the timing belt, and they can be maintained by any good mechanic, including home mechanics. Even the QV shouldn't be dismissed at the right price. I can understand why most people would end up buying a Cayman instead, but if you're buying a sports car mainly for that Sunday morning blast down a country road, these are a lot more special than a Cayman.

Why do I get the feeling that Paul carries on like this, about cars he likes, even when there are no cameras rolling? 🙂

Ive had mine six years and it’s just amazing, I haven’t had any problems with it. One of my best car purchases ever. They do look even better in person as they don’t photograph very well. Its one of the rarest Ferraris in the country only 53 coupes sent to North American market and only in 1989. I can’t believe T coupes are still under a hundred grand.

Haven't drooled over a Ferrari since Magnum P.I. or the Testarossa posters on my wall as a kid, until this one. Thank you Griots for allowing Paul to highlight such a unique and underappreciated Ferrari. Awesome video gents, as always. I missed seeing a little bit of Todd in there, lol.

As a kid growing up in Rockford, IL, exotic car sightings were few and far between. But somebody in town had a Mondial and I was elated every time I spotted it. I’ve always loved them.

It's a beautiful car, that's aged incredibly well. Back in 1998, my wife and I had a Mondial as our wedding day car! Great day, great memories. On our honeymoon, we went to Hawaii and a I hired a 328 GTS and drove around Ohau and Honolulu. It was a SURREAL experience.

I could see this being the next show car. Mondial v.s. Elise!

Thanks for the video. One historical point: yes, when the Mondial 8 came out in 1980, journalists were disappointed with the relative lack of power. But the injected 2-valve 308's were also a disappointment; in the '80's people were nostalgic for the cars of the '70's without emissions control. The original Mondial had about 200hp. By comparison, a contemporary C3 Corvette had about 170 from its much bigger V8. So they weren't slow relative to what was available. And they weren't cheap either.

The sweet spot for the Mondi is probably the 3.2, which has the transversely mounted engine shared with the 328. All of the fun of the T with no engine removals required.

Paul cruising around my town of Gig Harbor in a Ferrari. Cool!!

Fun video! Mondial is the best value Ferrari. Parts cost are nutso expensive but it is more reliable than other Ferraris. I used to own a 1985 Porsche 911 cabriolet and my friend had a 1985 Mondial so we swapped keys one day on a drive and I was impressed by the fun torque the stock Mondial had compared my stock 85 911. The gated shifter in the Modial was fun too. Cheers for making this fun video and thanks to Griots for letting you drive and feature it!

Very enjoyable video! Paul's enthusiasm is infectious, makes me want to drive a vintage Ferrari! This or the 308 GT4 that preceeded it.

I own an '85 Mondial QV Cabriolet with 438 Wheels. Its beautiful, has great power and handles like a go-cart.

Paul sells his 928 for a Mondial t?

Love the Mondial Coupe, my father had a 3.2 here in the UK in the mid 1990s. It was a great car, he did many miles in it with very few issues. He came close to buying t but went for a 964 C2 instead. The Coupe looks way better than the Cab to my eyes, a t in a dark metallic colour and a tan interior would be my ideal spec. Another benefit of the long weel balance was the improvememt to the handling and balance compared to the 308/328/348s. Great review.

Love these Sunday videos..

1:20 Mondials were transversely mounted until the T Model you're driving - which is longitudinal, with the T standing for the transaxle arrangement

I’ve always loved the Mondial Coupes!! Almost bought one many times. Wished I had.

Notable for the Mondial t is the rear seat room did indeed shrink over the years. Early Mondial have taller rear seating with flatter squabs. Ferrari are Italian and the average Italian male is about 5'6", so the car is smaller in most ways. While the wheel well intrusion seems to affect the pedal position, pedals to the center are quite common in Italian cars. The brake pedal is intended center position. Angling the accelerator pedal to the center encourages heel-toe inputs for rev-match downshifting, the proper way to downshift Ferrari of this era. Italian feet are also smaller and driving shoes are recommended to truly enjoy the experience of vintage Ferrari. Mondial is the first Ferrari I ever saw in person. I was ten. It has remained my favorite all this time. This is a great video and I did really enjoy it more than Doug Demuro's hack approach to car assessment. Mondial is a gorgeous and unique vehicle. Of note, its day is soon arriving but the Mondial will never fetch stratospheric prices. Recently, a 1990 t coupe with less than 10k went for $81,000. It was one-owner and Challenge chipped. If a Mondial t that perfect fetched $81,000, the chances are they will always be in the acquirable range, so get any Mondial thoroughly inspected before buying one. Mondial low entry prices tend to attract buyers that don't maintain them as Ferrari. It's not cheap, but it has to be done. F108 is a performance car and needs qualified mechanical care. Mondial are often the 'only' Ferrari an enthusiast of my generation ever owned, but I've never heard anyone complain about them, even the early cars with the 2 valve engines (the QV from 1983 is best situation for starters). They are what they are and what they are is pure driving joy. The best Mondial for anyone over 6'0" will be a coupe with no moonroof. Pretty rare in the US but more common across the pond. Moonroofs were a little problematic anyway. Video note: check out the exposure rate when the car is filmed from FLQ at speed, you can really see the rear wheel offset.

Very enjoyable video!

Hi, from Japan!! What a nice Italian music it plays!! I used to love to listen to the music in a car. However, I don’t play music in a car nowadays because I want to listen to engine sound. My car is just a normal SUV, though.

Last of the affordable Ferraris. Not for long though i have a feeling.

I almost got an 89 mondial but the insurance was going to be more than the payment. I love the way they drive its very deliberate and satisfying to drive. I ended up getting an 89 BMW 635csi instead.

That front 3/4 shot of the car is the best angle IMO🙌🏾

The metrics may not say it, so I am here to: more old cars! I wanna see you guys review a foxbody 5.0. And let's see Paul's brother-in-law's Saabs!

One of my all time favorite cars

well in my opinion is one of the best ferrari´s ever built and it´s a car not a hair style , i only had not counting the Dino´s , a 77 ferrari 308 vetroresina and after only the mondial for it´s handling capabilities and size

awesome review. This car is great, this is the real deal.

At the end of the end of the day it’s still a Ferrari, plus who doesn’t like an open gate manual

Paul, do you think the sharp turn in is simply because the seating position is so far forward in the car? Great review as always! I can see some 308 in the Mondial, and I'd rather see myself in a 308 too 😁

Ah worth the wait! I am intrigued by these, but it would have to be a cab for me. Not sure I could actually do it for the money they are starting to fetch.

_My Mondial T always had problems with the alternator._ _(otherwise I didn't have any problems. Engine/gearbox always worked well)._ _I miss this Ferrari_

Should have said "PT Cruiser? I'd rather be walking"...great vid :)

I LOVE the underdog Ferrari's!

Mondial is finally getting the love it deserves. I think it is aging better than the red head. Lovely.

one of my favourite Ferrari's

Does it have a longer wheelbase? If not it looks like they found more space for the engine by moving the firewall foreword a bit.

The Mondial takes it's name from the 1955 500 Mondial 4 cylinder barchetta racing car

I actually like the way it looks.

This is a very rare T, because it is a coupé but also because this very one is an European car! See the front bumper and back position lights near the rear black grill … I own a 3.2 Coupé red tan with black carpeting; the nicest IMO!

It is criminal how few views this has so far.

I always thought this car was awesome ever since I saw Weird Science (1985) when I was a kid

Is this provided by/because of doug?! Nice!

You forgot to mention the sunroof :-)

Thanks for this great video! Mondial t is such an underrated car, definitely unusual but has a lot of character. We’ve had our ‘t’ in the family since 1998 when my brother and I could fit in the back and had some great family times which you just can’t have with a 2-seater. Absolutely no chance I’d fit back the now, but I do recognise the smile on the driver’s face! Driving one today it does feel classic in that easy-going, gentle way you’ve described well. Regarding it as a classic means it it isn’t judged against competitors or performance figures - it’s just about having a great time - and that plays well to the character of a Mondial. And it is a sweet car to drive; there’s a tactility to every control, it does feel light, compact and agile and gives great feedback. The engine has a nice broad working range, it can cruise but also rewards with that sparkling top end… and that sound!! They’re just great cars!

I enjoy your videos. I have to ask, why do you drive in the passing lane when u aren’t passing anyone?

It does sound good, but if Tom Selleck had driven a Mondial, Magnum PI wouldn’t have survived

That bus-like steering wheel angle and the centrally offset pedals make the car look so awkward to drive.

Casual E30 at 9:13. Guess I know where my allegiances lie.

Vivaldi would like a word with your Italian Music comment!

Between Everyday Driver and recently Doug Demuro, is there gonna be a spike in Mondial pricing? Cars & Bids just sold a Cabrio T for $63k. I smell a conspiracy!!! Just kidding. Sort of.

There goes the price of the Mondial 😅

このフェラーリこそ成金youtuberや投資家にふさわしい。 ローマは雰囲気が違うかな？

Wow. Great video, probably the most persuasive sales pitch for the Mondial ever. Still doesn’t change my opinion that it is one of the rare cars that actually looks worse in person than on camera.

It's unloved *precisely* because it's approachable.

36,000km is nothing!!

4 years in production and not good?so the secret is building good looking cars that don´t drive well but at the time the Mondial wasn´t talked bad but a very good car like it is, this guy driving it without knowing how to use a clutch and call it a underdog so is all cars ever produced till today in the U.S.a bad car because till today no american car can achive what mondial could in the 80´s, sport gt car what the hell is this guy saying, maybe the first time in a good car, the T ,is it a american thing T what? the others were as good as , i stay ...i don´t even know what to say , they never built a road car that deserves attention than critisize one of the best cars ever made, i wouldn´t have a original F40 ,i like open windows and listen to music so if a wire is the best to open a door i think the F40 will never give half the pleasure of driving a mondial, and the F40 some monthes after being built was dethroned by a Porshe and it had even power windows and a dash and sound system, what more can one say?

I understood these to be finnicky problematic garbage. A car owned by mechanics may not give you an accurate picture.

You’re right. It’s ugly. I remember reading about this in road and track. They referred to this, I believe, as a “Ferrari family car”.

It looks (and sounds) like a cheap kit car