A beautiful example of one of the last Mondial t's built. Always a California-driven car stored in climate-controlled garages.
This is not one of the mid-80's Mondials recently listed on eBay in the mid $30K range - hence the appropriate price which conforms to this months' price listing in the Cavallino Guida. This is the last model year and a beautiful car with many extras including special wheels and tires.
The car is in great shape. Red (what else) with tan Connoly leather in great condition. It was one of the last Mondial's built - The first owner was chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad. Second owner was a pulmonary surgeon in SF Bay area. It had 7400 miles on it when I bought it in September 1995. The speedometer was replaced by Ferrari of BH at 20,700 miles due to mechanical failure, but i still have that original speedo as a record along with the work orders.
I paid $77,950 for the car and it has held its value well according to the Ferrari Market Letter and other publications.
After buying it, the car was mostly maintained by Ferrari of Beverly Hills and I have all the original books and service records. I just did the major service 40,000 mile for about $11,000 at Auto Gallery in the San Fernando Valley in the Spring of 2007 and the car probably has been driven less than 300 miles since that service. All fluids were just drained, all seals checked, and a new battery installed in October 2010. California registration was current thru July 2011 and is now in non-operational status until sold. New registration is $79. a LoJack security device is also included and the tracking service is good for the life of the car.
The Mondial T is a very 'practical' Ferrari. The two rear seats (which fold down for luggage) can truly accomodate two adults. TWO trunks, one in front, and one in back, actually have enough room for a couples' luggage for a nice drive down Highway 1. The car gets great mileage and is a joy to drive - the phrase 'corners on rails' describes it perfectly.
The car was always garaged and lived exclusively in California until I had it brought to NY April 2007 by Horseless Carriage in an enclosed transport van. It is garaged in in a local dealers' climate-controlled building 20 minutes from Manhattan.
Also, the wheels and tires shown are special 348 Challenge wheels which are larger and wider than the stock wheels. The Challenge wheels have PirelliP-Zero tires on them. The car looks and drives better with them, but I do also have the original wheels and they also have good pirelli tires on them as well.
These special wheels and tires are worth $5,000 alone and CAN be removed and deleted from the sale if the buyer wishes. I also have the leather top cover, the black tonneau cover which is still in its sealed bag, a black 'bikini' cover also in its sealed bag, a red nylon Ferrari dust cover and duffel bag, and the original leather toolkit with everything in as-new condition. A 2-volume set of service manuals also come with the car. Will deliver by enclosed transport anwhere in the continental USA as part of purchase price.
PS. The Challenger jet in the picture is NOT part of this deal!
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. 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..