1989 Ferrari Mondial T Coupe 3.4 *Sold £24,500*

Description

• Very rare RHD example, 1 of only 45 produced 
• Believed to be the first UK spec/UK supplied Mondial T  
• Beautiful Rosso Corsa Paintwork with Crema leather interior 
• Brand new MOT 
• Low mileage – 56k 
• Extensive documented service history 
• Private number plate included 
• Thatcham approved immobiliser 

With a name reminiscent of the 500 Mondial race cars from the 1950s, the Ferrari Mondial was a replacement model for the Ferrari 308 GT4.  The Mondial was the first Ferrari where the entire engine/gearbox/rear suspension assembly was mounted on a detachable steel subframe.  The steel bodied coachwork was taken care of by Carrozzeria Scaglietti and built over a lightweight steel box section space frame.  The Mondial is considered one of the marque’s most ‘practical’ vehicles, with its proven drivetrain, four seats, and low cost of maintenance. 

The name Mondial, French for global, reflected it’s worldwide conformance with 1980s safety and emission standards — as well as the company’s prominent motor racing victories.  

It was marketed concurrently with Ferrari’s two-seater 308 GTB/GTS, 328, and 348 sports cars, sharing the major mechanical systems with the two-seater model.  Unlike its 308 GT4 predecessor which was styled by the Italian Gruppo Bertone, the original Mondial 8 was designed by Pierangelo Andreani who had just started working at Pininfarina.  Subsequent iterations were redesigned by Leonardo Fioravanti, the designer whom Ferrari had worked closely with since 1951 and who then went on to become Managing Director at Pininfarina. 

The later Mondial T Coupe was produced for just four and a half years with 858 coming off the production line.  During some research on this particular car, our vendor was advised that this example was registered on 1st December 1989 and is believed to have been built on 20th September 1989 and was the first UK spec/UK supplied Mondial T of only 45 ever produced in right hand drive.  Although he does not have this info in writing he is confident of its source but encourages you to do you own research.  Even without that in writing the fact it is one of only 45 right hand drive examples it is still a very rare car indeed. 

Having been a Ferrari fan since childhood due to his father owning one for many years, our vendor joined his father and became the proud owner of this excellent example in 2015.  Once the decision was made, he eventually found exactly what he was looking for and has enjoyed it ever since. 

Solely due to its lack of use, this Ferrari Mondial T is now available for its next custodian.  It will be supplied with two ring binders of history and will also include: 

• The V5 in our vendor’s name 
• Two sets of keys with two immobiliser fobs 
• The current MOT which expires in September 2024 
• All previous MOTs since 1999 
• 17 Tax disks from 2001 to 2015 
• Documented spreadsheet of all works carried out since 1998 
• The original Service Book with previous service stamps 
• The original Ferrari Owners workshop manual 
• Extensive collection of invoices 

Our vendor will also be supplying the Mondial T Coupe with its current transferable number plate and an official Ferrari indoor car cover. 

Exterior 

If you have managed to pull yourself away from the images and have reached this point of our article, you are probably wondering if it is even worth your time reading this part.  It is clear to see that the car is visually stunning in its Rosso Corsa (Racing Red).  Do read on as it gets even better. 

As ever when a car presents this well, we push our vendor to share the bad points.  There is only one real thing to note, there is a very minor bubbling to a small area of the offside front wing.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, however you look at it, the blemish is hard to spot in the images, in fact we could not see it at all, but our vendor assures us it is there. 

All the shut lines are consistent, and the body is showing no unsightly scrapes or dents.  The pop-up lights work perfectly and are in great condition, the glass all looks original, and the bumpers have no unsightly scuffs or damage.  A very nice example indeed.   

When asked about the underneath, it sounded like our vendor was kicking himself.  He explained that when he took the Mondial T for an MOT last month the car was put on a ramp: “I could have got some images of the underside there and then”.  Unfortunately, that opportunity was missed, but it did give our vendor the opportunity to have a good look around and he reports that it is very nice, with no rust and it presents very well.  

Those that know these cars will be aware that the earlier Mondial 8 had TRX wheels limiting the tyre choice somewhat.  The later Mondial T reverted to industry-standard wheel designs of size 7×16 front and 8×16 rear, enabling a far wider range of tyre choices to suit the 205/55 VR16 front and 225/55 VR16 rear tyre specifications.  As can be seen from the images, these wheels are in perfect condition and all the Ferrari centre caps are in place.  Small details like the Ferrari dust caps are another detail confirming just how well this example has been looked after.   

The Goodyear tyres all show decent amounts of tread. 

Interior 

The seats and interior of all Ferrari Mondial variants are fully trimmed in Connolly hide apart from the use of black vinyl for the dashboard top and upper door linings.   

All seats including those in the rear are strongly bucket-shaped.  Close scrutiny will show you that the only real area of wear can be found on the drivers’ seat bolster, but let’s be honest, with a little leather treatment it will be even less noticeable.  The rear seats, as with most Ferraris, look to be unused and the door pads also appear to be in incredible condition. 

The Ferrari three-spoked leather steering wheel is mounted to a steering column adjustable for reach and rake, behind which is a “pod-style” instrument binnacle holding six gauges: speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, water temperature, oil pressure and oil temperature.  The Mondial T instrumentation is completed with a comprehensive set of warning lights and electronic check panels, which all work as expected. 

Unfortunately, the speedometer failed back in 1998 with a reading of 17,237 miles.  It was immediately replaced and the replacement speedometer now having registered 38,925, the correct cumulative mileage is now 56k miles; this is fully documented within the file pack and can be verified.  Lastly our vendor shared that he is pretty sure the electric aerial is not currently working.  

The matching red carpets are in fantastic condition with matching bespoke over mats in all four footwells.  In fact, when questioned on why they were so clean, our vendor shared that such is his love for the car that he has cardboard protection, cut in the shape of the mats.  These are always in the car when moving it around the garage. 

Engine and Mechanicals 

For 1989 the V8 engine was increased in capacity to 3.4 litres and mounted longitudinally.  Demonstrating that racing really does improve the breed, its 300bhp was transmitted to the road via a transversale (transverse) five-speed gearbox that was developed using experience of this transmission arrangement gained in Formula 1.  

Very helpfully, our vendor has detailed the works carried out to the Mondial T all the way back to 1998.  As can been seen from the extensive list below, our example really has not wanted for anything. 

• 18.12.1998 39,067 40,000 Mile Major Service and Cam Belt Replacement 
• 26.04.2000 41,659 Annual Service Kent High Performance Service 
• 23.11.2002 43,908 Annual Service and Cam Belt Replacement 
• 17.02.2006 44,418 Service and Cam Belt Replacement 
• 09.08.2010 45,382 Service and Cam Belt Replacement  
• 18.11.2011 48,724 46,500 Mile Service 
• 04.04.2014 50,440 52,750 Mile Service and Cam Belt Replacement 

Our current owner then took ownership of the Mondial T in January 2015 and subsequently only used the Mondial T in summer months.  As can be seen below, the servicing schedule was kept up to date even though the extremely low usage probably did not warrant such attention. 

• 09.04.2015 53,357 Clutch Replacement 
• 10.05.2015 53,602 2015 Annual Service 
• 08.11.2015 54,599 Speedometer Sensor Replacement 
• 24.04.2016 54,612 2016 Annual Service 
• 01.04.2017 55,516 Water Temperature Sensors Replaced 
• 06.05.2017 55,572 Annual Service 
• 26.05.2017 55,742 Rear Tyres Replaced 
• 25.07.2021 56,023 Battery Replaced and Anderson Plug Fitted 
• 21.08.2021 56,095 Spark Plugs Replaced 
• 04.12.2021 56,095 Fuel Injectors Numbers 1, 3 & 4 Reconditioned 
• 04.12.2021 56,095 Fuel Injector Number 2 Replaced 

As can be seen from the increments in mileage, the Mondial T has just not been used during the last five years with literally the only mileage additions being the trips to the MOT station and back, hence this wonderful example coming to market. 

You may be forgiven for asking how the Mondial T runs with such low mileage being added.  Our vendor is clear in his response when he shared that the car drives perfectly.  Although it hasn’t had lots of miles added to the car of late, it has still been looked after, periodically started and warmed up thoroughly.  

As mentioned above, the Mondial T has an Anderson plug fitted, to enable an auxiliary 12V battery to be connected.  It also has a comfort lead to enable a Ctek Smart Battery charger to be connected, without the need to access the battery, as the battery is located behind a panel in the front offside wheel arch.  These connections are both conveniently located in the spare wheel well, in the front compartment. 

As previously mentioned, this is one pampered Ferrari.  Sitting connected to the battery optimiser and protected by the official Ferrari indoor cover, we are not surprised it runs perfectly and looks even better. 

Data also tells us that a very large number of Ferraris produced are still on the road, or in collections, with examples like this one, that have been cherished throughout its life that is no real surprise.  You don’t spend Ferrari money on a car and not look after it! 

Our view 

It’s all about the drive with a Ferrari and this one is no exception, it drives superbly.  In addition, this Mondial T has a wonderful history folder and shows a very impressive, documented service record.  Mechanically, this is a very good example and the lovely Rosso Corsa paintwork and cream leather trim present wonderfully.  What more can you ask for? 

Mondials have long been undervalued and now that the marketplace is waking up, it’s a good time to get into Ferrari ownership, especially with an example as nice as this.