1980 Ferrari Mondial 8

The Ferrari 308GT4 of 1973 was the only production Ferrari to wear a design penned by Bertone rather than Pininfarina. The Mondial 8 that followed was essentially a 308GT4 with a Pininfarina-styled body and a longer wheelbase. This was Ferrari's first attempt at producing a 'world car' (Mondial was French for global) model and to comply with the increasingly stringent emission requirements of many export markets.

The Pininfarina-designed Ferrari Mondial (Type F108) had bodywork by Carrozzeria Scaglietti and was produced from 1980 to 1993. It used a separate space-frame chassis of a tubular box or oval-shaped steel sections with detachable sub-frames carrying the major mechanical assemblies. The rear assembly supported the rear suspension, transmission, and engine. The outer body panels were comprised of steel, and the rear engine cover and front lid of the Mondial 8 and QV models were made from lightweight aluminum. Aluminum was used for the full-width louver panels on the engine cover and the front lid.

A rack-and-pinion mechanism located ahead of the front wheels was used to control steering. Hydraulic power assistance was standard on Mondial t models. Braking was provided by four-wheel ventilated discs with split-circuit vacuum assistance. In 1987, an anti-lock braking system was offered as optional equipment, becoming standard a year later.

The suspension was fully independent in the front and rear, with unequal-length upper and lower wishbones, anti-roll bars, and coil-over damper units. The Mondial t models added a driver-adjustable three-option selector to control the electronically controlled damper units.

At all four corners were five-spoke alloy wheels with a clear lacquered finish, with a slight difference in design between the Mondial 8 and QV models and the 3.2 and t models. The spokes on the 8 and QV models had pronounced edges and a flat center while the 3.2 and t models had smoother spokes and a convex center.

The spare tire, battery, heating and cooling systems electric control systems, cooling fans, and radiators were located in the front, concealed by a forward-hinged lid cover. An insulated and trimmed luggage area was located at the rear, behind the engine bay, below a gas-strut-supported lid.

The U.S.-destined Mondials had rectangular side turn indicator lamps. All Mondial 8, QV, and 3.2 models used electrically actuated pop-up headlights with twin round lamps on each side. The Mondial t used a single homofocal rectangular unit on each side.

The interiors were trimmed in Connolly hide and black vinyl for the upper door linings and dashboard top. Both front and rear seats were bucket-shaped and used inertia-reel seatbelts. Power windows and air conditioning were standard equipment. A 'pod-style' instrument binnacle with six gauges was located behind the three-spoked leather steering wheel. Instrumentation included a tachometer, water temperature, oil temperature, oil pressure, fuel level, and speedometer. The Mondial added a set of electronic check panels and warning lights.

Engine
The legacy of the engine used in the Mondial dates back to the V6 unit used to power the Dino 206 GT of 1968. A three-liter version with two additional cylinders was used in the Dino 308 GT4 of 1974 and later installed in the Mondial 8 and QV models, increasing to 3.2-liters for the Mondial 3.2, and 3.4-liters for the Mondial t models.

The V8 engine had a lightweight alloy block, alloy crossflow cylinder heads, and a 90-degree bank angle. The five-bearing engine had a flat-plane crankshaft with paired connecting rods on each journal and belt-drive, quad-overhead camshafts acting directly on the valves. The Mondial 8 used two valves per cylinder while the Quattrovalvole QV (and subsequent models) used four valves-per-cylinder. A wet-sump lubrication system was used on all Mondial models except for the Mondial t, which used a dry-sump system. All models except the Mondia t used Marelli electronic ignition. The Mondial t used a common electronic control module, twin coils, and a separate distributor run off each bank of cylinders. A Bosch Motronic 2.5 or 2.7 engine management system was used on the Mondia t, while the other models received a Bosch K Jetronic continuous fuel injection system with lambda exhaust sensing.

The 2,926cc engine in the Mondial 8 delivered 215 horsepower at 6,600 RPM, increasing to 235 horsepower at 6,800 RPM in 1982 with the introduction of the Mondial QV. The Mondial 3.2 that followed in 1985 had a 3,185cc displacement and delivered 270 horsepower at 7,000 RPM. The final evolution was the Mondial t, introduced in 1989 and produced through 1993, displacing 3,405cc and offering 300 horsepower at 7,200 RPM.

Transmission
The Mondial used a five-speed, all-indirect manual transmission with a 'dog-leg' selector pattern, and a single-plate, diaphragm-spring clutch. It had its own oil supply but the transmission housing was integral with the engine sump casting on the Mondial 8, QV, and 3.2 models. Clutch actuation was hydraulic and transmission selection was via a rod that extended through the center chassis tunnel and passes through the engine sump into the transmission housing. Power from the final drive to the rear wheels was through a pair of short, solid driveshafts with constant-velocity joints on each end to compensate for suspension articulating.

The Mondial t used a completely different transmission setup, with its orientations rotated by ninety degrees, and the transmission and final-drive units fitted to the rear of the engine block, similar to the design used on the Ferrari 312T Formula 1 car. It used a single-plate, hydraulically-actuated clutch, and cable operation, with an 'auto-clutch' developed by French supplier Valeo available as optional.

The transverse layout of the engine and transmission allowed for a lower mounting position within the chassis which resulted in improved handling.

Production
Production began with the Mondial 8 in 1980, the Mondial QV in 1983, Mondial 3.2 in 1986, and the Mondial t in 1988. A total of 6,149 examples of all variants were manufactured by the time Mondial production ceased in 1993.

The Mondial 8 was introduced in 1980 at the Geneva Auto Salon and was the first Ferrari to stray from the 3-digit naming scheme representing the single-cylinder engine displacement. Available as a 2+2 coupe, it had a base price of $64,000 at the time of release, and total production reached 703 units. Of those, 145 had a right-hand drive configuration.

The Mondial Quattrovalvole followed in 1982 with a new four-valve head and an increase in power to 240 hp. Production continued through 1985 with 1,145 examples of the Coupe built, with just 152 of those having right-hand drive. A Cabriolet became available in 1983 and 629 examples were produced until 1985.

The Mondial 3.2 was built from 1985 through 1988 with 987 coupes and 810 cabriolets built. First shown at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September of 1985, the Mondial 3.2 had the larger 3.2-liter engine with several styling changes to the exterior. Cars built from 1987 onwards received ABS brakes.

The final iteration was the Mondial t, available as a coupe and cabriolet, and built from 1988 through 1993. The total production reached 858 coupes and 1,017 cabriolets. The 't' represented the transverse engine and transmission layout. This was the first Ferrari to use power-assisted steering, a 3-position electronically controlled suspension, and a standard antilock braking system.

The Ferrari Mondial t would be the final 4-seater (2+2), mid-engined, Ferrari vehicle to date.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2020