1986 Ferrari 3.2 Mondial

With the Mondial, Ferrari returned to Pininfarina as its choice of styling house, and it was initially offered as a mid-sized coupe, eventually joined by a Cabriolet. It was derived from the 308GT4 of 1973, which was the only production Ferrari not to have been penned by Pininfarina but by Bertone. Introduced at the Geneva Auto Show in March of 1980, the Mondial was essentially a 308GT4 but with Pininfarina styling and a longer wheelbase and designed as a more practical and 'usable' model with seating for four and the performance of a mid-range Ferrari. This configuration was meant to appeal to a wider audience than their traditionally more focused two-seaters. The bodywork was not built as a monocoque, instead, its steel outer body was produced by the Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Scaglietti of Modena and clothed a lightweight steel box-section space frame. The Mondial was Ferrari's first production automobile to mount the engine, gearbox, and rear suspension assembly on a detachable steel sub-frame, making maintenance and engine removal much easier.

The cabriolet joined the eight-cylinder Mondial coupe in 1983, marking the first true convertible Ferrari since the Daytona spider. Maranello engineers had managed to fit 2+2 seating, a convertible top, and a mid-engine drivetrain within a compact 104-inch wheelbase.

The Mondial was built alongside the 328 and 348 line and shared its sibling's mechanical systems but installed in a slightly larger 2+2 body. Ferrari's new '2+2' used the 308GT4's 3-liter quad-cam V8 engine, five-speed transaxle, and all-round independent suspension. Air conditioning, central locking, remote control mirrors, power brakes, automatic climate control, fully adjustable suspension, and power radio antenna were all standard features. They featured more electronic accessories than any Ferrari before it and were a showcase of new technology throughout its production. The Pininfarina styling had larger doors and a back seat with adequate headroom. An extra luggage boot was placed behind the mid-mounted engine and claimed enough space for a bag of golf clubs. All Mondial vehicles received a tan Connelly leather interior.

The Mondial was Ferrari's first attempt at producing a 'world car' model and, to comply with increasingly stringent emission requirements of so many export markets, the 3.8-liter engine had to be fuel-injected. Although the engine was cleaner, it did have a loss of power and torque. Some of the loss was restored with the introduction of the Quattrovalvole (4-valve) engine which became an option from the 1982 model year onwards. In 1985, the 2.9-liter engine displacement was enlarged to 3.2-liters and gained a newly configured Marelli Multiplex electronic injection system. These changes resulted in a boost of power to 230 bhp from the transverse-mounted four-cam 'Quattrovalve' V-8 powerplant.

The Mondial 8 was in production from 1980 to 1982 with 703 examples built. The Mondial QV was built from 1983 to 1985 with 1,145 coupes and 629 cabriolets produced. The Mondial 3.2 followed in 1986 and remained in production until 1988 with 987 coupes and 810 cabriolets. The final edition of the Mondial t was built from 1988 to 1993 with 858 coupes and 1,017 cabriolets. The Mondial proved to be one of Maranello's most successful vehicles.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2021