1980 Ferrari Mondial 8 3.0L V8 5MT (205 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Ferrari introduced the Mondial in 1980 as a grand tourer, with room for four and with the engine mounted transversely in the back, in a rear-mid position.

After retiring the 308 GT, the Italian automaker introduced the Mondial. A car made to provide comfort and speed over long distances. But unlike its predecessor, which was designed by Bertone, the Mondial was forged in the Pininfarina studios by Pierangelo Andreani, with some later input from Leonardo Fioravanti. But the small studio didn’t have the resources to build the bodywork so that task was handed over to the coachbuilder from Carozzeria Scaglietti.

The car featured a clean design, with pop-up headlights and a grille laid on the front trunk lid. The cabin started with a raked windshield and a longer roof than a regular two-seat sportscar. While the cabin ended abruptly with a vertical rear windscreen, its wide C-pillars gave the idea that it was a sloped-down shape. And yet it wasn’t due to the engine cover, which had to open. At the back, the Mondial received a set of four round taillights.

Ferrari installed a leather-wrapped interior for the Mondial, with bolstered front seats separated by a center console that housed the gear stick. In the back, there was room for two adults in individual chairs with bolstered areas. The dashboard looked chunky with its squared and tall instrument cluster, but it followed those years’ design principles. Nevertheless, it was easy to read and featured all the essential engine data on several gauges and two large dials.

While the Mondial 8 was not the most successful version of this nameplate, it provided a certain level of comfort and performance. But, after two years, the automaker withdrew it anyway and replaced it with the four-valves version of the same 2.9-liter V8.