Ferrari has made some incredible vehicles over the years, but critics and owners have had strong feelings about the Ferrari Mondial. Here’s why.
The Ferrari Mondial launched in 1980, and was immediately unique when compared to other offerings from the storied brand at the time. It was mid-engine, but sported four seats, and a much more affordable price tag. It also sported a name, rather than a number. Mondial roughly translates to ‚world‘ or ‚global‘ in Italian, which hinted at Ferrari’s aspirations with the car.
As it happens, the name was appropriate. The Mondial performed incredibly well across global showrooms, particularly in North America, where Ferrari had previously had to pull their models off sale due to new emissions regulations. While the old V12 engines weren’t clean enough to pass, the Mondial’s humble 3.0-liter V8 was. Over a 12-year run, more than 6,000 examples of the Mondial were sold worldwide — and here-in lies the first issue enthusiasts have with the car.
