1983 Ferrari Mondial – Classified of the Week

Think of a Ferrari and naturally, your mind wanders into the realms of all things impossibly expensive. But that doesn’t need to be the case. Okay, so the Ferrari Mondial isn’t exactly Ford Fiesta money, but it’s also not as much as you might think a prancing horse would cost. This stunning 1983 example is £42,995, and that’s a bit of a bargain. You know, relatively speaking. And it’s a usable Ferrari, too. It’s a 2+2, so you can get a decent percentage of smaller humans in the back. Not adults, granted. But you’d get the kids in there. If they breathe in. It has two ‘boots’ so you could even take it shopping, so long as shopping means food, and not a load of fence panels from B&Q. Then we have the 3.0 V8. It’s no hybrid, but it’s a venerable bastion of frugality compared to the engines fitted to the F355, or the Testarossa. Plus, it’s – again, relatively speaking – not too expensive to run. Winner.

We’ve spoken about the Ferrari Mondial before, pondering the forgotten nature of this particular model. People who buy and wear Ferrari jackets and hats without the faintest whiff of irony shunned the Mondial as being ‘not proper’. It was overlooked because it wasn’t fast enough, it wasn’t as pretty and it wasn’t as ferocious as the company’s other offerings. More fool them, though. While the Mondial became a bit of an outcast in Ferrari circles, there was no denying the fact that for those who did buy one, well, they loved them.

The Mondial was an important car for Ferrari, too. The name, Mondial, means ‘global’. This car was Ferrari showing its intention to anchor itself in markets around the world. This car conformed with new, stringent safety and emissions regulations set out in 1980. It was a Ferrari for everyone, so long as everyone had Ferrari money. And despite leaning into that conformity, it was still a proper Ferrari. The body was Pininfarina designed and Scaglietti built. It boasted a spaceframe chassis, it had racy suspension and big brakes, and it had that bona fide Ferrari 3.0 V8 in the middle, delivering power to the rear wheels via a transaxle.

So what of the Ferrari Mondial we have here? Well, it’s a 3.0 QV Berlinetta with a mere 37k on the clock. UK spec, right hand-drive (one of 152 built) and it’s finished in the perfect hue of Rosso Corsa with cream leather interior. It is, quite frankly, exquisite. And it’s been well looked after, too. The car comes with a whole host of paperwork that serves to document the car’s upkeep over the years. It was also recently treated to new timing belts this year, so that’s one thing you don’t need to worry about. The original  tool kit is present, as is the book pack, including the radio brochure and service book. There is even a Ferrari car cover and an intelligent charger included for when you tuck it away. The car will come with a full year’s MOT, all the keys are present and it’s ready to go.

It’s a lot of car for £42,995, that’s for sure. And make no mistake, the values for these once overlooked Ferraris are on the up. The smart money is coming around now to realise how good these cars are and how much of a bargain they represent. You could hang on, of course. But it won’t be long before we’re showing you a £50k Ferrari Mondial. Buy this one today, and you’ll be celebrating that future rise in value rather than lamenting it. Plus, you’ll have a Ferrari. And how cool will that be?