Discussion
Hi guys,
I am tempted to add a Ferrari next to my old 911. It needs to seat 4 (2 young kids) and I like the idea of a soft top... so what about a Mondial Cab?

They look very good to me, the 3.2 V8 will be a pleasure to listen to and I have read that a good Mondial is fairly straight forward to run, so that sounds good.
These Modial Cabs are quite rare though and I would like to know if any of you have experience of them? Are there any specific problems with this model? Is the soft top reliable when it rains? Is the air draft reasonable when driven at 70mph top down? If I tell you that it will be used for week-end trips to the coast, 4 on board, 400 miles return. Madness?
Thanks for your help.
Raph.
I am tempted to add a Ferrari next to my old 911. It needs to seat 4 (2 young kids) and I like the idea of a soft top... so what about a Mondial Cab?

They look very good to me, the 3.2 V8 will be a pleasure to listen to and I have read that a good Mondial is fairly straight forward to run, so that sounds good.
These Modial Cabs are quite rare though and I would like to know if any of you have experience of them? Are there any specific problems with this model? Is the soft top reliable when it rains? Is the air draft reasonable when driven at 70mph top down? If I tell you that it will be used for week-end trips to the coast, 4 on board, 400 miles return. Madness?
Thanks for your help.
Raph.
I love Mondials and there's no better Mondial than the 3.2. The older ones are less resolved and the newer 348 version is a whole lot trickier to maintain. 400 mile round trip to the coast in the sun? Madness? No way! That's exactly what a gorgeous-looking, gorgeous-handling, gorgeous-sounding 2+2 convertible is made for! Happy days!!
Anyway - Que the experts - I'm just a bloke who really wants one!
Anyway - Que the experts - I'm just a bloke who really wants one!
Definately go for the 3.2, which has the most affordable model mixed with far improved build quality than the earlier models, It is possible to have overheating issues, in a mondial which are not present in the 328's. Check its been looked after well, as a cheaper Ferrari they can be considered entry level so people can max themselves out buying the car and have nothing left for servicing (not always the case) but the history should eliminate any fears, seats can get a bit tatty, all things relative on asking price. The car is question really is a good value car, I doubt you will find another one from a reputable dealer in that condition for anywhere near that price.
You may wish the coast was slightly closer! but not much!
You may wish the coast was slightly closer! but not much!

Edited by FerrariV8 on Thursday 21st August 20:14
FerrariV8 said:
Definately go for the 3.2, which has the most affordable model mixed with far improved build quality than the earlier models, It is possible to have overheating issues, in a mondial which are not present in the 328's. Check its been looked after well, as a cheaper Ferrari they can be considered entry level so people can max themselves out buying the car and have nothing left for servicing (not always the case) but the history should eliminate any fears, seats can get a bit tatty, all things relative on asking price. The car is question really is a good value car, I doubt you will find another one from a reputable dealer in that condition for anywhere near that price.
You may wish the coast was slightly closer! but not much!
more prone to overheating than the 328 ? First I've heard of that. Can you be more specific ?You may wish the coast was slightly closer! but not much!

Edited by FerrariV8 on Thursday 21st August 20:14
I've had a couple one personaly and one as stock, there were only 20-30ish RHD Mondial 3.2 cabs imported so pretty rare, the issues I've had and seen are as follows
Rotten wheels......pitting on the interior of the wheels leading to them being swapped out, no real hardship as the millimetric tyres are awkward to find at best as well as stupidly expensive
Rust, yes the 3.2's were galvanised, but dont expect it to be done as well as a porsche, sills, boot floor and splash panels under the front bumper are worth looking at
Electrical, it's an 80's ferrari go through everything, clean then treat with stabilant 22, the fuse boards burn out with the heating / AC and fuel pump circuits going first, easy to by pass but replacements of the Ferrari board are hard to find, although A replacement is now being made
Seats as mentioned can take a beating, usualy hide food and reconolise and they're great again (or not in the case of the car I had that had been owned by a builder!), carpets also tend to rot but are fairly cheap to replace
The material the hoods made out of tends to get very stiff and brittle with age and splits, new ones are around £600 + fitting
Overheating, just as much as any 308/328, you need to tilt the front end of the car up when bleeding the system to do it properly (with our without a pressure bleeder)
Clutch hydraulics sometimes need work, however the bits are all off the shelf (rather embarasing when the slave cylinder hose pops on a sunday saturday afternoon in a crowded supermarket car park!)
Despite all that I'd rate them as almost as practical as a same age 911 convertible and the rear seats are usuable by people with legs (I'm 5'8" and I fit with room to spare)
Rotten wheels......pitting on the interior of the wheels leading to them being swapped out, no real hardship as the millimetric tyres are awkward to find at best as well as stupidly expensive
Rust, yes the 3.2's were galvanised, but dont expect it to be done as well as a porsche, sills, boot floor and splash panels under the front bumper are worth looking at
Electrical, it's an 80's ferrari go through everything, clean then treat with stabilant 22, the fuse boards burn out with the heating / AC and fuel pump circuits going first, easy to by pass but replacements of the Ferrari board are hard to find, although A replacement is now being made
Seats as mentioned can take a beating, usualy hide food and reconolise and they're great again (or not in the case of the car I had that had been owned by a builder!), carpets also tend to rot but are fairly cheap to replace
The material the hoods made out of tends to get very stiff and brittle with age and splits, new ones are around £600 + fitting
Overheating, just as much as any 308/328, you need to tilt the front end of the car up when bleeding the system to do it properly (with our without a pressure bleeder)
Clutch hydraulics sometimes need work, however the bits are all off the shelf (rather embarasing when the slave cylinder hose pops on a sunday saturday afternoon in a crowded supermarket car park!)
Despite all that I'd rate them as almost as practical as a same age 911 convertible and the rear seats are usuable by people with legs (I'm 5'8" and I fit with room to spare)
Bo_apex said:
FerrariV8 said:
Sorry I should be more clear....Not overheating but hotter running! I will have to be more literate in the future!
given equal quality components - there is no logical basis for your opinion - as they share identical systemsMitchT said:
Bo_apex said:
FerrariV8 said:
Sorry I should be more clear....Not overheating but hotter running! I will have to be more literate in the future!
given equal quality components - there is no logical basis for your opinion - as they share identical systemsGassing Station | Supercar General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff




