1981 Ferrari Mondial 8

One of only 145 UK-supplied Ferrari Mondial 8s produced

Finished in the classic Ferrari colours of Rosso Corsa over Nero leather

Major cambelt service in February 2018 at GVE London

Showing 14,817 miles and supplied with its book pack and a UK V5c

Launched at the 1980 Geneva Auto Salon, the Mondial was the first Ferrari to depart from the company"s familiar three-digit naming scheme and its name was inspired by their famous Mondial sports-racers from the fifties. The Mondial saw Ferrari return to Pininfarina as its choice of styling house, and it was sold as a mid-sized coupé and, eventually, a cabriolet. Conceived as a 'more usable' model, offering the practicality of four seats with the performance of a mid-range Ferrari and hopefully attracting a slightly wider audience than their traditionally more focused two-seaters. The car was not built as a monocoque in a conventional way, but instead, the steel outer body was produced by the famous Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Scaglietti, just down the road in nearby Modena and clothed a lightweight steel box-section space frame. The Mondial was the first Ferrari where the entire engine/gearbox/rear suspension assembly was mounted on a detachable steel sub-frame, making engine removal for a major rebuild or cylinder head removal much easier than it had been on earlier models. In common with most Ferraris launched in the 1980s, the Mondial received several updates until it was discontinued in 1993. The first iteration was dubbed Mondial 8 and was sold for roughly three years, between 1980 and 1982. Production ended at 703 units, about 12-percent of the total Mondial run in 13 years.

Offered here is a 1981 Mondial 8 that was supplied new to F. C. Shepherd & Co. Ltd. of London by Maranello Concessionaires as one of the 145 UK-supplied, right-hand drive cars produced. Finished in Rosso Corsa with a black leather interior, it is understood that this car was stored in a London underground car park for over a decade which explains why it hasn"t covered many miles. In 2012, the cylinder head was refaced and a new exhaust manifold and radiator were fitted. In 2014, a reconditioned starter motor, front brake callipers, and new front and rear brake discs were fitted. In February 2018, GVE London carried out a full cambelt service, fitted a new battery, re-gassed the air-conditioning, and replaced the anti-roll bar bushes at both front and rear – there is an invoice in the file for £5,078 for this work.

Now showing 14,817 miles on the odometer, which we believe to be correct but cannot warrant, this Mondial is supplied with a UK V5c and its book pack. The Mondial's image issues are a thing of the past and a well maintained and set up Mondial is one of the sweetest handling Ferraris of its day, so at today"s realistic estimate this car offers great entry into Ferrari ownership.