1990 Ferrari Mondial Cabriolet T

One of only 26, right-hand drive, manual gearbox, Mondial 'T' Cabriolets

Superb, end of the line, transverse-engined, 3.4-litre T

Classically finished in Rosso over Crema. With its current owner for 20 years

Excellent service history. Recent 50,000-mile service at Lancaster Ferrari

New belts, air-con service/gas charge and comprehensive check over

MOT February 2020. The cherished number, EOX 8, will remain with the car

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 Coupe 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.

Introduced in 1989, the Ferrari Mondial 3.4 T was the 'spearhead for a new generation of V8 Ferraris' and the final version of the Mondial. The 'T' was a reference to the new engine and transmission layout that now saw the engine mounted longitudinally with the gearbox transverse (forming a T), a characteristic of their Formula 1 '312T' which had just won the 1989 World Championship. This set-up would become the standard for all future mid-engined V8 Ferraris beginning with the 348 and continuing through to the 360.

This is a superb original UK, right-hand drive, 3.4-litre, Mondial 'T' Cabriolet supplied new to its first owner by Lancaster Ferrari on the 12th of April 1990. 1,010 Mondial T Cabriolets were built altogether with only 51 in right-hand drive and 26 with a manual gearbox, making this example very rare indeed.

Fitted with the desirable manual gearbox and finished in the classic colour combination of Rosso Corsa with Crema leather and a black hood, this lovely example has covered just 45,077 miles and has been in our vendor's care for the last 20 years.

A recent 50,000 miles main dealer service at Lancaster Ferrari (Colchester) during February/March 2019 included cambelt replacement, renewed fuel lines, a full air-con service and a comprehensive check over and our vendor has covered very few miles since. The MOT is valid until February 2020 and, pleasingly, the cherished registration number 'EOX 8' will remain with the car. It's presented with its original wallet, manuals and stamped service book, old MOTs and supporting detailed invoices covering servicing and cam belt changes etc.

With power-assisted steering as standard and a simple-to-operate folding top, Mondials of this era are quite easy to live with and this lovely example with a recent main dealer belt service and crisp air-con from long-term ownership is a very attractive prospect.

With values of these comfortable and approachable Ferraris hardening over recent years, this represents an excellent opportunity to enjoy top-down Ferrari motoring on a very sensible budget