1990 Ferrari Mondial T

Built in 1990, this 3.4-litre Ferrari Mondial t coupé spent 14 years on Jersey in the Channel Islands before being registered on the mainland with the DVLA in July 2004. Since then it’s had owners in Humberside, West Midlands, Kent, Scotland and lastly Norfolk. Collectively, they’ve covered around 68,600 miles in the car.

The current owner bought the Mondial in late 2018, and drove it home to near Cromer in Norfolk from Aberdeen - over 500 miles, taking in some scenic roads along the way and completing the trip in 9.5 hours. He was inspired to buy the car by Harry Metcalfe taking his Testarossa on long road trips, realising that some of the less sporty Ferrari models of the 80s and 90s had an amazing capability to eat up the miles in comfort.

He was also looking for a car that he could use fully - not having to hold back on the throttle of a car with too much power for the UK’s roads. He was pretty impressed with the handling too, giving him the confidence to push it into the bends.

He has contributed 2-3k miles to the Mondial - including European road trips as far as Italy judging by the windscreen stickers. Previous owners have done the same - an image search on the registration reveals the then owner participating in a track drive during the 2011 Spa Classic weekend.

It has had a full gearbox rebuild with clutch & flywheel in 2017 and significant expenditure since to ensure it’s as good as it can be mechanically.

The Mondial is finished in one of Ferrari’s less common but no less desirable colours (reported as Chiusa Blue but possibly Blu Chiaro) accented with black trims on the front valance, sills and rear buttresses.

From a few paces away, the car looks incredible - particularly when the sun catches the metallic flakes - but of course this car is over 30 years old and you would expect some flaws and blemishes in the paintwork.

Well, there are the inevitable stone chips across the nose and there are also some other scuffs and blemishes around the wheel arches, notably some bubbling too on the near side in particular. The extremity of the driver’s door has also suffered against a brick garage wall or similar as there is a small scrape which has gone through to the metal. The window surrounds and mirror caps have also suffered a little from either peeling lacquer or light corrosion and appear to have been touched up here and there with black paint.

There are also some blooms of delamination on the rear curved windscreen - something they are prone to doing on this model - although it is at its worst behind the head rests so is not affecting rear visibility. These curved screens are not an easy part to get hold of - especially genuine new replacements - but apparently there are reproductions available.

The legitimacy of the Scuderia Ferrari shields on the front wings is open to debate but they do look great against the blue. There may have been contemporary dealer option shields that were supplied as stickers for the “everyday” Ferrari models but it wasn’t until 1998 that they became a factory option. The chances are that these are later after-market items, but the only opinion that really matters is that of the new owner - if they like them, they should leave them on.

The Mondial sits on its original equipment 16-inch Cromodora alloy wheels, which are in a fairly good condition with just a few areas of lacquer damage. All are fitted with matching Toyo Proxes tyres dating from 2017 and so likely to have covered fewer than 3,000 miles.

Obligated as we are to point out visual defects that we see, the vast majority of the car’s exterior appears very straight and well aligned, so don’t be mistaken that this is anything but a very good looking car and probably one of the best examples of the type.

The interior is upholstered in the most popular and desirable Ferrari Crema leather, with black leather across the dash and door tops to reduce glare. The front seats are a little creased and worn, more so on the driver’s side as you would expect, but everywhere else - including the rear seats - is in very good and almost unmarked condition.

The instrument panel, which is apparently common to the Testarossa, is simple and functional and everything seems to work, although the speedo needle settles at 10mph as a minimum, however, the current owner has advised that that this is something all 1990 Ferrari's do from factory.

The MOMO steering wheel is original - and again common to the Testarossa and 348 - with just some light wear around the rim. The manual gear shift sits in the classic double-H gate which looks fantastic - although it would be tempting to replace the original black gear knob with a chromed ball.

The centre console holds a more modern Ferrari-branded Continental FM/AM radio with USB and aux inputs and bluetooth connectivity, which plays through Pioneer speakers. As far as we’ve been able to test, all of the electrics and interior equipment function as they should.

The dark blue carpets and overmats are clean and undamaged, as is the headlining which is taut right across the roof.

In the smaller front boot is the car’s original Ferrari toolkit complete with its leather case. In the rear luggage hold, there is a little more space and the carpets and linings are clean and in good condition.

Under the engine cover, the compartment is tidy and honest - by which we mean not overly dressed or power-cleaned to hide any issues. The red cam covers look like they’ve been overpainted recently and really stand out. Generally there is the appearance of a well maintained engine bay - one clue being the brake fluid container having been annotated with a date back in April when the fluid was last changed. Little touches like that hint towards owners who care enough to use diligent mechanics.

Underneath the car all looks relatively clean and undamaged. There are a small amount of rust flakes under the sills but otherwise all surfaces are covered in underseal. The suspension has three settings adjustable by the driver - soft, normal and hard - which reportedly works as it should.

The Mondial has a current MOT valid until January 2022, which it passed with no advisories. Aside from a couple of tyre wear warnings, it has had clear passes every year since 2013 and most years recorded online before that.

There are numerous documents with this car including past MOT certificates and invoices from specialists for work done and parts purchased since the mid-90s - including well over £10k worth in the last 3-4 years. There is also an original Owner’s handbook, service books, technical manual, workshop manual, parts catalogue and Tracker documentation.

The service records, pieced together, indicate the following service history and mileages:

Sep 1990 - 4,103 - JDK Ferrari Melbourne Jersey

Jul 1992 - 9,384 - JDK Ferrari Melbourne Jersey

Oct 1994 - 12,600 - JDK Ferrari Melbourne Jersey

Nov 1995 - 13,975 - JDK Ferrari Melbourne Jersey

May 1996 - 14,935 - JDK Ferrari Melbourne Jersey

Jun 1998 - 17,605 - JDK Ferrari Melbourne Jersey

Nov 1999 - 19,500 - Stuart Glendewar Jersey

Jul 2001 - 27,035 - Maufant Jersey

Feb 2004 - 31,300 - Calamus Jersey

Nov 2005 - 37,859 - Andrews Motor Engineers Humberside

Feb 2007 - 40,272 - Andrews Motor Engineers Humberside

Nov 2008 - 41,995 - Migliore Bromsgrove

Apr 2009 - 45,623 - Migliore Bromsgrove

Oct 2009 - 53,564 - Migliore Bromsgrove

Jan 2011 - 54,351 - Foskers Kent

Feb 2012 - 57,557 - Foskers Kent

Jun 2014 - 61,775 - Scuderia Ecosse West Lothian

Aug 2017 - 64,736 - Scuderia Ecosse West Lothian (inc belts)

Jul 2019 - 66,844 - MD Allen Engineering Great Yarmouth

The MOT and service record align and validate the current odometer reading of around 68,600.

Some early negative reviews for the Mondial 8 proved difficult to shake off, despite subsequent variants addressing most of the complaints, but the Mondial does still have something of a cult following of enthusiasts.

According to Motorsport magazine at the time, Maranello Concessionaires admitted that it was difficult to persuade customers to try the Mondial, "but once we got them into one, they swear by them and are quite likely to buy another."

Until very recently, the Mondial was maybe the one Ferrari you could afford but didn’t really want. But now there’s a more widespread epiphany sweeping the classic car world and prices are gradually strengthening. Just a few weeks ago, one of the current Top Gear presenters bought himself a project Mondial Cabrio - and no it wasn’t either of those other two, it was the one who really knows about cars.

This Mondial t is pretty much spot on, it starts up without issue and runs sweetly. Taking it out for a drive, the car covers ground very easily and smoothly and although it has something of a classic car feel, it isn’t so alien for those used to more modern cars. It will cruise along quite nicely and comfortably but when required can show a decent turn of speed and a lovely noise from the V8 behind. Needless to say, using the gearshift was also a delight - click-clacking up and down - wonderful.

We think this well cared for Mondial t, in a less common colour, will sell for between £35,000 and £45,000. That’s no longer “entry-level Ferrari” money but shows that canny buyers are waking up to the Mondial’s considerable charms.

There won’t be many others like this one - with only 45 coupés in right hand drive there can be precious few around in this kind of colour.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon.  Our offices are open Mon-Fri 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. To arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.