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, Norfolk & most recently, Sussex. Collectively, they’ve covered just over 69,000 miles in the car.

The current owner, a serial car enthusiast, bought the Mondial in July 2021. But having made a couple of purchases during the Covid lockdown periods has since found, with a return to business travel, he does not have time for them all. So, the Ferrari is, with some hesitation, moving on. In its time with the vendor, and with earlier ideas of long-term ownership, the car has had some serious specialist attention lavished on it mechanically (more on that later).

With our vendor becoming so busy, he has not had the chance to add many miles to our car, however previous owners have taken this superb example on various European road trips; as far as Italy judging by the windscreen stickers.

This Mondial is finished in Blu Chiaro which is a desirable and less common colour from Ferrari, making a rare car. The exterior is 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 - and our vendor informs us the car turns more heads than a modern Ferrari. But of course this car is over 30 years old and you would expect some flaws and blemishes in the paintwork.

There are some 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 mainly behind the head rests so not affecting rear visibility.

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 we believe is common to the Testarossa, is simple and functional and everything seems to work, although the speedo needle settles at 10mph as a minimum, however, it is 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 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, though the vendor informs us the electric aerial is not currently operational.

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. For ease, the car’s inaccessible car battery has been wired up to a CTEK charging socket with status LEDs which is easily accessed under the bonnet. The vendor has included a nearly new CTEK trickle charger. In the rear luggage compartment, you will find there is a little more space and the carpets and linings are clean and in good condition and the vendor has included a high-quality indoor car cover with Ferrari branding.

Under the engine cover, the compartment is tidy and honest with the red cam covers really standing out. Generally, there is the appearance of a very well-maintained engine bay, with more on that in the history highlights section…

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 vendor advises us that a non-structural strut towards the front of the car which supports the battery tray has some rust perforation. The suspension has three settings adjustable by the driver - soft, normal and hard - which reportedly works as it should.

On purchasing the car, it was due a cam belts service so our vendor sent the car to Barkaways, a very highly regarded Ferrari specialist renowned for preparing classic Ferraris to a concours standard.

Although already in good condition, the vendor took the opportunity of the service to renew perished rubber and piping and overhaul or replace parts where required to ensure the long-term reliability of the engine. Our vendor is something of a stickler for originality and so OEM parts were used where possible with, for example, a new oil pipe (the last one!) being sent from the factory in Modena. Additional work included inspection & adjustment of tappets, new gaskets, full service (all fluids, hoses, belts etc) and repainting of the cam covers.

As expected for a car of this age, there were a couple of annoying niggles that our vendor decided to sort: the remote operation of the fuel filler cap and the closing of the electric sunroof were both unreliable. These have been fully sorted by Barkaways with bespoke parts to ensure that now both fuel filler cover and sunroof operate with reliable precision.

In our photo gallery, you will see the invoices from Barkaways total over £15,000, but this significant refreshment work should mean subsequent services come at a fraction of the cost and this Mondial should be ready to take you wherever you please.

The Mondial has a current MoT valid until January 2023, 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 £25k worth in the last 3-4 years. Notably, the gearbox was rebuilt by another marque specialist in 2019. There is also an original Owner’s handbook, service books, technical manual, workshop manual, parts catalogue and Tracker documentation and unusually, the car also comes with an original colour sales brochure.

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
• October 2021 – 68,994 – Barkaways Tonbridge

The MoT and service record align and validate the current odometer reading of around 69,069.

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."

Today there’s something of a widespread epiphany sweeping the classic car world and prices are gradually strengthening. Just a few months 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. 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.

We think this example offers the canny buyer a real opportunity. Our vendor’s investment in high quality mechanical care for the car and the previous owner’s 2019 gearbox rebuild means it could be loved and driven as is, with reassurance that the mechanical parts have had a good going over and with only the regular service items to think about. Or there is opportunity to further improve the car. With much of the trickier, oilier stuff done, the only thing left to bring it up to the next level would be some attention to the bodywork.

We think this well cared for Mondial t, in a less common colour, will sell for between £30,000 and £45,000. That’s no longer “entry-level Ferrari” money but shows that in-the-know 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’.