Thank you Doug Demuro!

He has lost any credibility he ever had as a reviewer when he started reviewing auction cars.

 

This should probably be a new thread, but I honestly think the "bad looks of the Mondial" is waning. It might just be the purists that maintain it, but certainly NOT the general public.

When I drive my 3.2, EVERYONE... and I really do me EVERYONE thinks its an awesome car, even if I'm driving "like a grandpa".

I posted about being at the south Denver metro area Cars and Coffee last year, only went once thusfar and it happened to be when a local car club was doing a "show". My car won one of the 5 awards that day. There were Countachs there, bunch of "new" mid-engined vettes, a bunch of American classic muscle cars (it was more of a muscle car club anyway) and a few other Ferraris, and my car won (and it's not even CLOSE to "concours" condition).

I drove out the other day for a quick video for someone, literally got to the first stoplight after my house and a nice lady in the next lane shouted over, we talked a bit (the length of the light) and she remembered the car from the National Lampoon Vacation 2nd movie (yes that was a 3.4t if I remember).

Same thing when I stopped at a tire shop to get my tires back up after the winter hibernation.

I have NEVER had anyone some up and say "Ah man, that's just a Mondial, why didn't you get a real Ferrari?"

They used to say that about the GT4, now they don't. I think the Mondial, at least from the public's view, is still a cool "classic Ferrari".

 

I remember when the road test of the first Mondial 8 came out (can't remember if it was C&D or R&T) -- I loved the looks of it but was extremely turned off by the mid-9-second 0-60 time in the road test. I was far too young to be a potential buyer then, but the performance of the 8 was a non-starter. I always liked the look of it from the start, but criticism was warranted because smog regulations really did kill the performance (also of the 308 GTS/B "i" versions). I love nothing more than to talk to an "internet educated" person who is telling me the Mondial sucks, as I my experience is that it's one of the best models for those who really want the raw visceral experience in a car they can drive regularly (I daily drove my 3.2 for a while).

It's always smart to take advantage of internet ignorance when it keeps the values down despite the excellence of the car. The Porsche 996 is another example -- the base coupe/6-speed/2wd version is probably one of the best-driving 911's for those who want the lightweight sports car version of the 911. The 996 is lighter than the 993 and 964 models that came before it, and obviously lighter than the 997.1 and 997.2 models that came after. To me -- the lightest form of the 996 is like a modern version of my personal favorite 911 to drive --- the late-60's/early 70's 911 "e" model (the "e" was much better to drive than the "s" or "t"). No, the 996 isn't anywhere close to the weight of the early 911's, but when you add slight power steering and double the horsepower -- the weight disappears and it feels a LOT like those early 911 e's, but with all the creature comforts and none of the bloat/complexity that came with later 911 models.

Internet-educated people have kept Mondial and 996 values low, so they are a positive for those who actually own and drive these cars.

 

While I 100% agree with you that the Mondial looks excellent - it's a fact that many folks say it looks terrible. How much is due to folks regurgitating what so-and-so thinks versus objective critique?

I argue A LOT. My experiences in REAL LIFE have been nothing but thumbs-ups, friendly honks, smiling faces, and curious glances.

I also like the 412, GT4, FF, California, 348, F50, 612, and Purosangue. All those Ferraris have no shortage of haters purely based on looks. Unfortunately, the Mondial does get the lion's share of criticism if you ask me.

We now live in a world where the wealthiest man declared the most successful pop icon of our time to Napoleon Dynamite, dressed in drag.

Think she cares?

I think like us, not one bit.

In the age Metamodernism, the Mondial will do just fine, in fact I argue - it will thrive.

 

Is there really much difference? If you scroll fast or flip back-and-forth, the only MAJOR noticeable difference is the "intake" or side strakes. They "jump" from low to high. The rear sticks out a bit more on the Mondial as does the front, but the front is less noticeable.

All minor from a "layman's point-of-view". I bet anyone under 30 who is not a true "car geek" will not know the difference. Even some "car geeks" won't know.

It's an 80s car, with angles, it's red, it's a Ferrari.

Modern Ferrari's are all rounded and smooth. Now mind you, if I could afford one, I would buy one, so I'm not trashing them in any way, they just look different. But most people driving around see "Hey, it's an 80s Ferrari", they don't see "Hey, it's the crappy Mondial that Jay Leno said he didn't want to buy".

In all honesty, when I had my 308 GTS QV, I drove by a Mondial convertible here in the Denver metro area, and at first, I was like "Cool 348!" and had to do a double-take to realize it was a Mondial.


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DeMuro (Cars and Bids) yellow Mondial T sold for $63,000.


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