Ferrari Mondial 8

About the Ferrari Mondial 8

The Mondial was introduced as the Mondial 8 at the 1980 Geneva Auto Salon.It was the first Ferrari to depart from the company's familiar 3-digit naming scheme and was fairly mild, relative to other Ferraris, in terms of performance, drawing criticism from the motoring press.It used a mid/rear-mounted Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection V8, shared with the 308 GTBi/GTSi, mounted transversely. The engine was originally used in the 1973 Dino 308 GT4. The K-Jetronic system is mechanical, with a high-pressure pump which streams fuel continuously to the injectors; it does not have a computer, just a few relays to handle the cold start sequence etc. The chassis was also based on the 308 GT4, but with a 100-millimetre-longer (3.9 in) wheelbase at 2,650 mm (104.3 in). The suspension was the classic layout of unequal-length double wishbones and Koni dampers all around.

The Mondial 8 is considered one of the marque's most "practical" vehicles, due to its 214 hp (160 kW), proven drivetrain, four seats, and relatively low cost of maintenance (major services can be performed without removing the entire engine/transmission subframe). 703 examples were made.