Road Test
Ferrari Mondial 3.2 QV
Test date Wednesday, June 25, 1986
Price as tested £37,950
For Performance, appearance, noise
AgainstGearing, accommodation, ventilation
The Mondial first appeared at the Geneva show six years ago, a 2+2 to complement the two-seater (then called the 308GTB). As with all the other current Ferraris, the Mondial has a tubular steel chassis and, like the 328, the body was designed by Pininfarina, although the cars are built at Ferrari's Modena factory.
The original 3-litre V8 engine had two valves per cylinder, but in 1982 the four-valve heads were fitted to make compliance with the US Federal emissions regulations easier. Last year, the capacity was raised to 3.2 litres and the power output increased to 270bhp at 7000rpm. The engine itself is a classic example of how to make a piece of engineering not only work efficiently and sound wonderful but also look the part. The red air intake plenum chamber, with its bright, machined fins, bears that evocative name - Ferrari.
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