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Ferrari Mondial The Ferrari Mondial is a 2+2 coupe automobile produced from 1980 until it was replaced by the 456 in 1992. The Mondial was styled by Pininfarina as a large coupe and, eventually, cabriolet. It shared the angular look common to many 1980s Ferraris. The Mondial was produced in fairly high numbers for Ferrari, with more than 6,800 produced in its 12-year run. Mondial 8 The Mondial was introduced as the Mondial 8 in 1980. It was the first Ferrari to depart from the company's familiar 3-digit naming scheme, and was fairly mild-performing (for a Ferrari). It used a mid/rear-mounted V8, shared with the 308, mounted transversely. The engine was originally used in the 1974 Dino 308 GT4, and was based on Alfredino "Dino" Ferrari's design. The chassis was also based on the 308, but with a longer 2650 mm wheelbase. The suspension was double wishbones all around. The Mondial 8 is considered one of the marque's most reliable, inexpensive to maintain, and even practical cars due to its 214 hp, proven drivetrain, and four seats. Mondial Quattrovalvole The first Mondial engine, although a DOHC design, used just two valves per cylinder. The 1982 Quattrovalvole introduced a new 4-valve head. Again, the engine was shared with the contemporary 308, and produced a more respectable 240 hp. Mondial Cabriolet A new Cabriolet bodystyle was added for 1983 . Although the styling was very similar to the coupe version, the Cabriolet's top gave the car a lower look similar to the contemporary Testarossa. 3.2 Mondial Like the new 328, the Mondial's engine grew in both bore and stroke to 3.2 L (3185 cc) for 1985. Output was now 270 hp, and the car's weight distribution was changed enough for the car to classify as a true mid-engine design. Styling was refreshed with painted bumpers and new wheels. Mondial t The final Mondial evolution was 1989's Mondial t. It was a substantially changed model, "spearhead of a new generation of V8 Ferraris", according to Road & Track magazine. The "t" called attention to the car's new engine/transmission layout: though the previously-transverse engine was now mounted longitudinally, the gearbox remained transverse, forming a "t". This configuration was used by Ferrari's Formula 1 cars of the 1980s, and would be the standard for the marque's future mid-engined V8 cars, beginning with the 348, introduced later in the year. That transverse gearbox was a dual-clutch design with beveled gears driving the axles. The engine was up to 3.4 L (3405 cc) and 300 hp. The Mondial's chassis would underpin a new generation of 2-seat Ferraris, right up to today's 360, but the 2+2 Mondial would end production just four years later in 1993. The company has not produced a mid-engined 2+2 car since, leaving the front-engined V12 456 as the company's only 4-seat car. The Mondial was home to other Ferrari firsts: It used power brakes for the first time, and had a 3-position electronically controlled suspension. It also had standard antilock brakes, though other Ferraris had this feature as well. References Mondial
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