The machine owned by a member today is the first vintage Ferrari offered as a member vehicle and only the third Ferrari owned by a member ever. It is owned by Matt, a fleet coordinator for the City of Seattle. Matt manages over 100 cars and 150 drivers to make sure everyone who needs a vehicle has one, and also makes sure all vehicles are maintained so they can reliably do their jobs. Now let’s talk about Mondial, how it makes sense as a Jeep replacement, and the crazy story of how the Jeep met its end.
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Maybe you know the Ferrari Mondial as a source of great joy and great sorrow for Adrian, or maybe you remember Thomas telling us all how affordable they are.. For those who don’t know the Mondial: It replaced the 308 and the 208. Dinosaur models in 1980 and has the honour of being Ferrari’s last rear-engined V8 four-seater. The Mondial’s power rose from 214 to 300bhp during its 13-year run, and as a convertible it is one of the most practical Ferraris ever (it’s much easier to get into the back seat without the top down), and I think it’s a great looking car with that ’80s wedge design – and I’m sure Matt would agree. I’m also sure Matt would agree that most Mondial owners didn’t buy their Ferraris as Jeep replacements, but that’s exactly what Matt did. Let’s start with that.
Your wife won a Jeep, which led to the Mondial. Tell us the story!
In 2005, my wife worked at a private school. For the entire first semester, a dealer-donated, plain 2005 Wrangler with a soft top was parked on campus as the grand prize for the school’s charity raffle. My wife really wanted it and joked with everyone that they didn’t have to buy tickets to win “her Jeep.” Then, when winter arrived, the winner was drawn – but it wasn’t my wife.
The winner was a graduate who generously asked the organizers to keep drawing until a faculty member or staff member wins. The second name was another graduate who said the same thing! The third winner was a faculty member who, in an admirable fit of confidence, said, “I have a family, what am I going to do with it?” In the fourth drawing, my wife won her Jeep. As she got ready to drive off, my wife looked down and asked, “What’s the third pedal for?” Of course, I drove it home.
And then …
We kept the Jeep as a backup vehicle and it was our summer cruiser. The soft top was a bit of a struggle, so the rule was that we would only open it if the ten-day forecast called for clear skies. In June 2020, my then twelve-year-old daughter confirmed that the weather was favorable and asked us to get it out of the garage and put the top down. We said sure, but then the kid asked if she could drive it out. While I was talking to the neighbor, my wife said she could try, thinking there was no way she would be able to get it started, let alone put it in gear.
You can imagine what happened next. She actually managed to start the engine, put the car in gear and directly into the neighboring house. (Editor’s note: I absolutely didn’t guess that.) My wife was in the passenger seat and says her knee was never the same again, but there were no other injuries (unless we count the damage to my wife’s pride, not with the handbrake ready).
How did the Jeep perform?
The bumper and fender were dented around the engine and had creases where the front panels met in front of the doors. The car was drivable, but only just, so we took it to the shop for an inspection. Our insurance, against all expectations, covered the cost, and we set about repairing the house next door. The Jeep was different. After months in the shop, the service people told us they couldn’t find replacement quarter panels. At the time, we didn’t want a project car and had no experience with auto salvage, so we regretfully agreed that the Jeep was a total loss. Fortunately, the insurance company wrote a large check because the mileage was so low and the car was so well maintained. Looking back, and trusting and benefiting from the collective wisdom of the Autopians, I wouldn’t make the same decision, but we went home with a 500 percent return on our lottery ticket investment—almost enough to ease my disappointment at having to get rid of the car my wife had won.
And it led to the Mondial! But first a few words about you. How did you get into cars?
My family was full of car enthusiasts. I liked cars, my dad liked trucks, and my grandfather liked trains. I grew up with guidebooks, model kits, and stacks of publications. I always liked cool sports cars and couldn’t wait to drive! I never got over that enthusiasm, not even in a boring CR-V. I’ve started teaching my teenager to drive, and she seems to like it, although the generational lineage in the family suggests that after trains/trucks/cars, she’d logically like motorcycles. I’ve never ridden a motorcycle, so I have nothing to offer her in that regard.
How did you get to the perfect Mondial?
After we received our insurance check for the Jeep, we had to decide if and how we wanted to replace it. Eventually we came down to some basic requirements, and whatever we chose had to:
- Fits in the garage
- Do you have four seat belts
- Be a convertible
- Offers enough space for at least a few groceries
- Be funny or interesting
I spent some time browsing Craigslist and finally found something I hadn’t really known about, let alone considered: a Ferrari Mondial. Even though I had plenty of truck publications at home and almost as many car books and calendars, this car just didn’t exist for me growing up. So when I saw the familiar but different Mondial with its side vents, I couldn’t believe it. Add four seatbelts, a trunk that fits a golf bag, is less than 186 inches long, and the way the look of the hardtop’s struts is preserved when the top is down? It was too good to be true.
After a few weeks, I hadn’t found anything that excited me as much as the Mondial. I looked at three different examples, all of which were snapped up in the same week. When one of those three cars came back on the market, we snapped it up.
What is it like to own a classic Ferrari?
I’m still ashamed to say “Ferrari” so it’s not a Ferrari but a 40 year old used car. When it arrived it was damn sluggish! The local Ferrari dealer was too big for us so I had to find someone else. Soon I saw a 2000 Ferrari parked outside a nearby shop. I called the garage and they showed interest so we brought it in. It’s arriving now after a new clutch and a bunch of other stuff but it still has issues that we haven’t fixed yet.
I never intended it to be a display or show car, or even a sports car, but I would like sliding seats; it needs new floor mats; the windows are unbearably slow; and the rear windows often don’t work, as do the wipers. But damn, it’s cool! And when you actually open it, it feels like it just goes on forever.
I’m looking forward to getting it sorted and mostly reliable. Maybe one day I’ll do something crazy! I’m thinking a two-tone black and yellow shroud like on a Giallo Fly BB, or rally lamps over the nose for a ridiculous wall-to-wall light spread. But that won’t happen until we get tired of looking at it as it is.
Is your Mondial superior to Adrian’s?
For fear of upsetting Uncle Goth, I’ll just say that due to our intention to “replace” a Jeep and its open-air experience, the convertible is by definition better – because we never considered the coupe. That said, I think a case can be made that Adrian has the better Mondial, since he actually got some miles on his. I’m still working out the getting-to-know-you issues. Also, he’s rocking the original metric wheels and tires and I have 16-inch replicas – but they look really great sticking out a little from under the fender flares. So no contest really, but I’m happy with what I have.
Thanks, Matt!
Members, keep an eye out for a link to a new member survey in the coming weeks (we’re still working on clearing the backlog). And if you’re not a member yet, what are you waiting for? Join today!
