Ferrari Mondial QV, the Approachable Cool Car for Confident Cats

By Tony Markovich - June 2, 2016

mondial_qv

The Mondial gets a bad rap as a “cheap Ferrari,” both in the literal sense of costing less money, and in the way that it was built. At least in its early years. Time even named the 1980 Mondial 8 one of the worst cars of all time. But the facts that it was in production for 13 years and sold more than 6,000 examples still make it an important point in Ferrari’s history. And according to former winning driver and the founder of Italia Motorsport, John Pogson, the Mondial has a charm all its own.

Pogson has owned Mondials since 1997, and currently has a Quattrovalvole (QV). When his friends ask him why, he simple responds, “because it’s just a cool car.” Of course, the QV was much improved over the original Mondial 8, using four valves per cylinder rather than two. That bumped the power up quite a bit.

To Pogson, the subtle color, the less-than-spectacular Pininfarina styling, the 2+2 setup, and the cheaper aesthetic actually plays a fun role for him. He explains that people still think the car is unique and nifty, but instead of being intimidated by such a wild Ferrari sighting, they come up to him and talk about it. And unlike certain people, he enjoys that, because Pogson simply enjoys anything to do with cars, including the people interested in them. Remember, this is a guy who has raced in and won in Ferrari F40s. So, he knows a few things.

And this brings us to his bigger point: why can’t everybody just get along? You like cars, I like cars, he likes cars, she likes cars — why is there so much division? Why is there so much competition? Why can you only like one type of car or one manufacturer? Pogson doesn’t get it, and frankly, it is a bit ridiculous. Next time you see a “rival” car guy, put down your defenses and just talk to the person. Ten bucks says the passion is more similar than you might imagine.