Why Ferrari Mondials Can Still Be a Bargain on the Secondary Market

Ferrari is the ne plus ultra of supercar brands, perhaps even car brands full-stop, with profits higher than ever and volumes, too. Its aura even extends to some of their least-loved models, like the Mondial.

For any other automaker, the Mondial—a V-8 grand tourer that has never been a poster on anyone’s wall —might be simply forgotten by collectors, in the same way that many Jaguars of the 1980s and 1990s have been. But because the Mondial is a Ferrari, prices have remained low but stable, propped up in part by the allure, for buyers, of simply owning a car from the marque.

“Ferrari is one of the top ten if not top five brands across all of the industry,” Barney Ruprecht, vice president of auctions for Broad Arrow, told us in an interview. “It is an incredibly well-positioned brand that is not going to suffer in the short, immediate term.”

The Mondial was built for 13 years, and today is a bit of an oddity, even if it wasn’t at the time: a mid-engine car with four seats, or a so-called 2+2 configuration, signaling that the two rear seats will likely only be comfortable for children and luggage. The model came with V-8s, starting with a 2.9-liter, 214 hp engine in 1980. In 1983, power was increased to 230 hp, later topping out at 300 hp with a 3.2-liter V-8 by the end of the model’s run. Those numbers were respectable but not impressive at the time, and impressed even less a few decades later. But for cars that weighed around 3,100 pounds, those figures aren’t too shabby in terms of real-world performance.

Ruprecht said recent auctions of the Mondial that have reached six figures were less about mileage and the uniqueness of the cars themselves, like the liveries. Ferrari sold the model originally for something in the neighborhood of $65,000, or a little under a quarter of a million dollars in today’s money.

That positioned it not quite as the “affordable” Ferrari that it is remembered as but more along the lines of the current Roma—an entry-level Ferrari that costs around $250,000 and could get you into the company’s good graces for future, more-desirable purchases down the line.

Mondial prices have been mostly going down since then relative to inflation, with many examples sold in the past few years in the $40,000 to $80,000 range, according to Bring a Trailer. The finest examples, though, still fetch a good number, and Broad Arrow said in 2024 concours-quality Mondials increased by 24 percent in value, from about an average of $45,000 to around $55,000.

Here’s a look at a few recent sales:

This example sold for $112,000 at a recent Broad Arrow auction. It was in mint condition, had a single-owner and full service record history. The convertible is also painted Verde Scuro, a rare color for Mondials and and a quite attractive dark-green hue. Around 34,000 miles are on the odometer, which suggests that the Mondial was used just enough to keep it firing. The new owner can also explain to their friends how unusual an open-top, four-seat, mid-engine Ferrari is.

This example sold for $32,000 on Bring a Trailer in April, a European version of the Mondial later sent to the US. Painted in Rosso Corsa, rear damage is listed in the car’s history. Some original parts have also been replaced, like the speedometer and tachometer, and it has 51,000 miles on the odometer, which means that it has been well-used. It appears the seller started the auction with a higher reserve price before lowering it as bids came in. It is equipped with the 2.9-liter V-8 making 230 horsepower.

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This Mondial, produced just a year after the Bring a Trailer example, fetched a little under four times the price, or $123,000. That figure is a result of the 1986 car having the more powerful 3.2-liter engine, making 270 horsepower. This Mondial also has just 49 miles on the odometer and comes in Rosso Corsa, with a full service history. Broad Arrow says it’s one of the “best-preserved” Ferrari Mondials in existence, so it likely represents the top of the market for now, and the new owner is also likely to think that it will go up in value.

It’s hard to bet against Ferrari, in other words, even when the model is a car that can sometimes cost as much as a brand-new Camry. The future is looking like more of the same. 

“Ferrari is an anomaly in terms of brand, pricing, performance, everything,” Ruprecht said.