Description
The articles in this book tell the story of the cars which used the 3.2-litre and later 3.4-litre editions of Ferrari’s twin-overhead-camshaft V8 engine. There were essentially three ranges, the classic GTB/GTS models, their tb/ts replacements, and the controversial four-seater Mondial. The GTB coupe and GTS targa-top models were beautiful creations by Pininfarina which first appeared in the mid-1970s with a 3-litre dry-sump V8 mounted transversely behind the seats. Re-engined with the bored and stroked 3.2-litre V8 in 1985, these models carried on as the 328 GTB and 328 GTS until 1988. Their replacements were the 348tb targa-top cars, which featured longitudinally mounted V8 engines, now further developed as 3.4-litre types. Time will tell how these cars are viewed in the overall context for Ferrari history, but when new they were often criticized for undistinguished styling and for performance which was not sufficiently ahead of that offered by rival machinery. Like the GTB/GTS range, the Mondial was a well-established model by the time it was equipped with the 3.2-litre V8 in 1985. First introduced in 1980 with the older 3-litre engine, it never quite had the elegance of the two-seater cars, although in cabriolet form it was an extraordinarily attractive machine. The Mondial retained the transverse 3.2-litre V8 until 1989, when it was re-engineered to take the new longitudinal 3.4-litre engine. These later cars were known as Mondial t models, that additional letter standing somewhat illogically for the transverse gearbox which went with the new engine. Were the GTB and GTS models among the most attractive Ferraris ever built? In my opinion they were – and an aggregate sales figure of 7,412 examples with the 3.2-litre engine suggests that Maranello’s customers thought so too. By contrast, the Mondial sold just 987 copies in 3.2-litre coupe form, plus a smaller number of cabriolets. And what of the 3.4-litre engined cars, for which sales figures are not yet available. Read this fascinating collection of reports and form your own views of the mainstream Ferraris built between 1985 and 1994. Models covered: 328, 348 and Mondials including the GT, GTB, tb, ts and GTS.
