Ferrari Mondial T Coupé 1993, Itália

Ferrari Mondial T Coupé 1993, Itália
Fotografia

No stranger to innovation, Ferrari was eager to work with French automotive supplier Valeo in the early 1990s on a clutchless manual transmission. The gearbox offered a shiftable gate with a metal lever topped by a round bar in Ferrari tradition, while the clutch engaged and disengaged in a mere 0.02 seconds. All the driver needed to do was lift off the accelerator pedal, move the gear lever, and then begin accelerating again. The system is said to be highly reliable and was considered robust enough that Valeo produced a similar gearbox and installed it in a one-off F40 created for Gianni Agnelli.

Ferrari chose to offer the technology in the final version of its Mondial, which differed considerably compared to its predecessors thanks to the transverse arrangement of its 3.4-litre V-8 engine. Ferrari called the car Mondial T, the letter denoting of course the repositioning of the V-8, and the automaker quickly touted the engine’s low-slung positioning as an asset to handling. Newly standard anti-lock brakes were a major leap forward as well.

This example was built for the Swiss market and is finished in classic Rosso Corsa over a tan leather interior. Equipped with the Valeo gearbox, it was delivered to its first Swiss owner through Garage Foitek in Zürich on 10 August 1993, according to its factory warranty card. Amazingly, the car was retained by its first owner until 2014, and by that time it had only been driven 3,037 km. Today it is offered with leather luggage, tools, and its original owner’s manuals.

Quite simply one of the lowest-mileage and most original Mondial Ts in existence, it sports both its original paint and interior. Finding another similar example would surely be difficult.