Although it’s not uncommon to see 80s Ferraris, it’s usually the 308s or the 328s that make up most of the numbers. This 1985 Mondial Quattrovalvole jumped off the screen at me because you never see them, especially the Quattrovalvole in this trim, and for the year, it does look very similar to the F355 – maybe because it wears the 355’s wheels?

But why was I looking at Ferraris on eBay?

I wanted to see if I could find a genuinely solid and clean example for the price of a brand new Ford Focus ST (£26,000). It was starting to look fairly bleak with the usual undesirables such as the 400 and the bland version of the Mondial cropping up.

Like any cars, the mileage reflects the price, but with these ponies, an extra 20K on the clock will set you back more than a few grand. For my target price, the brilliant F355 is possible, although with high miles (above 50,000), as was the ugly and cumbersome 550 Maranello.

And the car pictured? £15,500. There are a few cosmetic problems to attend, but throw a few thousand at it and you are left with a rather handsome and exotic car. Although mileage isn’t listed, it states £30,000 has been spent, so I imagine the majority of this comes from servicing and an annual engine service (today’s price around £1000) plus a few clutches.

“Quattrovalvole” translates as “four valves” and this particular model of the Mondail received a new four valve head, and the combustion chamber design was based on the early eighties Formula 1 engine.

Once the body has been professionally finished, this Ferrari would make for a great weekend summer car. Imagine driving your own Ferrari to the song of its howling V8… and all in for around £20,000.