Ferrari commissioned the Turin-based design firm I.DE.A. to build a one-off pace car based on the Mondial T for the PPG-sponsored CART Indy Car World Series. The project cost $1 million in 1987, equivalent to roughly $3 million today. The car was unveiled in October 1987 at Laguna Seca.
The modifications were extensive. I.DE.A. stretched the Mondial's wheelbase, reshaped the front and rear fasciae, and wrapped corrugated trim around the body to connect them. Safety lights were integrated into clear plastic flying-buttress sections around the engine cover. The interior received a full redesign in Kevlar and suede, with a new steering wheel and dashboard that consolidated gauges and controls closer to the driver.
The Mondial T base model produces a 3.4-liter V8 with 300 horsepower from the factory, good for zero to 62 mph in 6.3 seconds and a top speed of 158 mph. Chassis modifications were likely made to ensure safe pacing at the consistent high speeds required for CART racing.
The pace car served actively from 1988 until 1991, though it proved unreliable during its stint. PPG commissioned a series of wild one-off pace cars during the 1980s and 1990s for CART, though many were later crushed or lost. This Ferrari now resides in The Caretakers Collection, which also houses a Tucker sedan and one of 12 GM Futureliners.
The project stands as unusual for Ferrari, which focuses primarily on Formula 1 rather than CART racing and had canceled its CART program about a year before this pace car's unveiling. Pininfarina typically handled all of Ferrari's production-car styling at the time, but I.DE.A. led this one-off design.