Are you ready for a Ferrari to drive to the office, the mall, the beach, the slopes—anywhere, everywhere? That’s the concept behind this revival of a name from Ferrari’s storied past—a fast GT that supplies style, panache, plenty of performance, and thanks to its folding hardtop and “two-plus” interior layout, an unusually high level of all-around usefulness.
The California embodies a number of Ferrari firsts. For example, it’s the first Ferrari with a V-8 engine mounted ahead of the cockpit. Previous V-8s have been bolted in amidships, behind the seats. The V-8 is a development of the 4.3-liter eight that propels the superb (and soon to be replaced) F430 series, distinguished by new cylinder heads with a direct-injection fuel system, also a Ferrari first. The engine’s mass rides behind the front axle center line and sends its substantial thrust (453 horsepower, 358 pound-feet of torque) to the rear wheels via a rear-mounted dual-clutch automated-manual transmission, another first for Ferrari. This layout, on a 105.1-inch wheelbase, yields a 47/53-percent front-to-rear weight distribution, contributing to excellent balance, and handling that’s both exhilarating and benign.
The two-piece folding hard top, of course, is yet another element new to a car from MaThe highlight, of course, is the slick two-piece retractable metal roof. Top up, it provides the extra security and noise suppression that only a metal roof can provide. Lowering the top is a graceful affair that takes just 14 seconds, nearly half the time of most other cars with retractable hardtops. The California also boasts a front-mounted variant of Ferrari's familiar 4.3-liter V8, a seven-speed, automated dual-clutch manual transmission (another Ferrari first), ceramic-carbon brakes, optional adaptive dampers and an exquisitely crafted interior.
Many of the California's design attributes are meant to enhance the car's ability to be a grand touring car. The multilink rear suspension is new and is said to provide better ride comfort than the more traditional double-wishbone setup. The 460-horsepower V8 features direct injection -- another Ferrari first -- for enhanced fuel economy. Though that output is down about 30 hp compared to the F430's V8, the California is certainly not a tepid thing -- Ferrari projects a sub-4-second sprint to 60 mph. Much of the credit for the quick time goes to the new dual-clutch gearbox with launch control, a belated step forward from Ferrari's brutally effective but relatively uncivilized F1-style single-clutch automated manual.
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