Direct fuel injection, dual-clutch transmission and a fast-acting folding hardtop – the Ferrari California features quite a number of “firsts” for the world’s most famous supercar maker.
Despite the host of fancy gadgetry, the California is priced almost like an “entry-level” car set alongside the F430.
If things go according to plan (global economic woes aside), the California will be the best-selling Ferrari since the F355.
While technological breakthroughs are integral to every new Ferrari, the car is pitched at a new breed of buyers: those who actually want a Ferrari for the (gasp!) daily grind.
Plush California cabin is designed to pamper the driver every day.
We are talking about a fiery Italian supercar with genuine practicality.
It’s a trait so sensible, you’d think Ferrari has been taken over by Porsche, the originator of the “everyday supercar”.
Incidentally, the 911 Turbo isn’t too far from the California’s gunsight, as are the Bentley Continental GT/GTC and the Mercedes-Benz SL.
This being a modern Ferrari, the California’s design is shaped by the wind tunnel and powerful computers rather than the hands of an artist.
California’s digital screen can be made to show a host of information.
Like the F430, the California doesn’t photograph very well, mainly because it isn’t beautiful in the conventional sense, unlike the first California of 1957 or the F355 from 1994, for example.
So, there’s a perfectly scientific reason behind every awkward nuance, including the vertically stacked tail pipes.
The position was necessary to maximise the area of the diffuser, while the vents that house the exhausts act to draw air out from the rear wheel well, giving better aerodynamic efficiency.
And here I was, thinking it was a rip-off of something from MTV’s Pimp My Ride.
Ferrari has put in plenty of effort to make the California a “sensible” car and a plausible daily driving machine.
The folding roof packs/unpacks itself in 14 seconds, which is pretty fast.
The folding hardtop arrangement gives it all-weather usability, while clever packaging design leaves a decent amount of boot space.
Even with the roof packed in the back, there’s still enough space for a pair of cabin-size bags.
There’s even a cabin that looks properly luxurious and befitting a supercar, rather than the minimalist (read: spartan) job in the F430.
Besides the generous application of cowhide and rich stitching, the centre console features a big touch-screen display.
And where the handbrake usually resides (the California gets an electronic parking brake, another first for Ferrari), there’s a machined aluminium handle that houses the controls for the window and roof.
Tucked behind the supportive leather seats are another pair of chairs that earns the California its “2+” seating capability, which is a cost option that most buyers are expected to take.
They are nowhere as capacious as the 612 (or even the back of a Mini) but it’s possible to carry at least a second passenger in an emergency.
These are the kinds of things Ferrari F430 Spider owners never have, or really care for.
Even though the California has a 4.3-litre V8 – similar but not identical to the lump in the F430 – initial impressions from the wheel are also vastly different from its hot-blooded sibling.
Frankly, the California feels calm.
California’s retractable hard top does it all at a touch of a button.
Almost too calm. That’s hardly a complaint, of course.
During the first minutes of the test drive, tired after a 14-hour flight and trying to get orientated with the Sicilian road conditions, the California was (thankfully) cosseting.
Ensconced in the leather-clad cabin, with an efficient climate control system keeping things comfy, the notion of superlative performance seems entirely irrelevant.
Thanks to a host of unfortunate circumstance, mainly revolving around the poorly drawn maps, this particular California spent a good amount of time threading through city traffic in the downtown district of Erice, in the western part of Sicily.
Optional rear seats have Isofix mounts and can be folded down to expand boot capacity.
Through the traffic and pockmarked roads, it’s with certain confidence that yours truly believes that the California truly lives up to the “daily driver” tag.
The dual-clutch transmission defaults in “auto” mode, and this is the first Ferrari in the post-F355 era that actually does “auto” well.
Not only does the box make sensible shifting decisions on its own, the changes are smooth.
By all accounts, it seems the California is happy to just cruise along unobtrusively for hours.
Naturally aspirated 4.3-litre V8 is the first Ferrari engine with direct injection.
But – and this is a big but – why would anyone be interested in a Ferrari trying to be a Mercedes?
At this point, it seems the $900,000 or so California does nothing more than what a V6 SL350 manages.
Badge snobbery aside, the clincher has to be its ability to truly drive like a thoroughbred.
At the first opportunity – that’s when we hit the mountain roads, away from the traffic and pedestrians – the drive came alive.
The 4.3-litre V8 starts to make its high-pitch howl.
It’s half an octave lower than the F430’s but the new direct-injection engine note has a character that’s all its own.
By design, the California doesn’t have the steering alacrity of the F430.
But on public roads, it has more than enough bite to thrill and entertain.
Vertically stacked exhaust allows more area for the rear diffuser.
With the steering wheel-mounted Magnettino switch set to “Sport”, shifts from the 7-speed, dual-clutch gearbox kicks into its urgent mode, swapping cogs with as much ferocity as the driver dares push it.
The chassis also responds very crisply to inputs and, best of all, the carbon ceramic brakes manage to not only be absolutely tireless but also give plenty of pedal-feel, making it easy to modulate.
Against the supposed competition (Bentley, Mercedes, et al.), the California is just much, much more alive.
The noise it makes will stir even the most jaded of drivers.
There is a catch, though.
The extensive insulation on the California means that only a fraction of that wonderful sound makes it into the sealed cabin.
The obvious thing to do is to fold the roof to let in the music, but that means making do with a slight lost in rigidity.
Without the roof in place, Ferrari says the car still boasts a stiffness of some 19,000Nm/deg (versus the 911 Turbo Cab’s 9,000Nm/deg).
At speed, the difference is, nonetheless, discernible in terms of steering precision and how the suspension reacts when the roof is on.
But it really doesn’t matter very much.
Traditional “diehard” Ferrari owners will always turn to the F430 to have their senses assaulted.
The rest of the New World will certainly appreciate a Ferrari that they can flaunt effortlessly every day of the week.
2008 FERRARI CALIFORNIA 4.3 (A)
DRIVETRAIN
Type V8, 32-valves
Capacity 4297cc
Bore x stroke 94mm x 77.4mm
Compression ratio 12.2:1
Max power 460bhp at 7750rpm
Max torque 485Nm at 5000rpm
Power to weight 265.4bhp per tonne
Gearbox 7-speed dual-clutch with manual select
Driven wheels Rear
PERFORMANCE
0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Top speed 310km/h
Consumption 7.6km/L (combined)
SUSPENSION
Front Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar
BRAKES
Front / Rear Ventilated discs
TYRES
Type Bridgestone Potenza RE050A
Size 245/40 R19 (front), 285/40 R19 (rear)
SAFETY
Airbags 4
Traction aids ABS, ESP
MEASUREMENTS
Length 4563mm
Width 1902mm
Height 1301mm
Wheelbase 2670mm
Kerb weight 1735kg
Turning circle 10.6m
BUYING IT
Price incl. COE Approximately $900,000
Warranty To be announced
+ Innovations, sublime gearbox, flexible engine
– It isn’t drop-dead gorgeous, being labelled a softie, waiting next year for its delivery
