The year 2008 was a big one for Ferrari, as far as what it gave to the world in the Ferrari California. What it gave us was a lot of new features: front-engine V8, retractible hardtop, double-clutch 7-speed transmission. And it was the last to carry a Ferrari classic, the manual gearbox. So the California pushes ahead while looking, or at least glancing, back.
The Ferrari California is a "grand tourer," a car designed not just for speed and handling, but for spending some quality time on the road. What makes it a bit more suitable for the long-haul is that it's a "2+," a two-door car with two seats in its backseat. The real magic may be in the driver's seat, but at least now you've got a slightly larger audience to share your joy.
The California inherited its name from another great Ferrari of yore, also one with a bit of a backseat. The 250 GT California appeared in the late 1950s, a sexy mid-century machine. This is the car that played a prominent role in the 1986 John Hughes movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." That car was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California, one of about a hundred built. The car's death in the climax upset many Ferrari fans, though it was in fact a replica.
The Ferrari family felt such affinity for this new car that they had to hand down the name. They could've called it the Iowa, sure, but what's sexy about that? So the modern car carries its classic name, and proves what the 21st-century can do. The California runs zero to 60 in just under four seconds, hits a top speed of 193 mph, and has been proven in wind tunnel tests to be Ferrari's most aerodynamic car to date.
It's a powerful car, sure, but it's not a monster like some of Ferrari's other machines. The California has actually acquired a reputation for being sort of, well, nice. It is a pretty car, but not exotically so. It is a fast car, but may not tear your head off like some others. And, so they've said, the car has sort of a big ass.
None of which is to say that the Ferrari California fails any kind of test, whether in appearance or in how it rides, or even in backseat space (which is, admittedly, a bit limited, but still a backseat). It's the car you want when you want to go somewhere far away. For that very quick trip cross-country. It's the new minivan. Or well no, not even a little bit, but the California is indeed a car you'll want to spend a lot of time in with people whose company you enjoy at high speeds.
The Ferrari California is a "grand tourer," a car designed not just for speed and handling, but for spending some quality time on the road. What makes it a bit more suitable for the long-haul is that it's a "2+," a two-door car with two seats in its backseat. The real magic may be in the driver's seat, but at least now you've got a slightly larger audience to share your joy.
The California inherited its name from another great Ferrari of yore, also one with a bit of a backseat. The 250 GT California appeared in the late 1950s, a sexy mid-century machine. This is the car that played a prominent role in the 1986 John Hughes movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." That car was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California, one of about a hundred built. The car's death in the climax upset many Ferrari fans, though it was in fact a replica.
The Ferrari family felt such affinity for this new car that they had to hand down the name. They could've called it the Iowa, sure, but what's sexy about that? So the modern car carries its classic name, and proves what the 21st-century can do. The California runs zero to 60 in just under four seconds, hits a top speed of 193 mph, and has been proven in wind tunnel tests to be Ferrari's most aerodynamic car to date.
It's a powerful car, sure, but it's not a monster like some of Ferrari's other machines. The California has actually acquired a reputation for being sort of, well, nice. It is a pretty car, but not exotically so. It is a fast car, but may not tear your head off like some others. And, so they've said, the car has sort of a big ass.
None of which is to say that the Ferrari California fails any kind of test, whether in appearance or in how it rides, or even in backseat space (which is, admittedly, a bit limited, but still a backseat). It's the car you want when you want to go somewhere far away. For that very quick trip cross-country. It's the new minivan. Or well no, not even a little bit, but the California is indeed a car you'll want to spend a lot of time in with people whose company you enjoy at high speeds.
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