Ferrari California - first coupe-cabriolet Ferrari
Two years ago, there had been a very gorgeous addition to the “raging herd of prancing horses”. Revealing its bewitching splendor at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, this remarkable beauty is a very practical and user friendly cruiser rolled into a supercar giving you the best of all worlds. You may be wondering if two-cars-for-the-price-of-1 is really possible, hence let’s see if it really has a touch of being a proper Ferrari – sportive, strong and powerful.
Basically, Ferrari is built to excel and rule on the track, but then, it diverted into the track and made way to this gorgeous road supercar.
Dropping the bomb off right away, the very first hard-top convertible had landed into Ferrari in the form of the 2009 Ferrari California. Now, we can have all the grace and poise we want while waiting for about 14 seconds for the folding retractable hard top roof of this sleek coupe-cabriolet to disappear and reveal the most gracious convertible ever.
Ferrari California taking off its hard top roof
This roofing system may appear to really be irresistibly beautiful but amidst that, it reveals something quite less exquisite. The Ferrari California’s designer Pininfarina may be successful in producing a graceful hard-top convertible but they also cannot hide the fact that with such bulk comes weight. Being 200 kilograms more than the F40 and even heavier than the bigger 599 GTB, this one needs a pretty much amazing engine to balance the weight and still be able to run at great speed.
Because of that, this car also became the first to have a direct fuel-injected front-mounted 4.3 L V8 Ferrari producing a 453 horsepower at 8000 rpm which is a bit disappointing being 40 less than the F430. This engine would keep you running in 60mph at 4 seconds and go to a top speed of 193 mph. Having great balance on the weight and efficient and fast twin clutch for faster shifting, 7 speed automatic transmission give this car a great handling thus, making you feel that California doesn’t feel overweight for a supercar at all.
Being a default GT (grand tourer) car rather than a sports car, the transmission has its default on automatic but when you switch the Manettino dial, the car now shifts to becoming a sports car on manual transmissions letting you enjoy the pleasure, speed can give.
California also marks the start of the company’s commitment to reduce emission, thus not just being user-friendly but also environmental-friendly. Having a CO2 output of 305 grams per kilometer and an average of 21.5 NPG, this isn’t bad for a supercar.
Also, this car is built to awe pretty much every woman, because this car is abundantly sexy. The interior is indeed as sexy as the exterior is. The interior is designed with a luxurious mixture of stitched leather and aluminum. But then, you are also assured that good money is spent on the more sensible areas as well, like the electrically adjustable steering column and seats.
For those who haven’t driven a Ferrari before and wants to try one but still want to have the comfort of a road car, then this one is for you especially the women. Road car Ferrari is not very common, so you’d feel pretty much the owner of the road you are in.
California is quite multi-functional; it can go to being a sportscar to a road car then to a family car. It is a two seater car plus two fitted exactly for children. So, bringing your two kids with you won’t really be a problem. And, I bet your kids would love to be driven to school on a Ferrari.
This may have a tag of £143,000 and make you feel that it is a bit expensive. But who says, we always need to get brand new Ferrari to have the feel of a proper Ferrari? Mate, there is always a great deal of used Ferrari California waiting for its next owner to come. Buy a used Ferrari California and the intensity of driving a proper Ferrari would still get into you.
Image credits:
Ferrari California – first coupe-cabriolet (edited): autocar.co.uk
Ferrari Calfornia taking off its hard top roof: autocar.co.uk
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