![]() ![]() ![]() In fact it's common for most models to cost more than £200,000 with a reasonable amount of extras on. Ferrari’s personalisation programme means you have a seemingly endless choice of everything, from interior colours and materials, carbon fibre trims, body styling extras, down to what stitching you have on the door panels and headrests.įew things are cheap of course – if you want the Ferrari shields on the wings, it’s an extra £965. The sheer number of personalisation choices and optional extras is immense. The California is actually a 2+2 which means it features two rear seats, although they’re so small they’re really only useful as extra luggage space. With it down there’s actually very little wind turbulence, helped by the wind deflector. The folding hard top is another highlight and it folds down neatly into the boot in just 14 seconds. The engine start button is on the steering wheel while the instruments cluster is dominated by a large rev counter, yellow-backed in our test car just so it stands out even more. There are some great design features like the metal ‘bridge’ that runs along the central console and houses the controls for the gearbox. Sporty, upmarket yet purposeful it also feels superbly built and bang up to date. Inside, the California is everything you’d want it to be. The F1-inspired steering wheel is a nice touch and the interior of the California is modern and well-finished with a high quality feel, not something that was always the case with Ferrari models in the past. It's a system that works susprisingly well and in fact the California is very easy to drive in town or in traffic, thanks to the new dual-clutch seven-speed gearbox as standard. That's why the California comes with an engine start/stop system. It’s serious too and in 2007 began an ambitious five-year plan to reduce the CO2 of its cars by 40 per cent. The Italian brand says it’s possible to achieve low CO2 emissions while still maintaining Ferrari levels of performance. Surely Ferrari isn’t concerned with efficiency? Well it is actually. ![]() However, high performance rarely means efficiency or economy. That said, it's far from slow with the 460PS engine giving it a 0-62mph time of 3.9 seconds. With a metal folding roof it's refined too, so while there's no mistaking there's a hugely powerful V8 engine powering it, this is no raw-edged racer. Not too over the top yet still purposeful and stylish, it's a car that gets noticed for its elegance rather than merely for the fact it's a Ferrari. In fact, it's the perfect open top sports car. The California may have been dubbed the ‘baby’ Ferrari when it was launched, but while the California is the cheapest model from the Italian brand at a few grand shy of a mere £150,000, it’s far from being the 'poor' relation in the range. And with the California it's created one of most desirable and beautiful grand tourers around. It has created iconic sports cars and become a by-word for style, desirability and speed. Ferrari is probably the most famous name in automotive history and certainly the most evocative. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |