Ciao everyone, here it's Marchettino and today we go for a drive with the roof off in the California!
The combination of N/A V8 and open sky, it's always a winning combo!
It's always cool to drive a Ferrari and today thanks to Andrea Automobili Lago Maggiore I'm behind the wheel of their splendid California!
And this spec, grey with the interior and brake calipers in red, this California is very elegant yet sporty at the same time.
The California doesn't reincarnate my ideal Ferrari if I had to buy one but it's always pleasant to drive it on such weather, that's for sure
especially when you have a N/A engine shout like this!
This Ferrari was quite important for the company, not just because introduced several novelties we still find on the new Ferraris (which I'm gonna tell you shortly)
but also because with this model Ferrari wanted to introduce a car whose customers can use daily without much problems
and the figures say it all, the California was the most successful model and this allowed to the company to attract new customers that never owned a Ferrari before.
I like the way this 4.3L N/A V8 shout with the roof down,
In front we have a N/A 8 cylinder, capable to produce 460hp and 485nm so it's not just the 1st Ferrari to fit a N/A V8 in front but
this engine bring the direct injection.
What a sound my goodness!
The engine is very progressive and plenty of torque and power from the low revs 'till redline at 8000rpm!
The double clutch allow a lightning acceleration without any loss of power
and here important to mention, the California is the first Ferrari model to introduce the double clutch, a real revolution for the company!
And this, for being the 1st double clutch fit on a Ferrari, it's not bad for being this aged!
Gear changes are immediate, in Sport mode you feel a lovely kick in the back!
It's a gearbox that can be fluid and gritty at the same time, in fact here on the steering wheel we have the manettino with 3 settings,
we have the grandpa mode (Comfort) which makes the suspensions rather smooth, it's the ideal setting to enjoy the ride without risking the driving license!
the gear changes are very fluid and optimized to make the ride rather comfy.
The typical California buyer is not the kind of customer who want to go on track or make all the corners sideways and hear the tires squeeze,
it's a Ferrari for quiet people who want to enjoy the car without going fast.
But, let's switch back to Sport!
One thing I never understood about this car is why Ferrari introduced just 3 settings on the manettino,
sure the typical owner of this car is not the kind of person that want to go fast but between Sport and CST off there's a big difference
Because Sport is the standard setup to have fun and go fast, the electronics is active
but in CST Off the electronics is completely off, there's no in-between setting as we find on all the other Ferraris,
I would have appreciated a Race setting by letting you play with the rear - more than Sport mode - but with the electronics partially off.
Here we have everything or nothing and I don't like it.
What you hear squeeze are the carbon ceramic brakes,
Important to mention on this model, with the introduction of the California, finally the carbon ceramic brakes come standard
because earlier on models like the F430 or 599, carbon ceramics were an option and I can't deny I've heard several friends and former owners
of those models with steel brakes complain about the weak braking power, so Ferrari listened the complaints
by starting from the California to make the carbon ceramics standard, which ain't a bad thing because the braking power
the carbon ceramics offer is immense!
The only thing to look at is to heat 'em up because it takes a little, especially on public roads
another problem of the c.c brakes is to keep the temperature because in the city of traffic - I could notice with several cars with such brakes -
they tend to cool down and once cold, the braking power is weak but once heated up
the brakes are impressive!
I defined it a Ferrari for cruising but here the Ferrari logo is worth it because the performance are respectable!
These 460hp move the California to 100kph in 3.9s with a top speed of 310kph!
It's a Ferrari 2+2.. on the paper, in reality it's a 2 seater car to me because you can use the back seats just to store the bags.
Driving with 4 people onboard is problematic because behind there's no leg room!
As long as the passengers are 3 blondies, somehow you can find some space!
Overal, around these corners it moves nicely!
Just like I mentioned on the Maserati Granturismo, also on this car I don't trust to turn the electronics completely off
because the steering, despite being good maybe it's too soft also in Sport mode.
And when the rear slides you hardly feel it through the steering wheel, even more I'd prefere an in-between setting between Sport and CST Off
In Sport the car is completely planted on the ground
and the electronics is not even that invasive.
By looking on the web I could've noticed the second hand Californias start at 75.000€,
I think with these current prices you bring home a pretty convertible, a Ferrari, lots of emotions and speed.
With the current prices, those who love convertibles and dream to own a Ferrari, it's a car to consider.
Also because with the introduction with the California T and then its successor, the Portofino
the first gen of this N/A California, it has lost lots of value but the N/A is the N/A!
The Cali T has already a twin-turbo engine with much more power and torque but the turbos kill the sound.
If you want to go on trackdays, it's not the right car, with those prices if you want a Ferrari there's the F430 for that purpose
but behind the wheel I had the idea this car is more focused on the comfort rather than the pure performance,
let's say those who want a car like this look for 40% performance and 60% comfort.
A particular thing about the California you might not know, this is the last Ferrari to be offered with a manual.
Between 2010-2012 the manual gearbox was available.
Maybe you didn't even know a bunch of Californias have been built with a manual,
I think about 15 of them (no more than that) have been built, personally I found 6 of them and now I tell you this story.
A friend once found a single owner manual Cali in France owned by an old man, he wanted to sell it but he was undecided about the price
my friend offered about 120-130.000€ but he refused because a car dealer found the car and offered the 150.000€,
the dealer bought the car, then the car went straight to an auction and it was sold for 330.000€, that was a proper deal!
I'm a great lover of the manual but after thinking about it, this car with this kind of driving I think this 7-Speed F1 gearbox fit properly the meaning of this car.
I can't deny I'd love to test it with the 6-speed manual as well!
It's a car for all those want to enjoy to cruise by the lake or around these winding roads without pushing to the limit
enjoying this amazing sound with the roof down and the wind in the hair.
I thank Andrea Automobili Lago Maggiore for lending me the California I'm using on this beautiful summer day,
link to the advert is written in the video description below and I swear, I didn't turn the electronics off or drifted around the corners
I just did a joy drive to make sure everything is ok!
Make sure to Like the video if you enjoy it, subscribe to my YouTube if you haven't yet and as always thanks for watching, ciao!