Affordable Ferrari California

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Wow that thing looks good with the top up. I'm in agreement that maybe they should make a hardtop only version.
 
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Well i have to say after slating the original pictures of it in red(?) with the roof down - seing these new shots has totally changed my mind on it. It looks stunning, especially in this blue.

I'm still not convinced about the exhaust arrangement or the way the fold over the rear wheel arches goes all the way forward to the gills behind the front wheels. I guess that the flick/fold behind the doors up over the rear wheels is a nod to the original 'California' (and 550 too) and you could say that the fold from the front gills is a nod to the side scoops from the Dino, 308 and 328's. It's probably a feature i'll grow to like the more i see it.
 
I think the car looks great.I can't wait to get some more pictures and hear some reviews.

I just popped onto GPUpdate.net just to check up on the world of Formula 1, when I noticed one of the stories was actually about this car.

Link.
GPUpdate.net
Di Montezemolo test-drives new Ferrari​

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo was offered a unique opportunity this week. The Italian got the chance to test Ferrari's brand-new road car, the new Ferrari California, 2+ convertible. Luca di Montezemolo put it through its paces over several laps at Ferrari's Fiorano circuit.


"I am very satisfied indeed with the work that the women and men of Ferrari have done," declared Luca di Montezemolo. "The California is an extraordinary car and I was delighted with the performance, comfort and driving pleasure it delivered. The California is, like all of our models, the epitome of cutting-edge innovation. Its gearbox, suspensions and chassis are the most advanced possible. This is the first dual-purpose Spider/Coupé with a retractable hard top that closes in just 14 seconds. Despite its extraordinary performance, the California 2+ is also exceptionally easy to drive and has a space behind the front seats that makes it supremely flexible in terms of usage."
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"Despite its extraordinary performance, the California 2+ is also exceptionally easy to drive and has a space behind the front seats that makes it supremely flexible in terms of usage."
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Wow, you could almost call it a 2+2 :rolleyes:
 
For some reason it looks a lot hotter and better proportioned in Blue, because I thought it looked really ugly in Red..

Robin
 
I think you can fit in some driving gloves there, and maybe a bottle of water(wine?). That's flexibility.
 
I thought it looked stunning in red with the top down (apart from the wonky rear-end), but that blue really accentuates the goofy vent and gash running along the side of the car and the fish-face front bumper. I don't know if I like it anymore. I'll probably warm to it over time.

At least the hard top looks nice.
 
TheCracker
Well i have to say after slating the original pictures of it in red(?) with the roof down - seing these new shots has totally changed my mind on it. It looks stunning, especially in this blue.

I'm still not convinced about the exhaust arrangement or the way the fold over the rear wheel arches goes all the way forward to the gills behind the front wheels. I guess that the flick/fold behind the doors up over the rear wheels is a nod to the original 'California' (and 550 too) and you could say that the fold from the front gills is a nod to the side scoops from the Dino, 308 and 328's. It's probably a feature i'll grow to like the more i see it.
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I think we were seperated at birth, or you're my father. Great minds think alike (but I think the exhaust looks strange just because it is unconventional - something that can be adapted to).
 
You've gotta ask yourself, though, what's wrong when a Ferrari convertible looks better in "Pretty" powder blue with the top up than FERRARI RED with the top down?
 
ROAD_DOGG33J
I think you can fit in some driving gloves there, and maybe a bottle of water(wine?). That's flexibility.
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I think you're under-estimating the amount of space that can lie behind the current 2-seater Ferrari's.
 
Robin.
People who buy Ferrari's don't have foetus'..
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But they might have cute puppies. Or stacks of cash.


Actually, I bet the only reason they left a little space in the back was so that the rappers and drug dealers could install their subwoofer boxes in the vehicle. :lol:
 
*McLaren*
I think you're under-estimating the amount of space that can lie behind the current 2-seater Ferrari's.
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I wonder if you could fit someone back there in a pinch. I've actually squeezed behind the passenger seat of a 2nd-gen MR2, though I never rode around in that spot. :lol:
 
Jalopnik Has a Full Gallery of the California Up


Click the photo for the link

Some of my favorites:

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Well, I'd give the majority of the car the thumbs-up. The interior feels a bit dated, kinda cheap already... So that can't be good. But I do love the 911-esque "holy Hell we can't fit anything back there!" seats.
 
Pathetic rear seats... I still wonder why they bother. And look how upright they are!
 
Haha, they really area a poor excuse.

I really like the look of it, except the back reminds me of a sock puppet...
 
Can't say I like the rear end that much... but a stunning little car (in appearance; it certainly looks small from here)

Definitely child seats in the back; the seats are too indented for stacks of cash, but some wiring for big subwoofer boxes would fit in that niche. No Mondial here...
 
YSSMAN
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Can someone tell me what the point of seats like this are? Honestly, there really isn't enough room back there for anything useful. Anyone small enough to fit would need a car seat, which you can't fit. The goofy pseudo-seating arrangement leaves less useful room for storage (although I admit that's not the main point of this car). Is there some tax reason, safety thing...? I would never have bothered. It just seems silly, and they really aren't fooling anyone.

At least, no one who could afford to buy it.
 
Who knows why manufacturers keep doing that. BMW did it in the 8 Series, Mitsubishi & Porsche still do it in Eclipse & 911s. Maybe they're just trying to fill in space, who knows? If I had the decision, I'd just make it a flat service so you could put something on the floor behind you.
 
Reventón;3091638
Who knows why manufacturers keep doing that. BMW did it in the 8 Series, Mitsubishi & Porsche still do it in Eclipse & 911s. Maybe they're just trying to fill in space, who knows? If I had the decision, I'd just make it a flat service so you could put something on the floor behind you.
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This is kind of a plug for my own favorite brand, and somewhat fanboyish, but that is exactly what Lotus is doing with the Project Eagle. 2+2 is an option, similar in size to the pictured Ferrie, but can also be selected as a storage space behind the two seats.
 
harrytuttle
Can someone tell me what the point of seats like this are? Honestly, there really isn't enough room back there for anything useful. Anyone small enough to fit would need a car seat, which you can't fit. The goofy pseudo-seating arrangement leaves less useful room for storage (although I admit that's not the main point of this car). Is there some tax reason, safety thing...? I would never have bothered. It just seems silly, and they really aren't fooling anyone.

At least, no one who could afford to buy it.
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Remember the rules of Le Mans in the 1920s? The big cars of that time needed 4 seats. They could be small and/or covered with a tonneau, but they needed to resemble seating areas. Perhaps Bentley brought this on and it came on ever since?

I think this gives them an excuse to advertise the, 'versatility' of seating in these cars.
 
Could it possibly be an insurance thing? Where it's cheaper to insure if it's listed as having 4 seats?

But then again, if someone can afford to buy the car, they can afford to insure it...
 
Meh. The 911's rear seats are just as useless...

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Although, hmmm. It looks like you've got a shade more legroom.
 
G.T
Could it possibly be an insurance thing? Where it's cheaper to insure if it's listed as having 4 seats?

But then again, if someone can afford to buy the car, they can afford to insure it...
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I'm pretty sure telling the insurance company your Porsche 911 has "4 seats" (not even an actual seat to be honest) isn't going to make a bit of difference. ;)
 
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