California dreaming....
Discussion
So there I was, standing in ecurie25's HQ, at a fancy bash last week, drinking champers and eating canapés.
People were milling around, all looking at the shiny brand new Ferrari California which has just been added to the fleet, and the reason for this lavish party...
Some were members, some were potentials, and some were only there to look at the cars. I stood there looking at the Cali, knowing that in a few days it would be sitting on my drive, begging to be driven.
Fast forward a few days - and sitting on my driveway is a seemingly massive blue Ferrari, and I have my best driving shoes on, and a few hours to play with...
When I first saw pics of the Cali, I was thoroughly underwhelmed. I thought the front end was bland, the rear far too large and fussy, and side a mess of lines and styling features. I’m happy to say that in the metal it looks much better, especially the front end for me. The nose has real links back to the Ferraris of old, namely the 250’s, with the grille and bonnet scoop.
I’ll admit that once you look at the detail parts of the car, it still disappoints though. The rear, as an example, is still far too tall and bulbous, done to accommodate that folding roof. For me it’s just too tall, and I’m really not a fan of the vertically stacked exhaust pipes either. Too fussy, and though it isn’t Ferrari’s fault – they draw parallels with a £50k Lexus saloon…
And that side profile, as dramatic as it may be, for me is just too overdone. Far too much going on, and certainly doesn’t look good when compared to the beautiful Ferrari designs of old, or the newly released 458 Italia. The 20” wheels ecurie25 specced help with the looks in my book, much nicer than the other options.
The interior isn’t top of my list either. The basics are all there, and I do love the metal spur which houses the reverse, auto and launch control buttons. But the Satnav system is horribly cheap, and doesn’t work too well. The badges look nice but are cheap plastic – if it were my £160k I’d be wanting more quality for my cash… One thing I found very annoying– with the roof up the side rails of the roof come very very low, I had to duck a lot to get out of the car.
But a Ferrari isn’t supposed to be all about looks, they’re supposed to be the pinnacle of driving pleasure as well. So in the usual way, key in, press brake, and thumb that big red starter button on the steering wheel. Well, it’s off to a good start as the big V8 blasts into life with a throaty blare of revs, and settles into a quiet idle. A prod of the throttle pedal reveals quite a vocal car at low revs, should be interesting.
First impressions when you head out into traffic are that though it’s a large car, it’s easy to place, and seems to shrink around you. And the first surprising thing shows itself – the ride.
This is a Ferrari which is as smooth riding as a Mercedes – around the roads of Essex, which are notoriously bad, it soaks up bumps and ruts like a premium saloon. Very impressive……. until you try and press on beyond 30%.
It’s at this point that you realize that Lotus are apparently the only company who can have a car which handles tightly, and rides well, as it becomes very apparent the more you press on that this is a soft car. Mash the throttle pedal to the carpet, and the rear squats down, giving you a skyward view. Stand on the brakes, and the nose dives like a European footballer.
If you’re pressing on, and head round a fast sweeping bend which has bumps and undulations, the back of the car squirms and skits around, really not very confidence inspiring I can tell you.
The brakes disappointed me too – I’ve driven a few cars with ceramics, but these ones had very little feel to them, and you really had to give them a full leg-full of push when trying to scrub off speed, with not much modulation available.
So, I’ve not been overly full of praise for the California so far, but I can tell you that after a few hours, and a bit of adjusting to the driving style, it certainly grew on me. Though I can tell you that this was down to one thing more than any other…
The engine and gearbox. This is the first dual-clutch box I’ve used which is genuinely a replacement for a manual box. Works flawlessly in auto mode, yet when you take on the paddles it’s absolutely perfect.
Go for a full on attack, and introduce the throttle pedal to the carpet once more. The exhaust is rude at 2500rpm, getting less so as the revs rise, look at the steering wheel LEDs to show you when the redline is approaching, then a flick of the RH paddle, and BAM! Next gear. Instantly. With a fruity ‘pop’ from the exhaust for good measure. Next gear comes up, same again.. BAM! Pop! Absolutely addictive.
I even resorted to finding a big bit of quiet road, just so I could blast up through the gears, slow down, and do it again, giggling like a child the whole time.
The fact that the 458 Italia will have this gearbox instead of the F1 system, is pure joy to me, and I can’t wait to drive one even more now.
The engine is certainly different to the 430 lump, lots more torque, and certainly not as manic. The exhaust seems to have been tuned to be fruitiest at 2000-2500rpm, which certainly reinforces its credentials as a cruiser. With this, the folding roof, and the soft suspension, it’s clear that the California has been designed directly for the state it was named after.
Personally, if I wanted this kind of car, I’d be tempted to go for the Aston DBS Volante, this car’s main rival. From what has been said about it, it combines all the good qualities of the DBS, and improves them. I’d like to see a twin-test of them for sure...
Anyway, here are a few more photos of the California to round things off.
I’m also quite excited as ecurie25 rolled out a Lotus Evora at the party, along with a Maserati Granturismo S. I have a week’s training in Sheffield coming up, so I think I’ll be utilizing their new Leeds base, and taking the Evora for a blast across the snake pass….
Pics and driving impressions will of course be posted up in good old General Gassing!
People were milling around, all looking at the shiny brand new Ferrari California which has just been added to the fleet, and the reason for this lavish party...
Some were members, some were potentials, and some were only there to look at the cars. I stood there looking at the Cali, knowing that in a few days it would be sitting on my drive, begging to be driven.
Fast forward a few days - and sitting on my driveway is a seemingly massive blue Ferrari, and I have my best driving shoes on, and a few hours to play with...
When I first saw pics of the Cali, I was thoroughly underwhelmed. I thought the front end was bland, the rear far too large and fussy, and side a mess of lines and styling features. I’m happy to say that in the metal it looks much better, especially the front end for me. The nose has real links back to the Ferraris of old, namely the 250’s, with the grille and bonnet scoop.
I’ll admit that once you look at the detail parts of the car, it still disappoints though. The rear, as an example, is still far too tall and bulbous, done to accommodate that folding roof. For me it’s just too tall, and I’m really not a fan of the vertically stacked exhaust pipes either. Too fussy, and though it isn’t Ferrari’s fault – they draw parallels with a £50k Lexus saloon…
And that side profile, as dramatic as it may be, for me is just too overdone. Far too much going on, and certainly doesn’t look good when compared to the beautiful Ferrari designs of old, or the newly released 458 Italia. The 20” wheels ecurie25 specced help with the looks in my book, much nicer than the other options.
The interior isn’t top of my list either. The basics are all there, and I do love the metal spur which houses the reverse, auto and launch control buttons. But the Satnav system is horribly cheap, and doesn’t work too well. The badges look nice but are cheap plastic – if it were my £160k I’d be wanting more quality for my cash… One thing I found very annoying– with the roof up the side rails of the roof come very very low, I had to duck a lot to get out of the car.
But a Ferrari isn’t supposed to be all about looks, they’re supposed to be the pinnacle of driving pleasure as well. So in the usual way, key in, press brake, and thumb that big red starter button on the steering wheel. Well, it’s off to a good start as the big V8 blasts into life with a throaty blare of revs, and settles into a quiet idle. A prod of the throttle pedal reveals quite a vocal car at low revs, should be interesting.
First impressions when you head out into traffic are that though it’s a large car, it’s easy to place, and seems to shrink around you. And the first surprising thing shows itself – the ride.
This is a Ferrari which is as smooth riding as a Mercedes – around the roads of Essex, which are notoriously bad, it soaks up bumps and ruts like a premium saloon. Very impressive……. until you try and press on beyond 30%.
It’s at this point that you realize that Lotus are apparently the only company who can have a car which handles tightly, and rides well, as it becomes very apparent the more you press on that this is a soft car. Mash the throttle pedal to the carpet, and the rear squats down, giving you a skyward view. Stand on the brakes, and the nose dives like a European footballer.
If you’re pressing on, and head round a fast sweeping bend which has bumps and undulations, the back of the car squirms and skits around, really not very confidence inspiring I can tell you.
The brakes disappointed me too – I’ve driven a few cars with ceramics, but these ones had very little feel to them, and you really had to give them a full leg-full of push when trying to scrub off speed, with not much modulation available.
So, I’ve not been overly full of praise for the California so far, but I can tell you that after a few hours, and a bit of adjusting to the driving style, it certainly grew on me. Though I can tell you that this was down to one thing more than any other…
The engine and gearbox. This is the first dual-clutch box I’ve used which is genuinely a replacement for a manual box. Works flawlessly in auto mode, yet when you take on the paddles it’s absolutely perfect.
Go for a full on attack, and introduce the throttle pedal to the carpet once more. The exhaust is rude at 2500rpm, getting less so as the revs rise, look at the steering wheel LEDs to show you when the redline is approaching, then a flick of the RH paddle, and BAM! Next gear. Instantly. With a fruity ‘pop’ from the exhaust for good measure. Next gear comes up, same again.. BAM! Pop! Absolutely addictive.
I even resorted to finding a big bit of quiet road, just so I could blast up through the gears, slow down, and do it again, giggling like a child the whole time.
The fact that the 458 Italia will have this gearbox instead of the F1 system, is pure joy to me, and I can’t wait to drive one even more now.
The engine is certainly different to the 430 lump, lots more torque, and certainly not as manic. The exhaust seems to have been tuned to be fruitiest at 2000-2500rpm, which certainly reinforces its credentials as a cruiser. With this, the folding roof, and the soft suspension, it’s clear that the California has been designed directly for the state it was named after.
Personally, if I wanted this kind of car, I’d be tempted to go for the Aston DBS Volante, this car’s main rival. From what has been said about it, it combines all the good qualities of the DBS, and improves them. I’d like to see a twin-test of them for sure...
Anyway, here are a few more photos of the California to round things off.
I’m also quite excited as ecurie25 rolled out a Lotus Evora at the party, along with a Maserati Granturismo S. I have a week’s training in Sheffield coming up, so I think I’ll be utilizing their new Leeds base, and taking the Evora for a blast across the snake pass….
Pics and driving impressions will of course be posted up in good old General Gassing!Edited by Beefmeister on Friday 7th August 14:43
Better than Evo (oh, not that time yet is it, give it a few days..)
Oi evo, you reading this? 
kma said:
Nice review.. 
What do you think this car would be like on track? Surely that is what ferraris should be made for but it doesn't sound like this one is.
Thanks!What do you think this car would be like on track? Surely that is what ferraris should be made for but it doesn't sound like this one is.
I can safely say that the California would be terrible on track. Too soft, too heavy (1860kg according evo), not enough feel. One thing i didn't mention is that the steering, though incredibly direct, is rather devoid of feel too...
Edited by Beefmeister on Friday 7th August 13:40
redtwin said:
Did someone at ecurie intentionally order that colour?. Beautiful car otherwise, except for that tacky F1 plaque on the dash.
I believe thats the price you pay for jumping the queue and being the first club to have a Cali... They didn't spec the car.If i had to have one, it'd be Grigio Titanio with Bordeaux leather...
Edited by Beefmeister on Friday 7th August 14:03
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