Just days after Ferrari launched the teaser site for its new GT, the first full images and details of the Ferrari California have been revealed. Even though the countdown timer on the teaser site still indicates there's a week to go before the next info reveal, the countdown itself is little more than a formality.
Like other modern Ferraris, this one is fabricated from aluminum to keep mass under control. The 460 hp 4.3L V8 is the first from Maranello to use direct injection while following the racing tradition of using a flat-plane crankshaft. This car of firsts also debuts the production application of a dual clutch gearbox from Ferrari. The 7-speed unit is mounted in a rear transaxle configuration and should provide smoother shifting and even better performance than the existing hydraulically-actuated units that Ferrari currently uses. Acceleration to 60 mph should come in under 4.0 seconds.
The California is also Ferrari's first retractable hardtop convertible. From the shape of the hood scoop and headlights to the sweep of the rear fenders and vents behind the front wheels this car obviously draws on the heritage of the original 1960s 250 GT California. At the same time, it's blended with modern Ferrari design elements drawn from the current F430 and 599. We're looking forward to seeing much more of this car over the months leading up to the Paris Motor Show!
Sound the alarm and turn up your speakers – Ferrari has a security breach. Someone managed to get a good vantage point with a video camera over the company's private Fiorano test track in Maranello and caught the oft-photographed test mule of the upcoming new Ferrari model lapping the track at full throttle.
Known internally as project F149 and alternatively referred to externally as the Dino or GT California, the new model is expected to feature four seats and a retractable hard top. Although rumor has it that Maserati may be delegated the assembly (including the 4.7-liter V8 it makes for the GranTurismo S and Alfa 8C), this beast sounds every bit like a purebred stallion. Follow the jump to see for yourself.
more ...
Our friends over at Carscoop have managed to – you guessed it – scoop another car. This spy shot was taken by a reader visiting Maranello and reveals a Ferrari test mule under heavy camouflage. The most intriguing element are the headlights, usually the first part disguised on a developmental test vehicle going out into the public domain, that bare a striking resemblance to those of the iconic Ferrari 365 GTB/4, better known as the Daytona.
The car was first spotted running laps around Ferrari's private Fiorano test track and then again on the road. The tester closely resembles the one we brought you earlier this month, and judging by the short wheelbase, front-engine layout and heavily bolstered roof, we'd have to assume this is the upcoming "entry-level" model, known tentatively as the GT California, whose existence Ferrari has been denying up and down for years.
Oh, if we only had an apartment in Maranello overlooking Ferrari's private Fiorano test track. We think we'd get used to the noise of V12 exotics and formula racecars screaming at all hours for the chance to see what the Prancing Horse was working on. This time, an intrepid photographer snapped some shots of a disguised test mule running development laps around the circuit, betraying what could be the anticipated entry-level 2+2 GT the factory's spokespeople have been denying so vehemently.
Rumor has it the car under all that body cladding is running a 450hp direct-injection V8 in a body about 20 inches shorter than the Nimitz-class 612 Scaglietti. The car is expected to be unveiled as the GT California at the Paris show later this year, but we have a feeling we'll be hearing more about it before then.
