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Monterey 2008: Pebble Beach celebrates California Spyder's 50th

The 250 GT California Spyder is one of Ferrari's most celebrated (and valuable) models, most often remembered by the general public for its starring role in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This year marked the Spyder's 50th anniversary, and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance celebrated the occasion by giving the car its very own class. Six variations of the car were produced, all of which were displayed on the 18th fairway including the original prototype and a competition version that raced at both Sebring and Le Mans.
posted : 9/2/2008 @2:40:06 AM
Ferrari California enters the world of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

With Ferrari's road and race cars taking advantage of the latest emerging technologies, someone inside the marketing department in Maranello has taken the bold initiative to bring the company's PR into the same realm by utilizing popular electronic media. For its latest supercar, the highly-anticipated Ferrari California, the company has been releasing bits and pieces on a dedicated, flash-enhanced website, and the latest installment has just hit cyberspace.For this episode, Ferrari has teamed up with the wiz-kids at Polyphony Digital who are the brains behind the Gran Turismo franchise. They offer up an adrenaline-pumping virtual reality video of the California racing through the virtual streets of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in the same style as the game's intro. And now that they have the car scanned, it shouldn't be long before you can download the California on your PS3 to drive in the game. We hope. Follow the Source link below, click "virtual test drive" and "play film" to watch the clip. Oh, and clear some time in your schedule, because the video will make you want to play video games all weekend.
posted : 8/31/2008 @5:09:39 PM
Ferrari California spotted in... California, where else?

This was bound to happen sooner or later, and sooner it is: still over a month before its official public unveiling at the Paris Motor Show in October, the new Ferrari California has been spotted in its element: the streets of San Francisco.The car was ostensibly there for a promotional photo shoot, but its presence in Northern California this close to Pebble Beach makes us wonder if Ferrari isn't planning an early peek on the putting green in Monterey. Whether at Pebble or Paris, we'll be there to bring you the latest, so stayed tuned.
posted : 8/30/2008 @4:34:45 PM

Schumacher fine-tunes the Ferrari California

Michael Schumacher may have departed the Formula One grid, but he has most definitely not left Ferrari. The seven-time world champion, widely credited with building Ferrari into the power house it is today, still comes around the paddock at various tracks around the world to give the Prancing Horse's latest creations – whether racing cars or road vehicles – a healthy dose of Schuey-trademarked punishment.

After having been intimately involved with the development of the 430 Scuderia – proclaimed as the fastest road-going Ferrari ever to lap the company's private circuit – Schumacher returned to Fiorano to give his input on Maranello's newest offering, the California. And while his opinion is hardly impartial, he certainly knows what he's talking about and his impressions were glowing. Speaking to the conference of Ferrari dealers assembled at the factory, Schumacher proclaimed that "the Ferrari California is very much a Grand Tourer in terms of its usability and high level of interior comfort, it is still surprisingly sporty and fun to drive under any kind of conditions." You could try arguing with him, but you'd probably end up losing – like most of the drivers that have ever tried to go wheel-to-wheel with the most decorated driver in history.
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posted : 8/7/2008 @6:57:04 PM

Oh the horror! Ferrari California post-crash testWe're fully aware that even supercars must undergo crash testing. But we like to think of the process the same way we do hamburgers. When we get hungry, we're able to totally banish any curiosity about what gruesome process transformed the cow into lunch.

Photos from inside a slaughterhouse would evoke the same emotions as these shots of a Ferrari California after crash testing. The Italian Web site that posted them says they were taken at Ferrari supplier Webasto. The Germany-based company created the convertible top for Ferrari's Superamerica, and are apparently testing their product on the California.

But, thanks to Google's interesting Italian translation we're not exactly sure what's going on. Can you make any sense of, "According to recent information, however, Webasto has yet to make up because their folding roof is still suffering from a children's diseases." We sure hope it's not contagious and that not too many more Californias are sacrificed in the search for a cure.

posted : 7/17/2008 @2:01:55 PM
Ferrari California Spyder to be featured at Pebble Beach Concours

The Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder is one of the most valuable classic Ferraris, as evidenced by the recent sale of one at auction for a record $10.8 million. To celebrate the Cal Spyder's 50th anniversary, the Pebble Beach Concours will have six different versions of the roadster on display on the 18th green this August. Most notably will be an aluminum-bodied competition version that raced at both Le Mans and Sebring. We will be bringing you live coverage from the Concours this year, and we'll be sure to take plenty of photographs. To whet your appetite, we've created a gallery of California Spyders that have been in the Concours over the past few years.
posted : 7/12/2008 @5:14:47 PM
Ferrari looking at turbo'd V6 to save fuel

Dino fans rejoice, the rumormill is churning out plenty of grist about a V6 power unit in the offing for some future Ferraris. The California is already getting a V8, so Prancing Horse fans wishing for a "Dino II" will remain unfulfilled, but new approaches to high performance are key to keeping Ferrari at the zenith of autodom, lest it fall down the nostalgia hole that's seen Jaguar nearly suffocate on its own pillowy upholstery. The case for a V6 would be partly the banal issues of emissions and consumption, and a six might also offer weight and packaging advantages, though the rumors of a turbocharged mill add plumbing, weight, and complexity back into the mix. Additionally, anyone who's ever given the boot to a turbocharged engine can attest that forced induction's ability to make small engines flex big muscles, it can also lead to big-league fuel swilling, poking holes in the idea that a turbo V6 might save a lot of fuel over the direct-injected V8. Like any automaker, Ferrari is certainly looking at all sorts of "what if" ideas that will never reach production to find the right solution for the myriad technical challenges facing any automaker, let alone an exotic manufacturer. One thing's certain: a turbo V6 with Ferrari emblazoned along the cam covers would shriek with a proper Italian accent, and you have to respect any company that violently spits on the ground when the terms "SUV" or "Four-Door" are whispered.
posted : 7/6/2008 @5:01:06 PM
Ferrari releases more California images to magazines

We hate to ruin your summer, but in the automotive world the sunny season is little more than a few months with no car shows. What kind of fun is that? Well, after the summer's over we'll be headed to Paris to bring you your fix of new car extravaganza. Among the new models being unveiled there will be the Ferrari California, which we've so far only been able to see in bits and pieces as Maranello sees fit to release it. So while the California's launch site (not to mention the Ferrari media site) continue to offer only the initial batch of computer-enhanced studio shots, major publications like Auto Bild and now Road & Track get exclusive new shots of the hardtop convertible from every angle. We'll continue to do our best to bring you what's available, but unfortunately the latest crop is decidedly low-res. Check 'em out in the constantly-updated gallery by clicking the new thumbnails below, or follow the jump to watch them in a YouTube video slideshow (though we'd recommend turning off the sound).
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posted : 7/3/2008 @1:49:30 PM
Ferrari California assembly underway at Maranello

Several months ahead of its scheduled debut at this fall's Paris auto salon, production of the new Ferrari California has already begun at the Ferrari factory in Maranello. The news comes after previous speculation suggested that the California might have to be assembled off-site – potentially at sister-company Maserati's nearby facility in Modena – because the existing Ferrari assembly lines were already at full capacity. However, having now unveiled its newly-retooled manufacturing facility under the Formula Uomo program, the company has apparently increased production capacity to accommodate the assembly of the California, thus securing its legitimacy in the eyes of enthusiasts and potential customers alike.
posted : 6/30/2008 @7:46:17 PM
Ferrari California's fast-action retractable hard-top

If you're on Ferrari's mailing list for the new California, you might have seen a new email in your inbox today with a link to another chapter (literally) opening up on the vehicle's dedicated website. Today's installment leads to a video of the California's trick folding hard-top – another first for Ferrari (if you don't count the innovative one-piece mechanism designed by Fioravanti for the limited-production 575-based Superamerica). Thanks to a mechanism that moves multiple segments in unison, the hard-top can be deployed or retracted in only 15 seconds – faster than the soft-top on any convertible ever to roar out of the gates at Maranello.
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posted : 6/30/2008 @5:54:31 PM
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