Ferrari California T 2016 review

It's not the fastest, it's not the prettiest, and it's certainly not the best, but the California is the most popular car that Ferrari makes, which probably reflects the fact that many people who buy it want to drive the brand, but don't so. fast.

If you're buying a samurai sword to hang on your mantel and not to slash at your enemies, then it doesn't really matter how sharp it is.

Likewise, if you're buying a Ferrari because you want it to be a beautiful thing or a rugged piece of prestige, rather than to race winding roads at speed, it doesn't really matter how sharp it is on the edge. or.

This was the criticism some purists made of the early models of the large, versatile, convertible Ferrari, California; that this is some kind of Faux-rrari, unworthy to carry on its hefty sides the famous prancing horse.

Of course, it was neither slow nor pompous, but compared to any other Ferrari money could buy, it was bland. That, of course, hasn't stopped it from becoming very popular with buyers, who have also appreciated the spaciousness of the cabin and the ease of getting in and out, and is now the biggest seller offered by the company, which means Italians might feel entitled to blow loud raspberries towards the purists (on this is actually the sound a new car exhaust makes, coincidentally something like a pipe raspberry with an angry growl underneath).

However, people who work at Ferrari are very proud (so much so that they don't tell us what percentage of their sales are in California because it probably upsets them to some extent) and when it comes to releasing a new version of the T for Turbo , much has been said about how it has become more of a driver's car.

The new 3.9-litre twin-turbo engine that it shares with the wildly ridiculous 488 GTB - a samurai sword so sharp it can cut you across a room - makes 412kW (a big jump to 46kW) and a whopping 755Nm of torque. moment. can accelerate a 1730-kilogram California T to 100 km/h in just 3.6 seconds.

It's a good start and a statement of intent (although you can bet the old naturally aspirated sounded better), but equipping it with a "Pit Speed" button doesn't fool anyone. A California T, roof up or down, would look as happy on the race track as Donald Trump in the dole line.

Driving such a car on such a road is truly an experience.

The natural home of this car is where Ferrari took us; California (USA is the company's largest market in the world, accounting for 34% of sales) to test it in the conditions for which it was largely built.

Luckily, this golden state also has arguably the best road in the world, especially for convertibles, the Pacific Coast Highway, which stretches from the chiselled mansions of Malibu, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, to San Francisco.

It's a stretch of tarmac so scenic and so long that our own Great Ocean Road looks like a dwarf, as if ours was designed by television makers Reg Grandi and dreamworks and James Cameron. Even the eagles hovering overhead are larger and more numerous. Show off.

Driving such a car on such a road is truly a transcendent and dreamy experience, as the pictures show.

The problem with the Pacific Coast Highway, at least from the perspective of a ferrarist enthusiast, is that you have to take it slowly. This is partly because driving at high speeds means you miss out on too much of the scenery, which shifts from rolling expanses and dizzying vistas to towering trees blocking the sky and back again, all the while bumping into the brilliant, churning blue ocean that you can learn from home; Pacific.

However, more importantly, if you look away from the pleasant windy road, you could see yourself falling off a cliff (late one night we saw at least 80 police cars and ambulances, as well as two cranes trying to restore the car, which is exactly did this) or in one of them. frighteningly solid giant sequoias that often push the edges of the road.

Outside of early dawn - when sea fogs tend to add even more magic to the views, but can also completely obscure the road - it's also generally impossible to pick up speed on this slow-traffic-laden track. motorhomes, hired Mustangs and people suddenly pulling into the parking lot to take their millionth selfie of the day.

Of course, unlike most Ferraris, the California T doesn't feel dissatisfied with this crawling progress. Keep the Manettino setting on "Comfort" and the big beast will be as obedient as a pethidine-filled puppy. It rides smoothly, steers easily, and still offers quick overtakes if you're lucky enough to find room to do so using its massive torque.

The California T is excellent and light on long sweepers.

In this mode, it's a mild Ferrari, but on this road, it's not bad.

The Pacific Coast Highway of course forks into diversionary and desert detours, and there's nothing better than the Carmel Valley Path, which cuts inland just north of Big Sur, which is pretty much the epicenter of the road's beauty.

This is where it finally feels like it's worth switching to sport mode, and another peak-sniffing, exhaust-barking beast appears.

In many cars, the Sport buttons play a minor role, but here the changes are tangible and audible. Your throttle springs to life, the suspension sags, the shifts get serious and produce the right punch if you do them at high revs, and the steering muscles flex nicely.

The car's F1-derived differential and traction system is also starting to turn a profit as the big Ferrari struggles to get all the power to the ground, especially when the road gets bumpy.

The California T is excellent and light on long sweepers, but it's less handy at home and more comfortable when it has to negotiate tight turns.

You can feel how all this mass is worried about changing direction, and there is even a trace of the terrible shaking that modern convertibles are supposed to do away with. The driver side window rattles and vibrates in protest, but only when we actually push.

The T is unquestionably a better car than the original California, and a lot more Ferrari DNA comes through when driven hard. It's also very fast, and it feels even faster when the roof is down and the wind is whipping your hair.

It's still, of course, a much smaller car than a 488 or even a 458, but the supercar's harshness is not its intended function, and it's not what this Ferrari's customers want. Indeed, those who inflate the $409,888 asking price (which will quickly cross the $500k mark with a few necessary options) will be thrilled that they can do so.

You can argue about whether the California T, which looks heavy from some angles and also has a very cool looking Venturi in the back, is a pretty thing, but it's definitely a Ferrari. And that's always good.

However, now more than ever, this entry-level Yankee-philist ticket to Ferrari World actually feels real.

Has California T redeemed its image? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Click here for more pricing and spec information on the 2016 Ferrari California.