As previously reported, Ferrari is currently working on the restyling of the California model that should be production-ready in the first half of 2012. It might not be the most interesting new thing coming out of the Maranello factory next year (as there is some V12 model in the works too), but we can see through this spy shots that the new ‘Cali’ should be ready quite soon.

However, the upgrade is not going to be just cosmetic: those larger air intakes as well as witnesses that heard this prototype running confirm that there is a turbocharger under the bonnet. Plus, there is also a strange bulb on the hood, maybe because the turbo installation is not fitting perfectly yet. Ferrari California for the year 2012 should gain at least 30 hp over the current model and be 30 kg lighter, while a new Handling Speciale package featuring a new suspension control software that will improve the car’s overall behavior is also in the works. The new California will also make use of an updated infotainment system with a 40GB hard-disk and compatible with iPhone 4 and all the most recent smartphones.

View 2012 Ferrari California spy shots photo callery

....

0 comments

As anticipated by Car, Ferrari will upgrade its California model right at the beginning of 2012. Its 4.3 V8 engine will benefit from a reduction of the internal frictions and get an extra 30 hp - boosting its power up to 490 hp - while electronics and exhaust system will be revised as well. Besides, thanks to the use of new materials, the car will also lose 30kg. Rumor has it that this solution alone will eventually lead to a complete restyling of the model, but at the moment there is no confirmation on the matter.

The dual clutch option will remain the only one available, while a new Handling Speciale package featuring a new suspension control software that will improve the car’s overall behavior is also in the wings. The California model year 2012 will also make use of an updated infotainment system with a 40GB hard-disk and compatible with iPhone 4 and all the most recent smartphones.

....

1 comment

A new Ferrari California Dreaming tuning effort by Wheelsandmore has been revealed. The entry-level Ferrari model gets the carbonfibre treatment with a new aerodynamic kit and style upgrades in the lightweight material, matched to a new black and white tint with chrome trim.

New handmade, blacked-out 21-inch wheels are included and the tyres measure 245/30 up front and 345/25 at the back. A new suspension system has been fitted which lowers the car by 40mm.

Technical upgrades include taking the 4.3-litre V8 from 460 to 500 hp. Wheelsandmore has done so through new silencer valves, exhaust system and electronic engine mapping setup. If you want something extra, a handmade exhaust is also available. For more details on the Ferrari tuning options available, check out the Wheelsandmore website.

Ferrari California Dreaming tuning by Wheelsandmore

....

0 comments

While the focus was on the new and exclusive Ferrari SA Aperta at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, the baby California also turned up in ecological disguise. The Ferrari California is still the little sexpot it always was, but the HELE acronym (High Emotion Low Emissions) is all about Ferrari’s ongoing project to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

The CO2 emissions for the California are down to 270 g from 299 g per kilometre and the start&stop system now employed also helps to reduce fuel consumption by a claimed 23 percent. For those of you more performance oriented, the start&stop system is capable of restarting the engine in just 230 milliseconds.

The Ferrari California also has new control functions for the cooling system, petrol pump and air conditioning compressor. Further improvements, not necessarily environmentally related, have been made to the dual clutch transmission which can now adapt to the driving style at any one moment, changing gears with modified revs based on what the driver is doing.

Continue reading: Ferrari California new pics HELE version

....

1 comment

Ferrari has paid homage in grand style to Pininfarina at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, revealing the Ferrari SA Aperta open-top based on the 599 GTO model. Only 80 of these models will be made and that they’ve already been sold could be testament to just what a beautiful car this is. But we think the live gallery of the SA Aperta works even better to prove that.

The exclusive model has the same 6.0-litre V12 engine as the 599 GTO with 670 hp and 620 Nm. We’ve seen all the lovely combinations of the SA Aperta with its online configurator and we’re particularly fascinated by the roof. Unfortunately we didn’t actually get to see it up at the Paris show, but the aluminium inserts that run along the length of the car really complete the beautiful lines.

Oh, by the way, there is also the Ferrari California HELE at the Ferrari stand with 29 g/km less of CO2 emissions. The High Emotion Low Emissions car is part of Ferrari’s plan to get its environmental qualifications improved and the California HELE has start&stop technology which helps to reduce fuel consumption by 23 percent. Now back to the SA Aperta….

Continue reading: Ferrari SA Aperta live at the 2010 Paris Motor Show

....

2 comments

These live pics show the Ferrari 599 Vettura Laboratorio (laboratory vehicle) and the Ferrari California with new Stop&Start technology, both presented at the Geneva motor show. It’s all about Ferrari in green this year, with the 599 Vettura Laboratorio Hy-Kers the first of Ferrari’s hybrid projects.

It is a 12-cylinder model with electric motor (of more than 100 hp) that will contribute to Ferrari’s future need to reduce CO2 emissions and become more environmental. While we’re only in the initial phase, Ferrari president Montezemolo has said that the first Ferrari hybrid production vehicle will appear in the next three to four years.

The 599 Hy-Kers reduces CO2 emissions by 35 percent compared to the model it’s based on, and in the future its hybrid system could be transferred, as is, to V8 Ferrari models. The Ferrari California Stop&Start is another experiment with environmentally friendly technology, that has reduced CO2 emissions by six percent, to a total of 280 g/km.

Ferrari 599 Vettura Laboratorio live pics from Geneva

Continue reading: Ferrari 599 Vettura Laboratorio live at Geneva

....

0 comments

Here’s a look at the Ferrari California tuning by Novitec. Both the engine unit and look of the car have been modified as part of the Novitec Rosso program. A new carbon fibre aerodynamic kit has been added, including a front spoiler, side skirts, diffuser and rear wing. New 21 and 22-inch alloy wheels are available with tyres measuring 255/30 and 255/30. The California has been lowered, but a system of raising the front by 40 mm has been included for speed bumps, garage entrances and other obstacles.

The V8 motor has new engine mapping and stainless steel exhaust with metal catalysts and internal valves, compatible with the eletronic shift. The 4.3-litre engine now reaches 500 hp and 518 Nm of torque, with a rev limit increased to 8,300 rpm. Check out the California Novitec tuning gallery below, and add this to your dream Christmas list.

Continue reading: Ferrari California tuning by Novitec

....

0 comments

This video probably won’t last very long so get it while it’s hot. Ferrari president Luca Cordero de Montezemolo drove a Ferrari California, with Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso on board, into the gravel at the end of the world championships in Valencia. In hilarious scenes, Montezemolo gets himself deeper with the sand making a nice little mountain around the rear wheels.

With Massa and Alonso getting out of the car, a few technicians turn up to try and push it out, but in the end Montezemolo and the guys had to complete the round with a different vehicle. If you’re a bit anti-supercar, this is an example of the total impracticality of buying one. I love the fact the two Formula One drivers get the hell out of there and leave Montezemolo in his Ferrari, all at sea.

Source | Motorsportblog via Autoblog.it

....

0 comments

There are those who swear that these spy photos show the future Ferrari 599 GTB Spider. After having taken the pictures, the Czech Ferrari site decided on the least immediate solution. According to them, the irrefutable proof: the car body of the California is in fact replaced by one similar to that of the Fiorano. This is sufficient to declare the arrival of a new drop-top version.

But the logical thread is rather tangled. It is enough to look at the front of the prototype to understand its manifold descent - lights from the Quattroporte, fenders from the California, hood from the 599. Therefore many hypotheses arise - a Tridente coupe, or perhaps a different engine - even if we don’t disregard the possibility of a Modena coupe-cabriolet, maybe one of the first specimens.

Source | CzechFerrari (Thanks to our reader “Ryuk Shinigami” for the recommendation)

....

0 comments

Here’s a first look at the Edo Competition Ferrari California effort, which appears to be the first re-tuning/touch-up of the California to date. The V8 4.3 litre engine gets a good 40 hp more thanks to a new exhaust system, up to 500 hp. The other performance figures subsequently change with only 3.9 seconds required to reach 100 km/hr, and a top speed of 315 km/hr. New alloy wheels are included in either 20 or 21-inch versions and a lowered wheels base completes the package.

Via | Autoblog.nl

Continue reading: Edo Competition Ferrari California

....

0 comments

Among the press material from Ferrari at the Bologna Motor Show, we found this new gallery of the Ferrari California with a gorgeous photo shoot in Sicily. It looks like they took it everywhere across the Italian isle to really show the California style.

Also included in this gallery are shots from the Mugello world championship finals in November, where you can enjoy some vintage Ferraris, impressive livery and beautiful Italian automobile design.

Continue reading: Bologna Motor Show: Ferrari California Sicily shoot, Mugello gallery

....

0 comments

After only 92 sales from the previous month, it appears that even Ferrari sales are hit by the economic gloom around the world. Reports are also that Ferrari has laid off 300 workers (ten percent of the Ferrari workforce) and that the Christmas break from December 19 to January 7, having been criticised for being too generous in the first place, is in fact a stop in production.

According to Autocar however, Ferrari is denying any sales crisis, and is basing its decisions on economic nous given the current climate around the world. Some Ferrari models are building up in stock, especially in the UK which is a difficult market for the brand.

The F430 Spider is apparently suffering from the release of the California and the winter season, while Ferrari was relying on the one-to-one personalisation program to solve the stagnating sales problems of the 599 Fiorano and 612 Scaglietti.

While Ferrari will likely weather the storm well enough, it all depends on how long that storm lasts. Currently the 10,000 annual sales target for 2010 is looking a little ambitious.

Via | Autocar

....

0 comments