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)

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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

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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

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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

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Ferrari has opened its configurator tool for the Ferrari California - a virtual world of optionals where you can play with colours and all the possible combinations available for the V8 cabriolet. While it’s purely a virtual exercise at the moment (no pricing listed, for example), the colours available are many and varied, and you can swap trims and wheels too.

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“Why Ferraris have lost their beauty” could be the topic for an entire thesis on Italian car design and automobile history, but as it happens, Gavin Green writing in Car, has put together a simple but effective piece on the new Ferrari style.

Green seems to be a real fan of Ferrari, and someone who knows them well, so we can assume he hasn’t written the piece to increase readership. Basically he says that while modern Ferrari models have maintained, and even developed if that’s possible, the pure driving style, the beauty has been lost along the way.

But as the capability has blossomed, the beauty has been besmirched. Ferraris aren’t gorgeous any more. The California has a fat arse. The 612 is fussy and ill-proportioned. The Enzo is more bug than bird. Even the F430 lacks the visual grace and profile poetry of the old F355, the last lovely Ferrari.

Continue reading: Ferrari: Italian automobile design goes astray

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After the presentation of the lovely Ferrari California, Ferrari fans will be eager to know developments on the heir to the F430, the little sedan with central V8 engine which is perhaps more emblematic of the brand. The name is likely to be F470 but not necessarily the V8 4.7L.

Continue reading: Ferrari F142: future F470

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Finally we get a video from the presentation of the Ferrari California that took place in Sicily, with the guys from Autocar having a test drive. The lovely blue model gave a positive impression, with the risk that the California was not going to be a real Ferrari sports model having been avoided. While the weight-power ratio is not among the best, the performance and handling are still indicative of the Italian engineering and design behind Ferrari.

While it seems a strange choice to test drive the Ferrari California along with its most important rivals, though this could be an indication of just how much Ferrari believes in its last creation. After all, the vehicle is completely sold out, and it would be difficult for a new Ferrari not to please the market.

(Thanks to DanieleX6 for the tip)

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The guys at evo have published the first official price list of the Ferrari California in the UK, and the first coupé-cabriolet from the company will cost 143,000 pouns, equivalent to 184,000 euros.

This puts it halfway between the F430 and the Spider. With the current exchange rate, this makes the F430 at 172,500 euros, then the California, then the Spider at 189,500 euros. You might be thinking that’s not a bad price, which is fine if you could get your hands on one.

Continue reading: Ferrari California: UK pricing

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Ferrari is finally letting the cat out of the bag, albeit slowly, with these official shots of the Ferrari California.

After its Paris debut, the car can now be revealed in all its glory, although as we’ve said before, you’ll have to wait for 2011 for a California purchase as production is already sold out.

The shots here are of the very exclusive interior which just invites you to jump right in and enjoy the camel-coloured leather. Sigh! If you’re interested in more shots of the California, check out the live California gallery from its Paris debut, the live California video, and more official shots here.

Continue reading: New pics Ferrari California interior

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We follow up on our introduction to Pininfarina’s Bo concept with this gallery, though the guys got a little distracted by the nearby Ferrari California in elegant blue. Here, you see shots of the California interior.

Anyway, the Bo prototype is very much that, with some distance to go before it becomes a production car, though that is planned for a year’s time. The batteries will arrive from Bolloré and its Quimper facilities, while the car will be assembled at Pininfarina’s Turin quarters.

Continue reading: Paris live: Ferrari California and Bolloré electric at Pininfarina stand

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The Ferrari California is so talked about, it’s nearly embarrassing for a vehicle that most of us will never be able to afford. I have a limited experience with these brands, though you will often see a Ferrari on Lake Como and I even had the fortune to wander in to the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este last year.

I like the California though. I like its cheeky lines and its chunky look. My colleague at autoblog.it is not so convinced though, saying “I can’t digest it - it’s as heavy as a Sunday lunch”. After making certain comparisons to Jennifer Lopez and the rear of the car, he reveals that the roof function has created a necessary design glitch that is difficult to get over.

Over on style mens, they question the current worldwide recession. It certainly hasn’t affected Ferrari California sales. Looks like the we’re all still very good at indulging - or is it just a shifting of what’s necessary in life…?

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