Ferrari California T by By James McCarthy

ARABIA

ICONS OF LUXURY

From Steve McQueen's Tag Heuer to Grace Kelly's HermÃ¨s bag, SLT looks at truly timeless elegance

n. 33

I N M OTI O N

SUR LA TERRE TAKES TO THE TUSCAN COUNTRYSIDE TO PUT THE NEW FERRARI CALIFORNIA T THROUGH ITS PACES. Words: James McCarthy Pictures: Ferrari / Lorenzo MarcinnÃ²

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t won’t fit. I think it’s too big.” “I dunno, I think it’ll go. Ease the front in and if it seems a bit tight, just back out.” “Righto, just let me know if I’m going to do any damage.” “Ok, just start nice and slowly; don’t go in too hard at first.”

Filled with trepidation, I slowly and deliberately push forward. An impatient growl issues forth from my steed but my movements remain slow and gentle. I realise I am holding my breath and beads of sweat are running down my back. Finally, I release a gasp of relief as I breach the tightest part of the portal with an inch or two to spare and I thrust forward with a little more power. “Bejeebus that was close!” exclaims Ross, my partner for the day, in his lilting Irish brogue. “Bloody hell, yes!” I concur. “But it was better than having to go around the back. I’m sure it’s only one-way.” With the narrow archway of the medieval Italian castle’s keep now safely negotiated and happily in my rearview mirror, I ease the new Ferrari California T back out on to the road to rejoin the glorious route through Tuscany that has been carefully planned for us by the folks at Ferrari. If only the third-party supplier of Ferrari's Sat-Nav systems had been equally diligent, I wouldn’t have come so - literally - close to becoming a semi-permanent and somewhat anachronistic instalment at a site of local historical interest. Fortunately, this is not a gadget magazine, so

“Offering a superior sense of control, when driving and cornering at speed, the California T displays a thrilling adroitness and stellar road-holding.”

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government mandates to reduce CO2 emissions, as well as to tap into an ever-increasing environmental consciousness among elite buyers. I mean, and let’s be honest now, who’d prefer to see Cameron Diaz driving this than a Prius? I thought so...

reviewing Sat-Nav systems is not our raison d’etre. We’re here for the car, the California T, the latest iteration of the 2+2 GT and the first turbo-charged V8 to leave the Maranello stable since 1987’s legendary square-spoilered F40. As one would expect from any new Ferrari, there is a plethora of clever new tech under the skin of the California T, quite a bit of it to do with ride comfort and driving dynamics, as well as ensuring that the all-new engine delivers all of the naturally-aspirated performance, but with a twinturbo-charged economy. And economical it certainly is, boasting a 15 percent better fuel consumption than its predecessor, despite punching out an extra 70 horsepower and 49 percent more torque in seventh gear. Emissions have also been cut to 250g/km, the equivalent of a 20 percent reduction in the car’s CO2/horsepower ratio compared to the outgoing California, thus increasing its range, and, as such, the fun you can have in it between fuel stops. However, we’re not reviewing a Honda Civic for a cost conscious family, here. It’s still a Ferrari, with all that it entails. There is nothing in the way this car looks, sounds or drives that suggests it has a proclivity for hugging trees, certainly not when you put your foot into the carpet. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a dangly-bits-to-the-wall racer, like the company’s 458 Speciale, it’s very much a Grand Tourer. In fact, when you crunch the numbers it’s a real crowd pleaser. When the last of the current California model rolled off the production line in May, Ferrari had shipped 10,000 cars - the most of any model in its history. More importantly for Ferrari, it claims that more than 70 percent of California owners are first-time Ferrari buyers that drive their cars 30 percent more, on an annual basis, than owners of other Ferrari models. They take the car on 50 percent more trips and 65 percent of those are with a passenger. Given these figures, it’s no surprise why the rationale behind returning to a turbo-charged V8 for the first time in 27 years is rooted in meeting

While I doubt that was even a consideration when Ferrari decided to spend four years developing a new 3.8-litre V8 forced induction engine which does a sterling job of eliminating the stigma attached to the less desirable characteristics of a turbo, while still bringing to the party everything Ferrari buyers expect - such as apocalyptic soundtrack, instant throttle response and progressive acceleration - it’s potentially a very happy outcome. Either way it has most certainly worked. The California T is an absolute triumph. Perhaps that’s what the “T” should stand for. Not only is it quite beautiful to look at (thanks, again, Pininfarina), the driveability of this car is second to none in its class. Navigating the small villages on our Tuscan route in automatic is effortless, except for wrong turns and potentially damaging medieval architecture, but, when the roads open up, and the Sat-Nav takes a back seat, that’s when the Cali-T comes into its own. Ploughing the car into the sweeping corners and threading it along the twisting roads, the first thing I notice is the crispness of the steering, thanks to the short turning distance of the steering wheel lock-to-lock. Offering a superior sense of control, when driving and cornering at speed, the California T displays a thrilling adroitness and stellar road-holding. Also, the lack of column stalks, thanks to the adoption of the steering wheel-mounted controls, coupled with the paddles being set closer to, and flush with, the wheel, adds a greater sense of precision, especially when quickly changing gear. At least, that was once I had deduced where everything was and how it worked - for at least two miles, I had the windscreen wipers pulsing at varying speeds, long after we had beaten a spattering of afternoon rain. Once I had it mapped out, though, I felt far more immersed in the driving;

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being able to control everything with my fingertips and my hands firmly on the wheel. My eyes just follow the swooping bonnet as it devours the flowing ribbon of tarmac ahead, while I revel in the joy of the moment.

didn’t have to worry too much about the many drivers, in lesser cars, that felt like taking on the Ferrari, though top marks for effort to the old lady that tried in her Fiat Punto.

The incredibly responsive steering is combined with a seamless sevenspeed F1 dual-clutch transmission, which delivers much longer ratios and, in turn, much faster acceleration. It’s the base recipe for an exhilarating drive. In concert with Ferrari’s clever new Variable Boost Management system, a new control system integrated with the ECU which adjusts torque delivery to suit both the revs and gear engaged, it means that even at the top of seventh, when you plant your foot, the Cali-T can still bolt quicker than the bathroom door of a Satwa curry house. It meant that I

Fortunately for my reputation, and that of the Ferrari, she is dispatched with ease, disappearing into the rearview at a steady 230km/h thanks to a throttle response that's sharper than a mouthful of balsamic vinegar. With absolutely no hint of turbo lag (that oft-gaping abyss of time between pressing the loud pedal and the boost from the turbo kicking in), the California T feels as much like a naturally aspirated V8 as is technically possible, allaying the mumbled concerns of many of the assembled Middle Eastern press corps at the previous evening’s lengthy technical briefing.

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What’S iN a NaME In 1957, thanks to Ferrari’s reputation in motor sports, and the work of importer Luigi Chinetti, the United States became an important market. John Von Neumann, the west coast representative, thought that there was potential for an open Spider suited to the Californian sun, a sort of open 250 GT Berlinetta. Chinetti welcomed the proposal and convinced Enzo Ferrari that it was a good idea. Coachbuilder, Scaglietti, was given the opportunity to create this iconic car, building 106 of them. The popularity of the car among celebrities and film makers earned it the nickname, the “Hollywood Ferrari,” with the car appearing in titles such as The Yellow Rolls-Royce and, much later, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Audibly, yes, upon hard braking and downshifting, you get the hiss of the waste gates mixed in with the usual pops and burbles from the exhaust, but I personally think that rounds out the choir quite nicely, like a good top tenor. Upon acceleration, there is that familiar, surging growl. I tip my hat to the boffins at Maranello for clearly putting as much engineering effort into the visceral audio track of the new block as they did for the performance of it. So much so, that I take immense pleasure in speeding through the short straights, braking hard into the corners and then powering through to the next bend in the road, just to enjoy it over and over again. In terms of performance, the layman, and even the well-educated enthusiast, would be hard-pressed to tell it was a turbo-charged V8 if they didn’t already know that’s what the “T” actually signifies - and if Ferrari hadn’t mounted a “Turbo Performance Engineer” in the centre of the dash. It’s a touchsensitive digital display to show turbo pressure, turbo efficiency or turbo response. While ultimately, I found it a little bit gimmicky, it did give both Ross and myself a strange sense of achievement to see our efficiency top 100 percent with an hour to spare before we had to hand the car back. The display also shows the time and the outside temperature, though I’d suggest the best way to work that out is to just drop the roof. It takes a mere 14 seconds to retract completely and, because the California T has a forward mounted engine, it still leaves plenty of room for a bespoke leather Ferrari luggage set in the boot. Unfortunately, your golf clubs will probably have to go on the back seats, though I use the word “seats” very loosely. I think even Peter Dinklage and Warwick Davies would struggle with leg room on a long journey.

And it’s that, I believe, to be the greatest appeal of this car. Yes, the 458 series cars are exciting and fun, while the big V12s offer a powerfully different, yet equally invigorating driving experience. However, they are fundamentally race cars for the road, while the California T is a road car with a racing pedigree. In most cases, few people are going to utilise the car’s full 560 Prancing Horses on the way to the golf course, equally they are unlikely to hit its 316km/h top speed heading back from Spinney’s. However, they still want the Ferrari experience; that tingle up the spine when the engine growls to life at a push of the big red button or the sprightly handling on the weekend drive to Hatta. It’s a car to use on the daily commute to work, but one that is capable, in 3.6 seconds, of hitting 100km/h from a standing start. A Ferrari that, with Launch Control, can be away from the lights before the guy in the Land Cruiser behind even touches his steering wheel, let alone gets to sound his horn.

In the front, however, there is space aplenty and you could easily gobble up the miles without feeling that you’ve done so in a super car. It’s an incredibly comfy ride. That said, a couple of times on the outward route to lunch, under heavy acceleration, the car felt a bit squirrelly; wobbling at the back like Kim Kardashian on a treadmill. I wasn’t the only one to get the full Kanye West experience, either, but at the lunch stop, and after a conversation with the Ferrari guys, the problem was solved by using the rather ingenious “magnetorheological damping system.” Controlled via a button on the steering wheel, it allows the driver to alter the level of ride comfort regardless of the “mode” to which the manettino position is set. On slightly uneven road surfaces, at speed, in “sport” mode it pretty much eliminated the problem, enabling me to once again drive with a swagger and heroism that only the California T allows with minimum effort or skill on the part of the driver.

It’s a perfect all-rounder, it has the looks, performance and technology, but without the harsh ride and hooliganism of some its less-refined, but equally capable, stablemates. It’s conservative around town, but by golly, when you find that road... So, if you’re in the market for a supercar that will make you smile so much your face will hurt, but with a modicum of grown-up, every day practicality to justify spending the best part of $200,000 to your better half, then you’re in luck. That’s the California to a T.

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