KEY POINTS:
The first Ferrari road car with a front-engined V8, the first with direct injection, a double-clutch transmission and seven gears has gone on sale.
But don't hold your breath to spot the California at a supermarket near you. The 30 or so New Zealand orders could take up to two years to arrive.
What's new?
This 4.3-litre flat-crank engine is an evolution of the 430's, its direct injection developed with Bosch and similar to that used in the coming season's A1GP cars.
The set-up's high-pressure operation is designed to work well at soaring revs. That and the elevated compression ratio allow greater efficiency; the 305g/km CO2 figure is hefty, but 15 per cent down on the 430's.
Yes there's a manual gearbox, but more than 90 per cent of Ferrari buyers want autos. This Getrag-supplied double-clutch transmission uses three shafts to reduce its size, and it is mounted by the rear axle to assist weight distribution.
There's plenty of weight to distribute as well, not least from a folding hard-top roof that takes just 14 seconds to deploy.
The company line
This is not an entry-level Ferrari, nor a soft option.
It's the Grand Tourer to complement the 430, as the 612 is to the 599. Ferrari aims to trump Aston Martin's GT expertise and attract new customers to the brand.
Meanwhile the reduced carbon figure signals Ferrari's plan to cut CO2 emissions by 40 per cent across the range, and soon. Without compromising urge, that is. Forget the 338kW of power, the 485Nm means 112Nm per litre. Ferrari says it's a world record for a production car.
What we say
This isn't the prettiest Ferrari _ that clumsy side crease can't quite disguise the height of the car's flanks, swooping to the bulbous rear required to store the roof.
Although the vertical mufflers _ forced aside by rear diffuser requirements _ look good, the admittedly purposeful back view does not appeal.
Worse, on paper this car looks too heavy, and underpowered in Ferrari terms. Zero to 100 in "less than four seconds" won't give you supercar-boasting rights.
But the harder-core cars can be hard to live with, while this one isn't. And we don't get the rear bench in place of the vestigial seats, which increases the car's practicality.
This California is comfortable, well thought-out and reasonably sensible without diluting the Ferrari experience too far.
On the road
That experience starts with the engine. Almost innocuous on a light throttle, under acceleration it becomes a screaming banshee that literally raises the hairs on your neck.
It handles, too, the slightly rearwards weight distribution imparting the right go-get-'em feel.
Floor the fast-pedal, she squats and launches, hips shimmying lightly around bends to telegraph a natural balance. This is a forgiving Ferrari, easy to get used to without ever being dull.
As for the paddle-shift seven-speed transmission, it's a thing of beauty; lightning quick, impressively intuitive _ and ably managed by the steering wheel-mounted paddles when you want to take control.
Meanwhile you really can have the top down, the wind deflector allowing conversation, and long hair, at double our open road speed limit.
It easily folds away for boulevard cruising, too.
Why you'll buy one
You want a Ferrari, and your spouse wants comfort.
Why you won't
You want an uncompromising hooligan, but not a practical Ferrari.
And you want to know the price _ the estimated $450,000 figure will be pinned to exchange rates at the time of delivery, not when you order.
GIVEAWAY
You could be the owner of a 1:7-scale Ferrari 599 Fiorano radio-controlled car, on sale in Ferrari dealerships for $160. Just email motoring@ heraldonsunday.co.nz by 10am Tuesday with your name, address and daytime phone number to go into the draw to win. And the consolation prize? One of three 1:18 Fiat 500 models.
