The mission: Lift Ferrari sales by 40 percent. The name? California.

Consumer Guide’s Impressions of the 2010 Ferrari California

The mystery is solved. A lower-priced V8 model is coming this fall--and with Maranello’s first hideaway hard top. The mission: Lift Ferrari sales by 40 percent. Name? California.

What We Know About the 2010 Ferrari California

The long-rumored, long-denied “entry-level” Ferrari is moving closer to reality. The company's new prancing horse, named California, debuted at this October’s Paris Auto Salon as the first retractable hardtop convertible from the legendary Italian sports car maker. Under the hood is a 4.3-liter V8 engine with direct fuel injection, another first for a Ferrari. Despite all this, the 2010 Ferrari California is expected to be priced well below the $190,000 F430, which currently accounts for 75 percent of global Ferrari sales. The powers that be in Maranello see the California boosting deliveries by a hefty 40 percent from the record 2007 level to around 10,000 cars a year. The Aston Martin DB9 and Bentley Continental GT are reportedly among the target competitors on price. What’s that about a recession?

The name was a mystery. Many press reports have referred to a “new Dino,” but the California is a different design concept from the beloved two-seat V6 sports car of 1967-73, named for Enzo Ferrari’s son, so Maranello might have been reluctant to resurrect such a revered title.

The 2010 Ferrari California will have a mid-front-engine/rear-drive layout, unlike the mid-engine Dino and V8 F430. Styling is by Pininfarina, the famed design house that has shaped most road-going Ferraris for the past 60 years. Official photos suggest a blend of Ferrari’s V12 two-seat F599 Fiorano and 612 Scaglietti 2+2 coupes, with the hideaway hard top neatly integrated with the lower body. That roof is said to have a power-folding mechanism engineered by Pininfarina to steal minimum trunk space in this smaller 2+2, which is a tad larger than a Porsche 911.

The 2010 Ferrari California reportedly shares a basic structure with the larger new Maserati GranTurismo coupe, but re-engineered for maximum rigidity at minimum weight. Ferrari technically “owned” Maserati for several years until parent Fiat Auto Group decided to move Maserati into a new “premium” division with its Alfa Romeo and Lancia brands.

Both the GranTurismo and the F430 share a high-revving, Ferrari-designed 4.3-liter twin-overhead-cam V8. The 2010 Ferrari California will use it too, but again so highly modified as to be virtually all-new. In fact, sources say only the cylinder block has escaped major change, apparently so the new engine can be built with some of the same tooling and in the same plant as the existing version. Internally designated F136Y, the updated V8 boasts Ferrari’s first application of efficiency-enhancing direct fuel injection, replacing conventional multipoint. It also gets redesigned cylinder heads, intake system, and valvetrain, plus what one source describes as a “type of throttle body never used before.” All this new combustion-management hardware is said to produce a fuel economy gain of five to eight percent over the existing V8, plus estimated outputs of nearly 460 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque.

The 2010 Ferrari California will use Ferrari’s seven-speed automated manual transmission with paddle shifters, but a straight manual will be offered in addition to this. The transmission will be rear-mounted in unit with the differential. This arrangement tends to yield more even front/rear weight distribution, ever a plus for sports car handling.

Despite its lower price point, the 2010 Ferrari California shows few signs of cost-cutting elsewhere. Suspension components, for example, are said to be mostly unique, rendered in pound-paring aluminum as usual. The rear suspension is reported to be a new multi-link design. Like other Ferraris, this one will certainly include stability control, “drive-by-wire” throttle and--of course--big Brembo carbon-ceramic disc brakes. Ferrari's F1-Trac traction control system should be standard equipment, and another sure-fire lift is Ferrari’s Manettino steering-wheel control dial for tailoring all these electronic functions to suit various driving conditions, including racetrack work. The company also says there will be a Launch Control button to help with standing-start acceleration. Look for footwear to comprise high-performance tires on 19-inch lightweight alloy wheels, with 20-inch rims a possible option.

Other standard features probably can’t be completely confirmed until American-market sales commence, but the 2010 Ferrari California is intended as a comfortable long-distance grand tourer, not a spartan track-oriented sports car. That should mean a posh leather-lined interior with real aluminum and/or carbon-fiber accents, plus multi-adjustable sports seats, automatic climate control, expected power assists, and premium audio with cell phone and MP3 connectivity. A navigation system should be available. Official photos show small back seats, but Ferrari calls the seating 2+ rather than 2+2. This terminology makes it sound like the space behind the front seats is more suited to carrying small parcels rather than people. Ferrari will also offer a strictly two-seat version with a luggage "bench" behind the seats.

In all, the 2010 Ferrari California seems ready to write an intriguing new chapter in the history of one of the world’s most famous and respected automakers. With the lower price and versatile coupe-convertible body style, it might well be one of the most appealing Ferraris of all time--and that’s saying something.

The 2010 Ferrari California reportedly shares a basic structure with the larger new Maserati GranTurismo coupe, but re-engineered for maximum rigidity at minimum weight.

We hear the California is an artifact of Maserati’s M139 Spyder project, which was developed with Pininfarina about six years ago, when Ferrari owned Maserati. The retractable-hardtop convertible design was rejected by Ferrari in 2005, but was evidently not forgotten, as it’s said to be the starting point for the 2010 Ferrari California. As a result, Maserati, which now answers to different masters, is reportedly furious over the new baby Ferrari, proving once again that even the nicest families have squabbles.

Meantime, reports indicate the California may be the most “outsourced” Ferrari in history. Though Maranello is expanding facilities to prepare for a big planned increase in total production, the California is expected be built largely by Pininfarina in Turin, assisted by contract manufacturer Magna-Steyr in Austria. In the past, Pininfarina has supplied only full- or part-finished Ferrari bodies. However, it’s lately become a contract manufacturer too, producing low-volume models for major European automakers including Ford. Indeed, Ford Europe offers a nifty Focus coupe-convertible that’s mostly built by Pininfarina and wears the coachbuilder’s badge. So in a very real sense, the California reflects growing pains at Ferrari, which is reaching sales levels that would have been unimaginable 15 years ago.

Buying Advice for the 2010 Ferrari California

The prancing horse badge packs immense status and reputation. That’s why any new Ferrari is always in high demand and hard to get, especially in the early going. The California should be no different, despite its role as the “people’s Ferrari” and despite the current turbulence in the global economy. One source says Maranello expects to sell 4000 Californias worldwide in the first year or so--all of it “plus business.” Many of them should come to North America, which remains the company’s largest single market, but just how many is unclear. After all, Ferrari now sells in 51 other countries, including the booming China, Russia, and Middle East markets, and the California’s lower price suggests U.S. buyers will be competing with overseas customers as never before. The obvious lesson here is to order early and be prepared to pay over sticker for a high spot on the waiting list.

2010 Ferrari California Release Date: As noted, the new “baby Ferrari” made its world debut at the October 2008 Paris Auto Salon. European sales would presumably commence by year’s end, with U.S. deliveries likely beginning in the second quarter of ‘09 for the 2010 model year.

2010 Ferrari California First Test Drive: Most sources swear by the above timing, so we’d look for media previews a few weeks after the October premiere and certainly no later than March 2009.

2010 Ferrari California Prices: As noted, the 2010 Ferrari California should cost less than the F430, but how much less remains to be seen. Based on published estimates and pricing of stated competitors, we think the minimum will be $180,000 at the current dollar/euro exchange rate.

Updated by Don Sikora II 10.02.2008 

The 2010 Ferrari California will be available in red and Azzurro blue (above).

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