http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZgb1Yut_mc
Fun video - never seen that guy before but his enthusiasm seemed very genuine. He should lose the goofy driving gloves though. Serious question: so what's stopping someone from tuning the Cali T engine up to the 488 spec? If it's literally the same engine...are we just talking about a SW mod and 'presto change-o'?
I don't think its the exact same engine. Go to Ferrari web site, the engine stats don't read exact. I have heard other say its the same engine as well. I think the California T can be tuned to perform better, but why? Have you driven the T? It's unbelievable. So fast, so much fun to drive, I have never said, why can't this be .3 seconds faster getting to 60.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_F154_engine The physical differences between the 2 applications of the F154 engine are very minimal. Same engine, just detuned in the Cali. I'm sure it's already stupid fast but we live in a "more is better" world. Novitec offers a tune that reportedly adds 86 HP.
This might he my fav current ferrari. Its comfortable, practical, fast, pretty, and convertible. F12 gains power but gives up top. 488 is turbo so I would pick huracan or 675lt over it for sports car. And lusso is too big. Give me a cali hs!
Thanks for the link. I don't understand the numbers at all but the F154 A, BB and CB all have different Displacement, Bore X Stroke. This what I meant when I said they are not the same engine. If a BB can be tuned to same as CB, can the A be tuned to a CB? My guess is they are different. Yes, we live in a more is better world. My California T had a new engine put in, maybe it was a CB
I spent a long time looking at cars and choose the California T because I wanted a coup, and a convertible. I wanted new technology, and thought the Turbo Engine was in creditable. I cannot feel any lag. I also selected the magneto. HS seems to have some small enhancements, but I honestly not looking for a track car. I want a car I can drive. It was raining today - No problems, jump in car and go. I absolutely love driving my California T.
Per the review, I thought the guy was an idiot. He did not understand the Cali T nor do I feel he has ever driven a Ferrari before and made many crazy statements. I give the video a 1 out of 10
The Cali T is already agile enough and IMO too performance focused to be a GT car. It falls between two chairs. It does not have the accessible/usable enjoyable driveability and ensuing emotion of say the Maserati GranCabrio, nor is it an out-and-out supersportscar like the 488 Spider. It is so fast, when you drive it you are suddenly doing crazy speeds and left in the driver seat asking "wait, where was the enjoyment and drama I waited for? (the drama you get with the Maser for instance). Now I am doing some banal speed in a so-called GT car and it feels more like a performance instrument than a tool of enjoyment." I much prefer the old Cali to the Cali T. More fun to drive on the road. Why anyone would want the HS package on the T, is beyond me. Just sends the point of the car further into a space of nothingness. Just last weekend, I drove the Cali T and Cali back to back. Spent a whole day chasing a friend in a Cali T with the Cali (non HS), so much more fun to hunt the gears and exploiting the car on the road, rather than just zinging around with all-conquering torque and performance in the T. No doubt that the vehicle dynamics of the T are in a different league of superiority, still find the Cali more enjoyable to drive (sans the body roll at times). The HS on the old Cali sorts that out, makes the car just perfect. Feesl lighter, more agile. What the HS is supposed to be good for on the Cali T other than making it more clinical, I don´t understand. The steering is already fast enough for the road and the car is stiff enough. It will never be a trackday oriented car. Doubt many will notice a difference in exhaust note. Plenty of aftermarket systems to sort that out already.
The turbo in the California T has no lag, I work the gears constantly, if you don't "hunt the gears" as you say the car is a bore. In the California T, you drive, drive and drive. Why did I chose a California T over a California? Performance and Technology. The T is faster. The T has a new engine that has some great design features that allow it to use the Turbo, but not have that long pause before the turbo kicks in. Why not buy a 458 or 488. Completely different car. I don't want a race car, I want a Ferrari I can drive every day, my wife will ride in, can care a couple travel bags, but still is a blast to drive. I think this is most likely the reason many of us buy a California over 458 or 488. I don't think California is any better than California T, or visa versa. If you were not hunting the gears, you where not driving the T. You should have worked the gears, peddle and breaks. I have never driven a car like the T (compared to Bentley, Aston Martin, Maserati, Porsche, Mercedes). Is the HS good or bad. Neither, its just another option.
The point is that to exploit within some range of sensible road performance you have a window of opportunity to 'drive' the Cali much more than the Cali T, because the latter is so performance oriented and such a capable car. You don't *need* to hunt the gears to get anywhere near the cars limits on the road. Objectively a much better car, in reality there is more than performance and technology.
The guy doesn't understand aesthetics, styling or design, hardly surprising given his taste in attire. He's also trying too hard to say things that he thinks will please a naïve, adolescent, nerdy audience... not exactly the audience Ferrari is aiming at. Fail.
The 650S and 12C are turbocharged like the CaliT and are even faster. The 650S has the best technology and is by far the fastest, than even the 488. Are they a better drive than the CaliT... no. Are they more fun to drive than the Cali30 that I drive? Absolutely not. Speed and technology are only fun when you feel you can safely and legally employ them where you normally drive. More importantly it also helps to feel engaged when you drive the cars at their limits. One of the main drawbacks to the Cayman GT4 (arguably the best current sports car) is how tall its tall 1st and 2nd feel because this diminishes the advantage of its stickshift gearbox. Ditto with the way the CaliT develops torque. The point is that it is fun to be able to take each gear to its most aggressive shift point and have to brake hard and downshift multiple times as you make your way in a safe and legal manner on your regular drive. Ergo, drama. Ferrari, by their own admission, did not want to use turbo engines but grudgingly had to in order to meet fuel economy and emissions standards requirements. They also did not want to build a slower car than the competition, and to have detractors claim they can't build turbo engines. So the CaliT was born ...and so the 488 had to follow in kind. It's not a welcomed development.
I respect your opinion. But the cars you mention are completely different cars. I was looking for a car that was not too loud (looks and sound). My wife will not go in a car that is too loud. Again I respect your opinion, but you state this in a way that implies others can't form their own opinion. I have no idea how you drive your California T or how much fun you have driving it. But I love to drive my California T, I love shifting, braking and accelerating, and doing it all again. If there are other cars you feel are more exciting to drive, you should drive a different car. Obviously there is not one perfect car to drive or we would all drive the same car. I have driven many exotic cars and none of them have been anywhere near as exciting to drive as the California T. That does not mean its the perfect car for everyone. I do appreciate your comments. In no way am I dismissing them. I also formulate my own opinion.
Thanks for the correction and I respect your view. However I have to wonder how reliable the numbers are from the zeperfs webpage. I see it has the 650S taking 4.2 secs for 0 to 120 kph but only 4.1 secs for 0 to 130 kph and other numbers for 0 to xxx kph acceleration times seem to alternate between the 2 cars. Wacky. 🙄
I just watched the video again. The guy has some comments about shifting, he states, the car can accelerate from any gear, but it's some much fun to drive that you find your self always down shifting because its so much fun.