Aggressive looking Cali? | FerrariChat

Aggressive looking Cali?

Discussion in 'California/Portofino/Roma' started by trig, Sep 10, 2017.

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  1. trig

    trig Rookie

    Jul 18, 2016
    8
    While it's lines are stunning, I can't seem to get past that front end smile. I realize it's Iconic, but it's just a little to brazen for my tastes. Have you seen any Cali's that are more masculine than feminine? Especially the front end smile. Two tone, stripes, graphics? Thanks in advance and go STEELERS!
     
  2. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 13, 2014
    25,865
    DFW, Texas
    Full Name:
    Tom C
    Black/nero would be your best bet. If it were me, I'd go for the Batman/Darth Vader look, and black it out, everywhere, grill, black cavallinos, no shields, black wheels. I think the T looks more agressive than the earlier models. Add a louder/throatier aftermarket exhaust. As for graphics, to be honest, I have not seen a Cali with graphics that I thought was an improvement over the original...T
     
    trig likes this.
  3. Dohangs

    Dohangs F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 31, 2008
    3,089
    Florida
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    Spiro
    I agree , the California can look more feminine than most cars. The first thing I did was to lower the car about 1" and place wheel spacers. This makes it look more sporty with less wheel gap. I used Novitec springs which stiffened up the handling a bit. I really think it transformed the look of the car. The darker colors help as well. It's a great car which has multiple uses.
     

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  4. trig

    trig Rookie

    Jul 18, 2016
    8
    Much appreciated you two!
     
  5. Brian L

    Brian L Formula 3

    Jun 17, 2015
    1,943
    Los Angeles
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    Brian
    Black with yellow calipers might satisfy you
     
  6. good2go

    good2go Formula Junior

    Feb 9, 2016
    939
    I always wonder if people who post these questions work for Porsche or Mercedes. You come into a Ferrari chat group and say the car looks feminine. Why? If you don't like the car why are you looking at Ferrari?

    I think it looks awesome. I don't want Ferrari to change the front grill.
     
  7. Brian L

    Brian L Formula 3

    Jun 17, 2015
    1,943
    Los Angeles
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    Brian
    To be fair, it's not a new idea that the Cali T is styled to appeal also to women. Also fair to say that Ferrari on the whole is heading more edgy/masculine and less traditionally elegant/shape implied in it's drawings, so there is merit to his concern.

    The more aggressive Cali T is the Portofino. So Ferrari agreed with him to a degree.
     
  8. 635CSI

    635CSI F1 Rookie

    Jun 26, 2013
    3,001
    London UK
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    Graham
    The joy of the Cali , and the reason for its success, is partly that you could radically change the look and feel of the car with the spec sheet. The choice of HS on the later Cali Ts enabled you to go beyond paint colors and select (or not) a stiffer/louder set up. So by ticking various boxes you could go GT (for example the blues/cuoio daytonas) , sporty ( eg black on black, red stitching HS) or full Miami beach .
    To paraphrase a poster here, you bought a canvas and chose your paints and style.
     
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  9. trig

    trig Rookie

    Jul 18, 2016
    8
    Thanks again yall. I meant no disrespect. I'm justa noob looking for veteran advice/opinions. And, as someone mentioned, the Portofino reminds my of a lot of the plastic cars out there today. I plan on driving it regularly and the 458 is just not a dd imo. Thanks again yall!
     
  10. good2go

    good2go Formula Junior

    Feb 9, 2016
    939
    What do you drive today? What cars are you comparing it too? I suggest driving a California T for the weekend. Then come back and tell me your thoughts on the car.
     
  11. trig

    trig Rookie

    Jul 18, 2016
    8
    I have no sports car currently. I've rented a 458 and a 488, both of which, especially the 488, don't appear to like going 50pmh or less. (they need to driven harder) Renting the Cali for a few days would be beneficial, however, finding a place near Charlotte, NC might be a challenge. I would even consider a 430 but the rag top is a deal breaker. I appreciate all you using your brain power on me.
     
  12. good2go

    good2go Formula Junior

    Feb 9, 2016
    939
    You have to work hard to keep the California T under 50. It's a blast to drive on the road and at the track.
     
  13. Dohangs

    Dohangs F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 31, 2008
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    Florida
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    Spiro
    If you are in the Orlando area you can take my Cali for a ride .
     
  14. azlin75

    azlin75 Formula Junior

    Jul 16, 2017
    785
    Kansas
    Full Name:
    Shawn Hicks
    I rented a 2016 Cali T for a week in Vegas second week of July. We really enjoyed the car. We found it comfortable, though getting out isnt nearly as simple as a "regular" car. Personally I thought the car was pretty easy to control in town at lower speed limits, yet was up to the task when doing aggressive merging. It got some attention yet not nearly the attention you would get in a 458/488. I also found that the car wasnt that bad on fuel, one day we drove it just under 500 miles and consumed about a half a tank, so not too horrible. I didnt feel like it was too low to the ground, and it handled every street and road we drove on in Vegas and never scraped though im sure there are places it would as it is lower then a regular car. And the rear seat, yeah no ones going to sit in that with our seat adjusted where we were comfortable, it is cute though. The one thing that really stood out for my wife and I though was how comfortable she felt in the car. Normally my wife cant handle heavy traffic at all, but for some weird reason it really didnt bother her at all in the California, though she was too scared to ever drive it since it costs so much (did that mean she was afraid she was going to wreck it?)

    Now would I daily drive one? If I had to I would but I wouldnt like it. While the doors didnt appear to be super long as the doors on say a 360 do they aint short either. The other thing I noticed ( and this would go for nearly any F car, lambos and mclarens ) when you park it in a public place people tend to gather around it. While at the hoover dam we looked over twards the parking lot and there was a group of around 20-25 people gathered around our rental. It made me uncomfortable and would have been nearly unbearable if it were my personal car. But with that said it could be daily driven no problem in my estimation, seemed to be a pretty decent car. It took me a few minutes to get used to the location of the digital readout for the speed, as i would keep trying to look at the analog speedometer which at low speed is virtually useless, plus its mostly blocked by the steering wheel but by the end of the week it wasnt an issue. I thought id have issues with the steering wheel mounted turn signals but it was pretty easy, and found myself looking for the turn signals on the steering wheel on my truck when we got home. Overall I liked the car way more then I thought I would as up until that point i was certain I wanted to buy an F430. Now Im seriously considering a California. Just an honest review from someone that recently rented one and drove it around for a week.

    And for what its worth, to me other then not seeing a direct image of the rear of the car the Portofino looks like the normal evolution the California would naturally take. So while it is a new car, it looks like the next step the Cali would have naturally have taken. I dont think it looks too plastic.
     

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  15. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 13, 2014
    25,865
    DFW, Texas
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    Tom C
    ^ I'm not calling you a liar, but 500 miles on 1/2 talk?!? I can't get that on a full tank.

    Maybe your wife's aversion was it being a rental? Don't give up just yet. I've turned over the reins of our Cali to my wife on several occasions and while hesitant at first, she now loves it. Keeps it in auto/comfort mode, which is easy to drive. Only challenge is that it's really hard to keep under the speed limit! ;)

    Depending on how you adjust steering wheel/seating position, you should be able to see the digital mph readout out of the corner of your eye.

    As to the crowd, no avoiding that. Get a low key color and I think it'll be reduced. Bright red/yellow? It's an attention grabber, no doubt.

    T
     
  16. ScottS

    ScottS F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 2, 2004
    2,900
    Winter Park
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    Scott S
    I drive my 12 California daily. It is a brief respite from the tasks of my day. In town (Winter Park/Orlando ) its docile manageable and easy to use like any car. When needed it is a fast GT or more. The top makes every drive special unless there's a hurricane. I have other fcars and other cars. My cali makes me smile daily.

    I have no issues with it as a DD.
    Ps I have Goldrake raving seats and nary a complaint from me or my wife and kids. I use it for school drop off with my 10 yo in the front and 8 yo in the back. No complaints from the boys who get to choose what we take from Audi Maserati GTS and Cali ( to school).

    For me perfect balance between fun and function in my environment. I drive it about 5k miles per year.
     
  17. 635CSI

    635CSI F1 Rookie

    Jun 26, 2013
    3,001
    London UK
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    Graham
    On the subject of daily driving. London is cursed with high and hard (granite) kerbs. When reversing into a parking space drivers often open their door to gauge the distance to the kerb and save their alloys. When i do this in the Cali T the gearbox changes from reverse to neutral as soon as i open the door.. Perhaps its a safety feature though i don't see how being in neutral is any safer than being in reverse. Anybody else noticed this and can it be turned off ?
     
  18. azlin75

    azlin75 Formula Junior

    Jul 16, 2017
    785
    Kansas
    Full Name:
    Shawn Hicks
    I suppose it could have had a faulty readout on the fuel gauge as i thought it was pretty weird when it showed 1/2 a tank and 457.4 miles, my wife even made a comment how inexpensive it was to fill it up that day. With a rental and how they are abused its a possibility. (only noticed the miles on the photo we took of the cockpit that day, but it was after we filled it up). If I might ask how many miles do you typically get out of a tank in your 2012 under normal driving conditions? Im interested in real world numbers since it appears what i experienced is flawed.

    It is true that you must at all times be aware of how much pressure you apply to the throttle, you could easily exceed the speed limit though I noticed it wasnt as if the car didnt like cruising at 30 mph either.

    Once i got used to looking at the digital readout it wasnt an issue but it too longer then I expected to get used to looking at the digital readout. I guess thats 30 years of looking at a speedometer for you.

    I am kinda partial to the red/cucio combo but I kinda like the grigio silverstone/cucio combo too. I seen one 2010 that was a color i had never seen before that was kinda a dark purple almost with a cucio interior and this god awful red carpet. Other then the carpet I kinda liked it too. At the end of the day the car will be used for enjoyment for me.

    As far as the back seat goes, I figure we could fit both kids in the car one in the passenger seat and one in the rear. I told my wife the next time we go looking at them we need to take the kids so we can see if we can figure out if all 4 of us can fit in it. Still not a deal breaker for me though if we cant.

    One last thing I forgot to mention in my earlier post the 2016 Cali T was a great car, however after test driving a 2010 I noticed one thing right away the exhaust on the 2016 was way quieter. Again since this was a rental I have no idea id its something that was done to the car of if it is something that Cali T's are known for but i think I recall reading someone else mentioning the same thing. In short the 2010 gave me a lot more of that engine sound then the 2016 did. Also the 2016 had noticeable more power then the 2010, not that the 2010 was a slouch. I have not driven a Cali 30 yet, though the local Porsche dealer has one with the HS package I may consider test driving.
     
  19. 635CSI

    635CSI F1 Rookie

    Jun 26, 2013
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    For more Cali T noise get a HS or you can buy the HS exhaust separately now and retro fit i believe
     
  20. anunakki

    anunakki Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Oct 8, 2005
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  21. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 13, 2014
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    If I had to guess, I get about 200 - 250 miles between fill-ups, but I never let it get anywhere close to empty. I just don't trust electronic fuel gauges. I usually fill up when there is a quarter of a tank to go. Most I've ever put in is maybe 16 gallons, and the Cali has a 20.6 gallon tank...T
     
  22. Eric R

    Eric R F1 Veteran
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    Nov 19, 2014
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    Now that was funny!
     
  23. azlin75

    azlin75 Formula Junior

    Jul 16, 2017
    785
    Kansas
    Full Name:
    Shawn Hicks
    I just checked the info on a 2016 California T, and it appears you are correct there is no way I went 450 miles on a half a tank (though the indicator on the dash showed 1/2). Apparently the California t gets about 4 miles per gallon more on the highway then earlier naturally aspirated versions clocking in at 23 mpg. (we drove nearly all highway miles that day from hotel to hoover dam, red rock canyon and Mt. Charleston and Valley of fire) So i was sitting in the living room talking to my wife and i asked her if she remembered how much fuel we put in that day, and she said it was something like 45 bucks.

    So i was probably on fumes and was lucky to make it to the gas station since that would be pretty close to 19 or so gallons. I had no Idea until you said something, but I did notice though that the turbo indicator would flicker on and off while we were driving around so that makes me sure it was an issue with the gauge cluster. But it was a rental and im sure it had been flogged pretty hard. That car was already pushing 35k miles when we rented it, and im sure most of those were abusive miles judging from the way i saw the guy that rented the Mclaren 650 from the same place was driving. If id have even thought of driving like that with my wife in the car id have been beaten half to death.
     
  24. good2go

    good2go Formula Junior

    Feb 9, 2016
    939
    You can program the mirror to tilt down when in reverse. Super help full. I trashed a rim week 1. 5k later I always reverse in and use camera and mirror.
     
  25. 635CSI

    635CSI F1 Rookie

    Jun 26, 2013
    3,001
    London UK
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    Graham
    Thanks, am using the mirror control to do that now , will go look in the car menu and get it automated. Though I assume you are talking about the passenger side? I guess opening the door to look for the kerb on the drivers side when reversing is so 20th century.
    Like me.
     

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