Nope... Chartered Bank... had that big indian door man in the ad... big strong and Friendly. I remember coz I asked my mom to take me to see the guy if he was really there.
the IA gm told me they are hoping to deliver all the cars by 1Q2011. I think they may be able to do it. Sales in UK not good and i am sure its the same for markets like US or Japan. These are the three biggest markets for ferrari.Otherwise there is no way HSM can get any cars. In the past with the 360 and 430, uk waitlist is at least 1 yr to 2yrs
I hope you are right & IA get a larger allocation .. the prob is US & Japan are both LHD markets, so a lack of orders there is unlikely to translate to more cars available here, unless they increase RHD production .. which is unlikely with UK demand also down. edit .. before anyone says it .. yes Japan is RHD but 95% of exotics sold there are LHD
I had the privilege to drive the California at today's Club event. My Scuderia battery died when I went to pick the car up from the office.. However IA was graciously quick to offer me the California as a substitute which I gladly accepted. The first thing I noticed when I slipped into the cockpit was how nicely engulfed I was by the smell of premium leather. Many cows were sacrificed for the interior. In shifting my seat, mirror adjustments and other necessities I noticed all the buttons and controls were finger tip and a short reach away. I felt wrapped in inside the car... but not suffocated. It just appeared that everything; switch, button or lever were closer than I expected. The drive... The California was surprisingly delightful to drive. A car that is compliant, fast yet "quiet". Pressing the start button came a familiar low rumble. It sounded like it meant business - not like those wimpy high pitch start ups. This car has torque, linear torgue - pulling all the way through the band. Torque still kicked in at 3000 rpm in 7th gear. Quite impressive. Gear changes was smooth and reasonably quick. There were only 3 settings on the manettino: "Comfort", "Sports" and "CST off". The main difference between Comfort and Sports was that the latter would pull longer and had more torque at the lower RPMs. Suspension was a tad soft but acceptable. Don't get me wrong, it's not like Bentley or Lexus soft. There was body roll on banking corners but did not feel like it was going to tip over. I would have like to see a seperate suspension button to stiffen it up a little, similar to the Schumacher button in the Scuderia. Steering was sharp and direct - something u would expect from a Ferrari. The front mounted engine must hv helped plant the nose during turning. This California had the $15k rev LED limiter on the steering wheel. A must have option even on the California. Interior appointment was elegant and tasteful. Tan leather w brushed aluminium combination was distinct and sophisticated. It made the cabin feel fresh and lively. The Daytona electric Seats were very comfortable unlike the hard racing seats of the Scuderia. Aircon was strong and cold. The roof folded in less than 20sec. Operation was smooth and fast. My only gripe was the IA set 90kmph speed limit warning... Beep beep! Beep Beep. So irritating. Overall a very compliant and "gentle" Ferrari. Nothing too hardcore about this car. A Ferrari that can be used on a daily basis with no stress or drama. A car that I would be happy to have as my daily driver. A car that my wife would be comfortable driving too. At $800k this "baby" Ferrari has enough mix of class, subtlety and grunt that will cater to the gentlemen driver, the wife, and the sportif individual.
I think we have to add China into that list now... big time Ferrari buyers. I would believe the GM cannot be too far wrong with his comments. This was also mentioned in a meeting I was invited to with IA management and Ferrari Asia representative. The proof is in the eventual delivery. On a separate note thanks for supporting the Club!
I saw this picture before, quite some time back in fact! That's really an advanture! How was the drive on those roads?
Nice write up.... Mike should be well pleased.... BUT a 15k rev LED limiter? A necessity? You are kidding right mate????
Mate, even at one tenth the price I really think its a bit of an expensive option.... nothing like hearing the engine and feeling the power and knowing when to change surely.... Even in the heat of tracking one will rarely hang on too long in a gear (and if they do they will usually learn pretty fast not to do so.... ask me how I know hahaha), and if one does it would just hit the rev limiter, so for a car like the Cali which is more of a street car, the thought of spending that much would really appear excessive and indeed inconsistent for a GT/street car....
man ur son is a real car nut. he was talking to me about cars while waiting for u. asking all kinds of questions.
It is an expensive option. But you must use it to appreciate it. I requested for it on the Scuderia and will be one of the options I will tick off first... before any other option.
