Four California Ts visited Toronto today (WARNING: lots of photos)

Last week I accepted an invitation to test drive the new Cali T. FoO had set up a 2-day "Ferrari California T Ride and Drive" event at the Eagles Nest Golf Club in Vaughan for today and tomorrow. I managed to get my second choice for a test drive time slot today. Rain threatened but luckily held off for everyone.

Even though it was an iffy weather day my baby was keen to come along so I drove her to the event and kept my truck at home. Here she is saying "hello!" to her new siblings.

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There were 4 cars: red, black, blue and white.

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Here's the interior of the white car.

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Someone asked about the appearance of the full chrome grill vs the one with just the horizontal slats

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Here's a comparison of the old and new cars' rear ends

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As much as I love my white Cali30, I think the red with black roof car was easily the most stunning of the 4 cars. The white with black roof would have been my second choice. I don't know if it was the lighting or the paint but the red car was absolutely radiant and the colour really suited the shape of the car with the black roof… and even the full chrome grill really went well with it.

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The silver rims on the red car also looked the nicest to me.

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Finally, another shot of the blue car and another rear perspective of the new vs the old.

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…and then it was time to say goodbye!

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P.S. I'll post my impressions from my test drive later.

 

Love the red! Is that Rosso Corsa? So many press cars are Rosso California and it can ne tough to tell in photos with different lighting scenarios, etc.

 

It looked like R Corsa to me (even matches the polo shirts worn by the FNA guys). R California is a much deeper red. My salesman was there and he said he liked the white one better so I told him it's only because he sees so many red (R Corsa) cars everyday.

If you like, I can call him and ask him to verify. These cars had NJ plates and I believe they are making all the stops in North America for FNA.

I corrected the colour of the photos to match what I saw and felt. The red car is just sick.

 

I'm curious if any of the cars had the new beige tradizione leather interior. If so, can you please post of a few photos? I am dying to see what the new shade of beige looks like. Thank you.

 

Nice pics. I like the front grill without the vertical bars.

Would like to read your impression and comparison to the previous model.

I understand that fleet is coming to NY this week...

 

Thanks Michael. I thought it was R Corsa as well, but I was on my iPhone last night when I saw these pics and posted my question. Now on my laptop it definitely appears to be Rosso Corsa. I'm going to be getting Rosso Corsa with the diamond 20" wheels and am considering no chrome grill and no black roof... think it may keep it "sportier". But who knows how many times I'll change my mind.

 

Thanks for posting Michael! The rears do not look that different in photos perhaps in person. Looking forward to your driving impressions...oh and engine sound of course.

 

Jeffrey, I just replied to your PM but could not attach photos as there were no provisions in the PM for attachments.

I'm putting the photos here instead. The black car looks to have cuoio but the blue car's interior is lighter.
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Thanks for posting these. I am certain the black car is cuoio. I can't be sure about the blue car, but it looks like it is beige tradizone. It is too rich to be crema or sabbia. Thanks again for your help.

 

Blue looks to be beige tradizone.

 

Here's a photo of the red car's rear end. The rear ends of the new and older cars were not noticeably different in height. But because the new car's diffuser is dark grey and the pipes have been relocated below, it makes the rear end look wider and not as high. The body colour of the old car's rear bumper also accentuated the apparent height of the rear.

It's an optical illusion. I had a nice chat with one of the co-pilots about the designs and colours and he said the same thing.

The new car's rear with the big diffuser fins and side vents really didn't come across to me as busy when viewed in person as they appeared in the early release photos. I think people will be happy with the new rear end.
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Loving all the pics in Rosso Corsa!!! Surprisingly been a difficult color to find on the California T to-date.

 

I understand, you need to get it right and not have to wonder later on "if only…".

It sure looked like R Corsa to me. I haven't seen the new R California but from the online configurator and other people's photos it would seem to be significantly darker.

I liked the black roof because it makes the car look sleeker and even though some people may feel single colour cars look sportier, Ferrari also seems to prefer black roof cars for special projects… like the 599GTO, 599XX and 599XX EVO. I think the 599 is one of the designs that inspired the California.

If you are good at photo-editing you can easily change the colours in the photos to obtain a simulation. I can usually do that quite easily but I am really busy today and over the next few days as well.

 

Al, I posted my impressions on another thread but the new car is essentially better-looking than the older one and significantly more rigid in construction. The engine is really powerful and smooth (I didn't sense any turbo lag). Suspension and driving dynamics under street-legal conditions were good but lacked the drama that my Cali30 can project when driven aggressively. I suspect the factory cannot do the backfires like they used to because they emit too much carbon. Government regulations will require all manufacturers to rethink how they design their sports cars. The new car still sounds and behaves like a sports car but in a much more refined manner compared to the Cali30, which frankly feels raw in comparison. The new car will make a better DD than the old one.

Here is another look at the full chrome grill on the red car. I think it works well with that colour.

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And the black car's grill.

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The interiors are nicer. The levers to recline the front seats are now replaced with a belt loop. When you tug at it the seat gradually moves forward in motorized fashion. The steering wheel and other switchgear are nicer although I still prefer the older car's HVAC controls. The middle display between the HVAC vents over the centre console worked quite well under yesterday's overcast skies, not sure if it would be the same under bright sunny conditions.

Unfortunately, I didn't get around to checking out the infotainment system, the engine compartment, storage, cupholder,…etc. I hope you'll be able to check out the cars in person when they reach NY. Maybe you can fill us in on other details as well as provide your overall impressions of the car.
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Wow great pics - thanks for sharing. In all the press photos, the blue one was the stunner for me but in these I actually like the black and also white, go figure. I played around with photoshop and larger aftermarket wheels will look stunning on this model.

Another random observation is as much as I love the new T, somehow it also makes me appreciate the old Cali a lot more as I never cared for it a great deal but find myself really taking to that 'older' design as well.

 

Great pictures, nice to see the old model next to the new model for comparison purposes.

 

^^
+1. Nice write up.

 

love the pics, they are great, if you could send me the black with cuiuo car WITHOUT the people and amazing back ground , i would like to use it as a screen saver if no time, no worries, I love the look !

 

Mitchell, are you really asking or "just asking"?

The original iPhone files are about 6 to 8 MB and I can put one in my photobucket for you to download but I can't take out the background because that is major and I mean major computer time and eyestrain.

In the meantime, here's another one of the black car.
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Terrific pics...thank you. The red and the white get my vote! On the grill, I just spent a ton of time deciding on final config...my feeling is the overall look and color leads you to one grill or another. Sporty look with dark or diamond finish wheels = partial chrome (with the horizontal slats popping against black background, or std black grill). Elegant look with the bright painted wheels = full chrome as shown on the red car. One man's back-of-the-napkin opinion.

 

…and a very perceptive one indeed.

 

Just one quick obsevation, no front side markers/reflectors in the new Cali?

 

great observation

 

Just noticed that too LOL! That reflector really does mess up the front fender of the older car.

 

So are these Euro-spec cars? How does Ferrari comply with U.S. side marker regs?

Thanks for posting these great pics and write-up.