Why so much Cali hate?

Thank God Lotus are listening to us haters. Now that Ferrari are building old lady cars, they have brought out a "Purist Edition" car. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=138603541#post138603541

 

Saw my first California in person Friday night. Surprised that it looked BETTER than i expected. The front end definitely looked better, while the back end did look a little more bulky than i expected. I still may get one. I'm looking for a slightly less aggressive car, with a convertible, than my 430.

Personal choice. I think color choice will be critical in making this look its best.

 

This whole thread makes me laugh. How can so many spend so much time "hating" something that most have never seen in person and most will never own for various reasons?? Takes way too much energy. I'll just consider them 'strong' opinions...........and ignore them.

The California fits into my Ferrari "use" agenda. I'm all for raw and raucous Ferraris..........own a few of them in fact. But I also want a Ferrari that will allow me to share my Ferrari passion with my family. For this, the California could not be any more perfect. And in a shape that is just as gorgeous and sexy as any previous from Maranello. I've not seen or driven one yet but just like other modern Ferraris some angles do it justice and some don't. I can still remember the controversy when the 360 first debuted. And the 430 and 599 after. This is no different. I think and hope once the cars hit the ground this thread will fade into the archives.

Rosso Corsa/Black lowered with 20" powdercoated titanium wheels and black A-pillars. Now thats sexy! The way a proper Ferrari should be.

 

Kuzi...what a great post. These threads make me laugh too. But your point about family is well made and (at least by me) well taken. My passion for cars and racing came, in large part, from my Father. Now my sons have shown an interest and I will certainly encourage that interest in a positive manner. If it can be in a Ferrari...even better.

 

LOL !

 

Kuzi I agree with your Post as well. With 5 of us it takes more then 2 of my Ferrari's to haul the family units around. I'm looking forward to ours coming in. btw the Black/Black with red stitch I've ordered will be much faster then your Red. Less Lead in the paint

 

Doesn't matter how Ferrari can "get that kind of money." If the car sells, it is an accomplishment either way. The primary reason will be emotional connection with a GT drop-top Ferrari package. The "utility/appliance" idea is too one-dimensional a reason. A Ferrari buyer doesn't buy a Ferrari for it's "appliance" appeal. The California is not a utility vehicle.

People who buy Ferraris also have the money, very often, to buy several Ferraris. At $180,000, the California is hardly overpriced for a typical new Ferrari buyer. Especially if the person wants the car.

Friend, then you are clearly not a prospective buyer for the California. A California buyer is attracted to it's GT amenities, as one would be to some of the other FR GTs. The novelty of the California is further enhanced by it's roof, which is exactly what it has to offer above any other Ferrari, thus, to the sector of buyers for it, makes it all the more attractive. There are people on this board who have already ordered one.

 

I know you're a bit "new" to Ferraris...........but ALL Ferraris start off life "red". Then they are painted various colors to the new owners specs.

 

LOL

 

OK Haters. Girlie? Ugly? Really?
I'll be excited to add this to my collection when it arrives June or July
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That's lowballing it a bit. With any reasonable or expected options this car is $215K.

A year after launch here in the US you could probably buy one for that though. They will most likely depreciate pretty quickly.

 

Source?

Exactly.

 

Oooh, that's really really ugly.

OK, h2oskier, I appreciate the situation that you are in with that hideous vehicle. I'm going to do you a big favor and take it off your hands.

You'll lose money on the deal, a lot of money, but, hey, I'm doing you a big favor getting you out from under that horribly ugly car, aren't I?

 

I was playing around with the Cali configurator. Lots of neat colors and stuff. One thing I didn't see though was the hood scoop delete option. That's a must! If, as rumored, it is non-func., then she'd look noticeably better without it.

 

The hood scoop "is" functional............confirmed with pics: 3/4 the way down the page.

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236789&page=3

 

...Mascara on a pig.

 

Maybe you could show a little class to an owner?

 

Saw the cali today. I think it looks great, and this is from someone who believes they have been debasing the brand and creating cartoonish pastiches for years. Look at it this way now every poseur/footballer/rapper/stockbroker can drive a cali, so we will not have all these ridiculous 430 spyders having to be produced. That means the midengined v8 production can once gain become more performance orientated with more cars like the scud being able to be produced, if nothing else due to production space being available. The cali will allow ferrari to produce more pure cars for those who care.

Frankly if I had the $$ I would have a scud for trackdays and a cali for street driving. I think the cali design has drama and excitement which so many modern cars lack, yet it is not too overdone stylewise or oversized overpowered like a 599 which is too fast for the road and to big and soft for the track. Its ass is certainly far less fat than a TR and its design more harmonised. The cali is an honest street car, not a wannabe track poseur, that I bet would be about the most street car fun you could have driving up say route 1 for a weekend, much the same as the original cali was..

Is ferrari selling out? why yes, but then ever since they produced a gazillion 360spiders with floppy paddles that has been the case. And the 550 fast as it was ultimatly was to drive just a car. At least with the cali they are honest about what it is and can split the v8 line into two distinct DNA's which should produce better more hard core middies.

 

He did ask for an opinion..........

I said nothing based on if you have nothing nice to say say nothing.................

 

I think that is wishful thinking.

A lot of people here making business cases - good for Ferrari in the short term etc, or even suggesting anything that keeps the brand alive is good.

We should be demanding great cars each time and forgiving if the best of intentions don't quite come together.

Far better for a brand too die & become a legend like Bugatti, than to start building old lady cars. Making money trading on your name is inviting disaster later.

I don't want to see Ferrari die, but I want to see them take commercial risks required to build great cars in the smaller numbers it would be possible to sell them, even accepting this would be a riskier short term business plan. Rather than selling out and creating a vacuum where genuine creativity has no way to get to the marketplace. Otherwise what is there to care about; are we just a bunch of Ferrari cheerleaders?

Those of you who agree the California is a sell out but think that it is acceptable for the short term financial benefits should think how fragile a well cultivated brand really is and the long term damage. Ferrari is really running the risk of becoming associated with bad taste, brashness, overt wealth statement, lack of creativity and cynical commercialism. Just take a look at one of their shiny plastic shops.
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+1. Picture makes your point.

 

When an owner posts pics of his present or future car he himself designed, I think the comment "mascara on a pig" are over the top and uncalled for. I think most would agree.

 

It's really amusing to hear so many people wishing for Ferrari to remain pure and true to its purpose, as they imagine Enzo would have done. The reality is that Enzo Ferrari would have sold you anything you wanted, no matter how gauche or silly it was, as long as it provided capital for his racing.

In today's technologically advanced world any car maker can produce car that performs at the highest levels. What Ferrari has in this world, is the cachet of its brand, and marketing that brand allows the company to remain profitable and stay in business producing cars that are a cut above most and certainly in very limited numbers, even in comparison to other high end exotic brands like Porsche and AM.

I love old Ferraris and the history that they represent but I am also not foolish enough to believe that a car company can realistically produce a profit by building 100 super expensive and impossible to use extreme machines. Ferrari has a clearly defined customer base, both for its new cars, as well as a strong secondary market. I venture that no-one buys a Ferrari simply because the car is exactly what they want - they are buying into the aura that surrounds the brand. Anyone who denies this is a liar because there are simply way too many cars out there that have all of the primary performance characteristics of a Ferrari at a significantly lower cost.

So if you don't like the Cali, or the 612 or the 430 or whatever Ferrari is currently pissing you off, let it be. Go the vintage section and enjoy the wonderful info that is there, but for heaven's sake, stop whining about how terrible the Cali is. It is a wonderful car and it will suit a huge number of people. IMO it is the perfect Ferrari for American roads. You will never discover its limits, it will guide you flawlessly and it will play beautiful music while getting you to your destination. It will attract a huge amount of attention from non Ferrari people who are simply happy to see a real Ferrari out in the real world and you will be in a competent, rare car car that will give you huge pleasure with very little performance anxiety - somewhat like Viagra

 

"Those of you who agree the California is a sell out but think that it is acceptable for the short term financial benefits should think how fragile a well cultivated brand really is and the long term damage. Ferrari is really running the risk of becoming associated with bad taste, brashness, overt wealth statement, lack of creativity and cynical commercialism. Just take a look at one of their shiny plastic shops."


The above is already a fact.

 

"It is a wonderful car and it will suit a huge number of people. IMO it is the perfect Ferrari for American roads. You will never discover its limits, it will guide you flawlessly and it will play beautiful music while getting you to your destination. It will attract a huge amount of attention from non Ferrari people who are simply happy to see a real Ferrari out in the real world and you will be in a competent, rare car car that will give you huge pleasure with very little performance anxiety - somewhat like Viagra"


All too true especialy the conclusion. Sadly moderns are the Viagra blowjob. Ferrari used to stand for real and raw unrestricted passion which required talent and commitment. This loss or change is what people lament. But as long as there are still one or two "real" ferraris like a scud made who care if the rest is disney gameboy ps2 crap, porche showed that this is how you pay the bills as did ducati, although they at least maintain raw passion in most of their products.