Here is my new 2011 Nero. Cheers, Eric Sites Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Cuoio with black stitches and nero carpet and dash top. Red tach, Carbon-fiber LED steering wheel. Upholstered top, central tunnel and armrests in leather. Diamond stitching for seats, rear cushions, and door panels. I also had to get the electric seats, cruise control, and IPOD. This is now my daily driver and for long road trips. I have put 1,700 miles in two weeks. Cheers, Eric Sites Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Got a private message about the diamond stitching... Here it is... The black stitching is not on the diamonds, just on the edges of things. Cheers, Eric Sites Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks for sharing, Eric and congrats! Its a beauty. When you have a chance, please post your impressions about the car. With >1k miles, you should have a pretty good feel. And please compare with other cars you drive or have driven. That would be much appreciated. I am on the fence about acquiring a Cali and each additional owner's narrative brings me that much closer...
mjc, So first impressions about the car have just been great. Gas mileage is good on the highway and not so bad around town as long as I am not hammering the gas peddle which I seem to be doing a lot just to hear the engine (That problem may or may not subside the longer I own the car). I purchased a new 2010 Merc CL 63 last July and the gas mileage was awful, I was always stopping for gas (and it had a larger tank "21 gallons" I think). I sold the CL in January because it just did not feel sporty enough (even though it had 516 hp). The CL 63 is a very heavy car and I was seeing them everywhere. I really wanted something a little more exclusive, sporty, and convertible (GT). The California feels and sounds much faster then the CL. I also looked into purchasing a Maserati GranCarbio but I also see Maserati's all over the place and I really just could not get excited about it. My wife suggested buying a Ferrari so thats what I did and I am loving every minute of it (I did not give her long to rethink her decision). I wanted something that I could drive to work, to the beach, and take long trips around Florida and the South East in (Great weather and all). This is my first Ferrari but I have been an enthusiast all my life. I also wanted something practical. I did not want it to just sit in my garage and drive it on the weekend. I am currently driving it everywhere "Home Depot just last night, to get ice cream, work, road trips". After two long weekend road trips last weekend and the weekend before the first thing I did each Monday morning was give it a good washing (The bugs on Florida roads or just awful). The seats were also very comfortable on these trips, much better than the CL 63. Not sure why, the CL has message seats "Never used them much" but long trips were killing my back. The CL 63 also did not get much respect, unlike the Ferrari, I can't drive the California without someone giving me a thumbs up or stopping next to me to check it out, or getting me to role down the window so they can tell how good the car looks. When I have the top down I also get people stopping to have me rev the engine (which I oblige ). At low speeds coming to a stop at a stop light with the top down I hear the brakes squeal. I spoke with the dealer and they have ordered some replacement front pads to fix the issue and will call me when they are in. He said to leave the car with the for a full day to get the brakes replaced and for detailing. He said they would give me a white California for the day or pick my car up from work and bring it back if I wanted. The said it was a known issue with some of the CCB. I had already tried a quick rough stop at speed (60 mph) to fix the issue but that does not seem to work for every long (Maybe a day or less). The automatic transmission seems to be a little jerky / skittish at low speeds 30 to 40 mph usually accelerating or slowing down (This does not happen all the time). I having been driving it in manual mode a lot more because of this. Most likely it is something I am doing, I am pretty rough on it, fast accelerations off the line but then I stop accelerating and it just wants to keep going. With auto on I thin hit the shift up paddle to get the revs back down. I just love the convertible top, I put it down and back up 2 or 3 times a day with no issues (Works like a champ). It helps me here that engine better (Yea lots of good weather too lately). Its a true GT on the highway fast, smooth, comfortable, and good on gas. The shape of the car reminds me a lot of my old 79 Corvette but the California is much more luxurious and comfortable. I have the start & stop feature which I am starting to hate. In Florida the temperatures are starting to rise as we get close to summer and when I stop at a stop light the car turns off and so does the AC compressor, plus I can no longer hear the engine. So I reach up hit the button to turn that feature off and the engine cranks back up. I really wish I could set that feature to default off when I start the car. Maybe I will get to like it but right now I want to hear that engine and keep the AC on. While on the highway the satellite radio keeps loosing signal and getting it back. There were a lot of trees on either side so I am sure that was the issue. I don't have much of a problem around town with that. I am sure this is do to the location of the receiver in the trunk also. Maybe it could be fixed with better buffering of the signal and resyncing code. A fix would be nice. When it gets bad I just switch to the IPOD or radio. These little things aside it so much fun to drive.... Cheers, Eric Sites
Updated pictures of the black stitching for the seats and doors. Cheers, Eric Sites Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Eric, thanks for the great read. The Cali appeals to me for 4 main reasons: its physical beauty (I know this is controversial point), exclusivity, performance and (relative) practicality. I am also not excited about Maserati or the Merc SL for the above reasons. Only thing is that my wife has NOT given the go-ahead just yet. I am taking the subtle approach. Glad to hear about the mileage and trouble-free top. Brake squeal, satellite reception and twitchy transmission are known issues. I am also interested in HELE but there are not Many who choose this option. Would like to see how much savings that translates in to for you. For highway driving, you are not likely to benefit but for me with lots of stop and go in NYC, there should be noticeable savings. I love the diamond stitching btw and the rest of your spec. I would like to lower the car and get different rims to fill the wheel wells better.
mjc, Here are the rest of the options I got but have not listed yet: AFS System Magneride Dual mode Inner/Outer Electric mirrors + homelink. High Power Hifi system. 20" Diamond Finish Sport Wheels I think it would look a lot better a little lower. I like the 20" Diamond Finish rims. Cheers, Eric Sites
I think the diamond stitching suits the California above all other current Ferraris. Interesting colour there... or is that just the pictures having an odd colour cast?
Some better pictures taken at a car show today where my car took Best in Class. Cheers, ERic Sites Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi all, I just started this thread to show my pics taken at the factory in Maranello - there will be lots of California pics in there too, so you might want to have a look: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=323999 Ciao, Lars T.
I love the photos guys! I am on page nine right now, lol. however, I have yet to see a Ferrari that will fit 4 people (2 in the front and 2 in the back). The spec sheet (in addition to the photos and various unconfirmed sources) says it can hold 4, but from the look of the photos, it would be pretty hard to squeeze some average sized people into the California. If anybody could provide a photo with 4 people in the car, I would simply love it! If you can find 4 hot girls to fit into the car, that would be awesome too!
Here are four adults in a Cali..... no idea how they managed it though. Image Unavailable, Please Login
oh wow, thanks for the fast response! although the picture is not taken in the best quality, it is apparent that the two in the back are somewhat uncomfortable. the person in the black looks like he is sitting on the fixed armrest in the middle, and the girl looks equally uncomfortable. As she is squeezed between this man and the side wall.
See this YouTube video with 3 girls in backseat http://www.ltd-cars.com/movie-1/ferrari-california/XF3P7tGeyFg.htm
How do you like it in black/black? http://www.flickr.com/photos/anyett/5756175768/in/photostream or this? http://www.flickr.com/photos/anyett/5638044735/in/photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/anyett/4693774224/in/set-72157611780168228