Why so much Cali hate?

Thanks, but how do you mean? How I did what?
The picture? That's a rendering.

 

^^^ very nice, let's see how you handled the rear then

 

Working on it.

 

Oh Man! Now I want one worse than ever. Gahhh!

Great job, Micheal! Someday my friend...

 

Thanks! Someday...? Okay, you know where to find me.

 

Nearly all true! But I have another one: the perversion of giving this concoction the same name as Ferrari's most exquisite aesthetic creation, the Ferrari 250 GT California.

And yes, I have driven it, and I can afford one.

Just wait to see the depreciation on this thing...

 

there will be depreciation, but the next year's model will go up in price

 

I guess you haven't been looking at resale prices of 360's and F430's lately, eh?

 

as soon as i scrolled down to your rendering, i knew it had to be from the 599 gto person! your work is fantastic and seems so obvious that i cant understand why factory didnt do it this way themselvers.

would like to see it with 430 style rims though

 

This car looked as bad in person as it did in pictures. I didn't bother pulling off interstate 4 to get a closer look at Ferrari of Central Florida.

Still can't believe they made it.

 

Those are both great 21st century FERRARIS.

 

+1

 

So, you have no point then. If a great car can depreciate and a poor one can depreciate, it makes no difference what you buy then, correct?

 

If you believe all depreciations are similar, you will soon have a surprise.

 

I finally saw the car in flesh last Sunday. They had 2 over here, one with the top up, and the other with the top down. My opinion still stands. The worst looking Ferrari since i can God knows when. The car just looks too 'bulky' at every angle. Really not a head turner, and it's easy to mistaken it's not a Ferrari on the road.

 

I guess this opinion of the California affected Ferrari's design team when finalizing the 458 Italia. Instead of a totally new design that may have resulted in negative feedback, they "refreshed" the 430 so the changes would be minimal.

Sometimes a totally new design just takes time to catch hold in the marketplace.

 

We went and took a look at the car at Ferrari of Tampa Bay. They have a demo. Great guys! They were getting ready to give a kid from Make-a-Wish a ride. So we watched as they opened and closed the roof and fired-up the engine.

My wife fell in love with the car. I laughed because I told her Ferrari had women in mind. (my wife is a tom-boy, she drives stick, loves Porsche, and she's the type of gal who will hang out at the track...so she's no girlie girl). The is the 1st Ferrari I've seen her fall in love with.

As for my opinion.... it looks better than in photos, but still looks to close to a Vette for $200,000 Ferrari needs to take a little more risk in their design if they want to charge this kind of money. Great car, great engine, lacking in exotic design... But my wife is ready to give up Porsche for Ferrari...so they did get it right with the women folks

 

There was one California at the FCA at Road AMerica, during the concours. No one was really looking.

 

odd...

 

Uh-huh, so how did it drive? What? You didn't drive it? Gee, if looks are your primary consideration, I hear there is a new line of Fiero kits coming out that are absolutely gorgeous!

 

Did i mention if i drove the car in my post? I didn't. I was merely pointing out and giving my opinion on the Cali's looks, since there's so much of different opinions. I suggest u read my post more thoroughly next time.

 

IMO, the 458 is a gorgeous looking car. A blend of classic and modern Ferrari design...

 

I've seen the Cali twice in person, once in Rosso Corsa and the other in black.

The car looks considerably better in person than it does in pictures. For some reason all of Ferrari's press shots make their cars look somewhat cartoonish. When seen in real life, the car looks considerably lower and sleeker, much more of a sports car presence. Front end and side views are both nice, the rear I'll admit is a little large and awkwardly-done but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I don't mind the stacked tailpipes for some reason. The interior is gorgeous and does a nice balance between sport and luxury as a GT should. Nothing smells like fine Italian leather, and the Cali is drowning in it. The sound is quite nice too...subdued, but rich. I did not drive it as I'm not in the market for one, but somebody else pulled out in one at Ferrari of Washington when I was there.

A lot of the anger in this thread seems directed not at the Cali itself but what the car represents, or seems to represent in peoples' minds. Simply put, a lot of you guys seem to think Ferrari is "selling out" in making a GT-type car targeted at DB9, SL63, Conti GT, etc. The image of drivers of most of these cars are rich housewives and poseurs, not true enthusiasts, and thus Ferrari must be deserting its base to go after them. Selling out the faithful is a powerful emotion, and it's simply not going to matter to many angry people here whether the car sells well, performs well, or even drives brilliantly. It's the idea that's the problem.

Lots of guys bring the whole "Ferrari hasn't built a real car since x" argument to support their anti-Cali feelings. Basically, it seems that the California represents a major change for Ferrari (a new model line and expanded production) and we're all afraid that this change will ruin the brand. What's interesting is that this isn't unique to Tifosi. When a new model with major changes comse out from any beloved manufacturer, there is always hand-wringing over it....Porschephiles due it, Bimmer guys do it, Corvette guys do it, etc. For example, when the 996 Carrera came out many Porsche guys were CONVINCED that the end of the war was upon them, that Porsche was suddenly building water-cooled, watered-down wives' cars. And then came the Cayenne in 2004. Has that stopped Porsche from building awesome cars? Not unless you think the Carrera GT, GT2, GT3, Cayman S, Turbo, etc. are crap. Many Aston-Martin fans were convinced it was over when Aston started building the DB9 and V8 Vantage and moved the factory out of the old digs at Newport-Pagnell. Did Aston die? No, they just got better-built and more profitable. And then there are our friends the Lambo guys...VW was going to turn Lamborghini into soulless Germans. Well, I'd hardly call either of their current cars a Novocaine-mobile. Bottom line is, manufacturers must change and update their cars or face a prolonged slide into irrelevence. The F355 for example is still a beautiful and wonderful car, but if Ferrari built the F355 today and threw it against the Gallardo, ZR1, GT2, etc it would be laughable. Technology, tastes, and trends change over time, and it is Ferrari's job as a company and as a creator of great cars to meet those changes head on.

I've seen uproar on this board over every single new car Ferrari has produced for some reason or another. Never mind that the automotive press has consistently pointed to the F430 as one of the greatest drivers' cars of the modern era. Never mind that Evo gave the 599 GTB EVO Car of the Year. Never mind that the UK's CAR magazine called the Enzo one the 10 greatest sportscars ever built. Never mind that every single Ferrari model has kicked its rivals' asses in various comparison tests. Never mind that many of their cars have had a years-long waiting list or been rapidly sold out. Ferrari MUST be failing.

Ferrari's continued evolution is one that has had to take into account styling changes (unless you want an F430 with pop-up headlights?), safety and environmental regulations, an increasingly competitive marketplace, technology changes that have greatly increased the performance capacity of road cars, and consumer demands for cars to be built well and run reliably in addition to offering extreme performance. The current cars in my opinion seem to do that quite well. We will always have classics like the 308/328, F40, TR, Daytona, Boxer, Dino, etc to love...but would building those cars in the 21st century really make sense? That is why the Cali, 599, F430, etc are different from those cars.

The California is a car that so far appears to be a damn good 2+2 GT. Would I buy it over the F430 or the new 458 Italia? Probably not. Then again, I don't own a Ferrari and am not in the market for one at the time. Ferrari has a long tradition of 2+2 GTs and I see no reason why they wouldn't pursue this popular marketplace.

Hope that wasn't too much of a rant, this has been a very interesting discussion so far.

 

Why? WTF do I care how the car looks? That is my point to U. I only care how it drives, FIRST! Then, sure, I'll take a look.

This line of thought is what leaves me so bemused by all these endless posts on the Cali's looks. For someone who is a real driver, that is so irrelevant. The question is how does it drive?! If you didn't drive it, who cares what you think?! For that matter who cares what I think, since I have not yet driven one either. But at least my priorities make sense in the context of a collation of "enthusiasts".