Hollywood homage

ENZO WOULD APPROVE: The Ferrari California.

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Why does Ferrari have such a fascination with America when it comes to naming its road cars? We've had the Daytona and the SuperAmerica among others, and now this mall-shopping chop- top, the California. Perhaps it has something to do with the history of the famous Scuderia. When founding father Enzo cared only about racing, and selling a few crudely made road cars on the side to fund it, Ferrari's independent US importer came to the financial rescue of the fledgling car maker. So without America, there arguably would be no Ferrari. The California, therefore, appears to be a four- wheeled homage to the birthplace of Hollywood blockbusters, soy lattes and personal development seminars.

Whether the Ferrari faithful see the California as a worthy bearer of the Prancing Horse badge is a matter of debate, however. Most Ferrari showrooms also sell Maseratis, and the 2+2 California shares the same mechanical layout as the elegant GranTurismo four-seater sold by the Trident brand. There's a virtually- identical high-revving, F1-inspired V8 up front, balanced by a rear transaxle (a diff, rear suspension and gearbox combined) in the back; and both cars benefit handsomely from the design input of Pininfarina on the outside, and Bertone on the inside.

As a measure of the worth of just the Ferrari badge alone, the $442,750 California puts the value at roughly $100,000, the premium it costs over the most expensive GranTurismo.

The extra will be well spent if the buyer wants the cachet that comes attached to any car made in Maranello. However, the premium is not worth investing in if the purchase is motivated by the California's folding metal roof alone, for the GranTurismo coupe will soon have its own version - the GranCabrio - in a few months. Nor is it worth paying if seeking the extra performance expected of a Ferrari. The slightly-larger Maserati has a few extra cee-cees under the bonnet to compensate for the girth, and both cars deliver similar sporty performance to sundry Porsche 911s and Aston Martin Vantage V8s instead of launching into the rare air of the supercar stratosphere.

The California initially appears to be a cynical marketing exercise. A Ferrari- collecting acquaintance has vowed he would never own one, while the head of design for Lamborghini, Manfred Fitzgerald, once opined over a few late- night drinks that it was evidence that Ferrari is no longer a supersports car brand.

Yet the more I drove the California, the more I loved it. The proof that it is a true product of the Maranello factory can be found a fingertip's reach from the steering wheel.

Either side of the test-car's optional carbon-fibre steering wheel are two shift paddles to access the seven-speed robotised manual gearbox that sits behind the rear seat. With the wheel featuring a shift warning-light display on the top of the rim that progressively lights up like those of the F1 racecars of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, there's an ambience inside that could only come from one car maker. You do not need a glance towards the copious badging to know you are driving a Ferrari.

Further reinforcement comes from the sound of the 4.3 litre V8 engine. There is none of the bass-notes of the larger Maserati V8, which shares the same engine architecture and flat-plane crankshaft. Instead, the California opts for a wailing, warbling soundtrack that could have been recorded at a race circuit. Although the V8 does not actually rev as high as some rival engines from Audi, Lamborghini and Porsche, it sounds more like a jet turbine than a reciprocating internal combustion engine. It is a Fender Stratocaster guitar, reverberating through a Marshall amp stack, to the Maserati's acoustic double- bass.

Like the Maser, the California has adaptive shock absorbers filled with a magnetic fluid that changes thickness according to the strength of an electric current. Also identical is the suspension layout - double wishbone up front, followed by a multi-link rear end (Ferrari's first departure from double wishbones all round). It is no surprise, then, that the handling persona of the two cars are virtually identical, and the difference defined by the Ferrari's slightly quicker steering is barely recognisable from the driver's seat.

The California is as new-age as Ferraris come, and seeks a new demographic group of buyers. It is, therefore, tempting to write it off as Maranello's shopping trolley because of its brand-leading luggage space, or as a boulevard cruiser because of the heavy folding metal roof it lugs in obedience to today's automotive fashion. However, to do so would do the car a disservice. I suspect the California is definitely a Ferrari of which the late Enzo would approve.

FERRARI CALIFORNIA

* Engine: 4297cc longitudinal V8 developing 338kW (453bhp) at 7750rpm and 485Nm of torque at 5000rpm

* Transmission: Seven-speed twin- clutch transaxle, rear drive

* Price: $442,750 (as tested: $510,036)

* Hot: New twin-clutch tranny serves up shifts quicker than lightning

* Not: Some will consider it a Maserati wearing a Ferrari disguise.

- © Fairfax NZ News