Design Analysis : 2009 Ferrari California
By Robert Cumberford
There was always an appreciable visual break between racing and roadgoing Ferraris, but during Enzo Ferrari's lifetime, all of them-by intent-were beautiful objects. When Ferrari abandoned frontline sports car racing, it was a styling disaster for pure road cars. From objects of exceptional beauty, Ferraris have little by little descended to being collections of backward-looking "cues" and "references" and "identity marks" that push client hot buttons. The cars aren't based on form, function, or fidelity of purpose, and certainly not on advancing design as Ferraris once did. This California is a perfect expression of that rather cynical attitude. It is a good car, but in no way does it represent the best work Italian designers can do today.
1 Exaggerated brake-cooling air inlets on lower front corners are overly sculpted compared with pragmatic holes on earlier Ferraris. It is not a Buick, after all.
2 The cut-out headlamps are dynamic, and the fender peak derived from the rear point is elegant and helps the overall shape.
3 All credit to Pininfarina for making the A-pillar straight, not sharply curved back over the driver's head as in many cheap folding hardtops.
4 The scooped line below the headlamp flows up into the hood, allowing the statutory clearance over the engine for European pedestrian-safety regulations.
5 The 1950s-style hood scoop is decorative, evocative, and also functional.
6 The vent on the fender side is traditional, but the convoluted shapes deriving from it are simply messy, leading to a contrived rear fender that's lower than the tall deck needed to house the roof panels.
7 Traditional five-spoke aluminum wheels are reduced to the minimum, increasing open area. This, at least, is admirably forward-looking.
8 The indent on the lower door and the supposed brake scoop in the lower rear fender seem to be present for no particular purpose. The tiny inlet points directly at the tires, not the brakes.
2009 Ferrari California
Base price $200,000 (est.)
Powertrain
Engine DOHC 32-valve V-8
Displacement 4.3 liters (262 cu in)
Horsepower 453 hp @ 7750 rpm
Torque 358 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
Transmission Type 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
Drive Rear-wheel
Chassis
Steering Power-assisted rack-and-pinion
Suspension, front Control arms, coil springs
Suspension, rear Multilink, coil springs
Brakes Carbon-ceramic vented discs, ABS
Tires Bridgestone Potenza RE050A
Tire size f, r 245/40YR-19, 285/40YR-19
Measurements
L x W x H 179.6 x 74.9 x 51.5 in
Wheelbase 105.1 in
Track f/r 64.2/63.2 in
Weight 3969 lb (per manufacturer)
Factory Performance Figures
0-62 mph Less than 4.0 sec
1/4-mile 12.2 sec
Top speed 193 mph
Fuel mileage 18 mpg (combined, European cycle) ...next page >>