It seems ludicrous that anyone could turn their nose up at any modern-day Ferrari, one of the most desirable cars on the planet, but that is exactly what happened when the California model was first introduced in 2008 as the Italian marque’s first mid-front engined GT car with retractable hard-top.
Aficionados didn’t like the placement of the engine, or the shape of the car and dismissed it as ‘not a proper Ferrari.” They may have had a point with the design of the original car which looked a bit soft but it was revamped in 2014 in the form of the California T, the first Ferrari to be powered by a twin turbo engine since the F40. The 488 GTB followed.
This latest California is sharper, more agile and sophisticated and although its predecessor did prove to be extremely popular, this car is a significant improvement, is more desirable and has really established itself as an extraordinarily good piece of kit from Maranello and set new standards when it comes to GT performance cars.
The stunning new shape wasn’t quite enough to silence those pedantic Prancing Horse experts who jumped on the fact that a turbo charged engine just doesn’t sound like a traditional Ferrari. Again, they have a point but a twin-turbo is never going to sound the same as a naturally aspirated engine. However, Ferrari, who have a history of steering away from turbos but have been forced to embrace them by emission laws, did succeed in giving the California T its own distinctive engine note.
That’s the good news…the even better news is that there is now a California T HS which stands for Handling Speciale and it dismisses once and for all any suggestion that this is not a fully fledged member of the Ferrari family.
The California is not, and was never intended to be, a sports car like its stablemates the 488 GTB, which also has a twin turbo engine, or the magnificent 458. It is an extremely potent GT car but lacked a sharp sporting edge that some drivers demand…until now.
The California T HS is not a stand alone model – it’s a normal California T hard-top convertible with the same 3.9-litre V8 twin turbo with 552 bhp and a large helping of torque at 755nm. The HS option ups the ante in the way the car handles and sounds when driven enthusiastically and it makes a marked difference.
Basically, it incorporates new damper settings and modified springs that make the car more taut. The front springs are 16 per cent stiffer, rising to 19 per cent at the back. The system also increases the speed of response from the dampers, making them more efficient. HS also comes with an improved engine note so you now get more of a Ferrari snarl when you start it up and at high-revs it makes a glorious noise. You also get a much sportier seven-speed automatic gearbox with lightening quick changes.
Aesthetically, the California T HS gets a new front grille in matte Grigio Ferro Met (dark gray), rear diffuser in the same colour and black exhaust pipes. There is also a plaque in the cockpit which tells you the car is packing the HS option. So what you have now is a brilliant GT car which has the ability to behave like a sports car so you get the best of both worlds although it still lacks the mind-blowing performance of its faster stablemates.
Apart from that plaque the interior of the California T HS is typical Ferrari – all high grade heavy-stitched leather and carbon-fibre with superb sports seats, a stunning instrument cluster dominated by the rev counter and steering wheel with the signature manettino where you select the drive modes.
It also comes with the kind of emotional driving experience that no other manufacturer can match and the HS option simply adds to the experience. It is a two plus two but the rear seats are only suitable for small children and luggage.
Put it in Sport mode and you will find yourself immersed in the glorious world of the Prancing Horse as you blast through the gears, reach- ing 100kmh from a standing start in around 3.5 seconds. Throw it into corners and you will immediately feel the benefit of the HS system which provides tremendous feedback on the car’s stiffness and agility which breeds confidence as you put pedal to metal and accelerate out of those bends. There is no detectable turbo lag from what is a superb engine but push too hard and you can feel the car nudging the edge of its comfort zone but you really have to be gunning it before it starts to feel nervous and generally it behaves impeccably.
With the roof up or down the California T HS looks great, sounds great and handles magnificently and if you can afford to buy one, and it’s not cheap, then I would urge you to take the HS option because, amazingly, it won’t cost you anything extra here in the UAE which makes it an absolute no brainer.
