Ferrari California 2012 News

Waiting for a new car is never easy. It could be a week or it could be a year — even longer — but a delivery hold-up still means delayed satisfaction.

This could be our first glimpse of the finished design for the next Ferrari California hardtop convertible. The sketches are reportedly official patent drawings filed by Ferrari with a registry for trademarks and patents in Europe.The images were found by the World Car Fans site, which believes the drawings show a new two-seat hardcore version of the Ferrari FF. However with the similarities to the current California, we believe the sketches -- if the real thing -- are more likely to be the California replacement due to be launched next year.A quick review of previous spy shots of a test mule for Ferrari’s California replacement show similar proportions, and a matching layout for the quad-exhaust tips. Also, there is no mistaking the suggestion of cut lines for what would be the California's retractable hardtop. The overall impression is of a more aggressive design than the current car, with cues taken from recent arrivals to the Ferrari line-up -- the FF four-seater, F12 Berlinetta and coming LaFerrari flagship.Specification details for the next California are still some way off -- and we'll know more closer to its estimated global debut at the Geneva motor show in March. But it’s thought the car will come with a twin-turbocharged V8 engine, with an F1-inspired KERS system possibly added to help boost power without incurring an emissions penalty.www.motorauthority.com 

... rival the prices on the BMW options' list for things like salad and spuds.So it's no surprise that the top end of town calls the shots at the Palexpo alongside Geneva Airport as Europe's carmakers go head-to-head for the first time in 2012. Ferrari and Lamborghini battle for go-faster bragging rights as Rolls-Royce and Bentley get serious about family motoring for the ultra-rich, while Infiniti pitches an new exotic coupe and even Ssangyong of Korea goes upmarket with a new concept. There are also dozens of one-off dream machines and hotrod tuner cars in Geneva, a show that is traditionally dominated by European design stars including Pininfarina and Giugiaro. But there is plenty, too, for ordinary car buyers as the Fiesta ST brakes cover, Hyundai updates the i20 and teases with the Veloster Turbo, Jaguar confirms an XF station wagon, Audi and Mercedes-Benz previews their A3 and A-Class, and Ford even updates its box-boring Transit workhorse. Picking the best of the best is tough with so much gorgeous stuff on the stands, but Alfa Romeo is the winner for 2012 and edges out the Infiniti Emerge-E with its Disco Volante.The pretty little red coupe is dreamy without being stupid and is already confirmed for production, although the slightly-retro body will be draped over Alfa's existing 8C Competizione chassis - 4.7-litre V8, 335kW, 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds - which means it's no chance for Australia with only left-hand drive.The Ferrari F12 is exactly what you expect from the fastest car to wear the badge - 340km/h and 0-100km/h in 3.1 seconds - including a swoopy body that taps the past as well as the influences that created the California convertible, but Lamborghini goes even better with an Aventador J preview car that is snapped up for a rumoured $2.8 million ahead of genuine production of an open-topped Aventador supercar.Rolls-Royce updates the Phantom with a new nose that still demands respect, as well as tweaking its colour choices with a two-tone approach that triggers memories of cheap seventies vinyl roofs, and Jaguar gets serious for families with an XF Sportbrake that will still struggle in a world of SUVs.Further down the food chain, the Audi A3 looks good but not as edgy as an A-Class that must break away from the bus pass generation into something closer to the Y-Gen futurists, and Volkswagen previews a more car-like Tiguan crossover with its Cross Coupe.Hyundai has a preview of a new flagship coupe called the i-oniq - did it mean ironic? - Kia shows a Track'ster that will become the new Soul, Honda shows the CR-V design that's coming to Australia, and the pocket rocket Ford Fiesta ST breaks cover with a confirmation for Australia.The action and excitement at Geneva goes on and on, and that is - really - the best thing about the show. Detroit in January hinted that the word's carmakers are finally emerging from the austerity and fear of the global financial crisis and the big-spending effort in Geneva confirms it, with good news for almost everyone from Euro billionaires to ordinary Aussie families.PG PICKS:1. Bentley EXP 9 F.Only one word fits - Ugly. With a big capital U. The hulking British bulldog might tick the boxes for cashed-up families, but this SUV makes a LandCruiser look elegant, and subtle.2. Giugiaro Brivido.Exactly what you expect to see in Geneva, as designers go all-out to impress the crowds - and each other. Not for production but a great looker with huge gullwing doors.3. Range Rover Evoque Convertible. A certainty for production as Land Rover milks its most successful design - ever. This one will never go bush but is being fast tracked for Double Bay and Toorak.4. Ssangyong XIV-2. Who knew the South Koreans could trump the Euros with a design that combines SUV practicality with a coupe-convertible body? A big surprise.5. Toyota FT-Bh: Just when you thought the uglies were done, Toyota lobbed with this. If it's the future for hybrid cars then sales will be slow. Very slow.

The droptop baby is losing weight and getting more power and more cornering grip with the creation of the California Handling Speciale, which will also bridge the considerable gap to the hard-edged 458 Italia.  The California HS is just about to go public at the Geneva motor show and the first owners will get their cars in Australia before the end of the year. They will be paying more for the car than the $459,650 of the regular model, just as Ferrari charged more for the HGTE package on the V12-engined 599, although no-one in Australia has the details.  "Yes, there will be an additional charge for this car as it is a different variant. As to what that price will be, it is too early to say," says Ferrari spokesman, Edward Rowe.  Work on the HS includes an extra 22 kiloWatts through exhaust and computer map changes, a 30 kilogram weight cut, magnetically-controlled dampers with faster controls, and sharper steering thanks to a 10 per cent quicker steering rack. There are also more paint colours.  Ferrari claims the bottom line is a reduced 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds and more driver enjoyment.  "The changes are to ensure that the California maintains its lead over its rivals and to introduce new technological solutions as they become available. They broaden the appeal of the California as well maintaining its performance edge over its opposition," says Rowe.  "It's as it was with the 599 HGTE, which provided a similar more aggressive version of the 599 for customers looking for a sharper performance edge."  The California is now Australia's favourite Ferrari, although there is a waiting list of close to two years for the 458. It has also brought new owners to the brand because of things like the boot space and two-plus-two cabin.  "The California has brought new customers to the brand, 70 per cent in Australia and similar figures around the world, and provides owners with a car that can easily be used as an everyday car." Apart from the California HS, Ferrari has just begin deliveries of the all-new FF and the first 458 Spiders arrive towards the middle of the year.  In Europe, Ferrari is close to the unveiling of the replacement for its V12-powered 599 and the car should reach Australia in 2013. The Italian brand has lifted the pace of change across its lineup and is promising its first hybrid model soon, as well as an all-new supercar - the successor to the Enzo - before 2014 and the sharper-edged 458 Stradale models based on the company's race cars.

The new convertible Ferrari California certainly has its heart in the right place, and set more than a few into palpitations when it was revealed in the flesh this morning for the first time in Aus

Michael Schumacher just can't leave Ferrari alone. The retired racer has been back in action in the Italian team's latest Formula One racer this year and has now logged seat time in the road-going California convertible, which he drove at Ferrari's F1 test track, Fiorano. Schuey compared notes with the company's regular test drivers, Dario Benuzzi and Raffaele De Simone. As the car continues down the road to full-scale production, testing has already revealed a 0-100km/h sprint time better than four seconds. Not surprisingly, Schumacher had good things to say about the car — which is already a sellout for next year in Australia — after testing every recent Ferrari road car including his personal Enzo supercar. “As with the 430 Scuderia, taking part in the project since the very beginning has been really fascinating and great fun,” he says. “Though the cars are very different, both offer unique driving pleasure because of the inherently sporty character of all of the cars that come out of Maranello. The 430 Scuderia is, of course, a more extreme model that focuses on cutting-edge performance. “However, though the Ferrari California is very much a grand tourer in terms of its usability and high level of interior comfort, it is still surprisingly sporty and fun to drive under all conditions.”