Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXIII

2 7 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I How does that equate to the road? It’s probably the most drivable Ferrari in the current range, as easy as a BMW or Audi to negotiate the urban jungle or inner city parking stations with feather-light steering. And unlike its sportier brothers, it offers great visibility over the shoulders as well as being the easiest to climb in and out from. It’s not as stiff or as focused as the 488 GTB but it’s not designed to be either, as one of the California T’s mandates is to attract new buyers to the brand who may not want the raw performance feel of the other two- seaters. And this it has achieved, with 70% of California T buyers being first time Ferrari owners. Thankfully, there’s not much turbo lag in the lower gears. Although it is noticeable, it’s not at the point of being annoying and while there’s more lag in the higher gears, you are rewarded with more urge without having to shift down or work the engine hard. Stab the throttle at 80 km/h and there's a slight pause before the turbos start doing their thing, but it's so brief that it's soon forgotten. There's plenty of sound, but it's a fatter, bassier resonance than we've come to expect from a V8 Ferrari. So in other words, it maintains the qualities of a fine grand tourer on the road, with response at higher revs being genuinely impressive. On the open road, the turbo V8 unleashes to deliver that exquisite Ferrari, high-pitched scream that sends shivers down your spine as it passes 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds and tops out at 315 km/h. Ride comfort is astonishingly good, yet this car really is fun to hustle. The secret is its 53%weight bias, achieved by tucking the engine tight up against the front firewall and ballasting out back with a transaxle gearbox. So instead of ploughing out of turns like some big-front-engined GTs do, this one neutral-steers just like the 1950s racers it’s styled on. On paper, the California T does many of the same things its competitors do, and some of them do a few things better, but it carries a rich and more diverse history than the mainstream stereotypical red sports cars which carry the Prancing Horse badge.