Ferrari California

Ferrari California , the first coupe-cabrio built in Maranello is an extremely innovative Ferrari, powerful and elegant, but also comfortable and versatile, a car to be driven every day. And with sporty ‘genes’, irrevocably tied to the brand, and its unusual flexibility that upholds the best GT tradition.

The muscular, but nonetheless streamlined, sleek styling of the California is another result of the lasting collaboration with Pininfarina, focusing attention on the proportions of the volumes to create a car that is balanced and harmonious, whether the roof is open or closed. The stylistic definition of the model, which was developed jointly with the Ferrari Style Department, examined every part of the car in detail, achieving a strong sense of quality and craftsmanship. “In January 2005,” said Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman of Pininfarina S.p.A., “Ferrari asked us to work on the styling for a completely new product, which would be an important chapter in the long-term collaboration between our two companies. The brief envisaged the development of a ‘berlinetta’ with a mid-front 8-cylinder engine and ‘2+’ configuration, i.e. with a rear bench to seat one or two occupants, combined with a feature never seen before on a Ferrari: a retractable hardtop of aluminium panels that transforms the car from coupe to convertible and back in 14 seconds. Because we understood the stylistic difficulties posed by such a difficult feature, from the first styling proposals we opted for a classic set-up, with sculpted volumes, highlighted by tense, muscular surfaces, with plenty of references to the Ferrari brand identity.”

The side view is characterised by the powerful bonnet, which structurally balances the short tail end and rear cabin. A nerve, like a stretched tendon emphasises this optical effect, rising up to the door handles to outline the muscular wing. A series of concave surfaces visually lightens the masses compressed between the driving position and the rear wing, where the hardtop is stored when the roof is open. With a similar interplay of contrasting concave and convex surfaces, an air vent has been created level with the front wing, a classic graphic and functional element on numerous Ferrari models of the past.

The front develops some of the ideas expressed by the side, harmoniously alternating concave and convex volumes. To balance the rear end, the wings and the vertical light clusters rest on the concave surfaces. The shape of the reflector, in which the LEDs are set like precious stones, blends style and practicality. The front view repeats a number of styling elements that have always been part of the Ferrari brand identity: the fender with the grille and slender vent at the centre of the bonnet are specific references to the 250 GT “California” of 1957. “However, the real leitmotif,” explained Lowie Vermeersch, Design Director at Pininfarina, “is sculpture as a functional element. Our goal was not to lose the sculpted aspect of the car at the rear end with the roof stowed away, but to maintain a good balance between full and empty volumes, to create a car that was functional and strong, but also smooth and romantic.” The sides meet up at the rear, creating a compact, muscular tail. Like those at the front, the round single-light LED light clusters are set directly into the edge of the boot, a technical device that gave us greater freedom when shaping the surfaces. Other original elements include the exhaust tail-pipes, which are paired and vertical, and the line of the boot, which descends to the bumpers to increase practicality.

 

For futher information: http://www.ferraricalifornia.com/webapp/