LOS ANGELES, Jan 25 — Ferrari says it has overhauled the California’s suspension setup, developed new springs, addressed the shock absorbers, reprogrammed the transmission and even added a new exhaust in the pursuit of making the car more driver focused.
Like all cars sporting the prancing horse emblem, the standard California T is no slouch. It goes, metal folding roof up or down, from 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 315km/h. That means that in a straight line, there is very, very little out there with a soft top and a 2+2 seating arrangement that can pass it.
However, unlike its brethren, the California was conceived as a GT rather than a true supercar and one aimed directly at clients on the west coast of the US. It’s a car for long, straight boulevards dappled by guaranteed sunshine and where the smoothness of the ride quality is a priority, even in a supercar.
The US continues to be Ferrari’s biggest single market, but in its most recent financial figures, published at the start of the year, Britain, a country famous for its twisty roads and infamous for its weather, has cemented itself in third place, just behind China, a position it has held for much of this decade.
The HS option is designed therefore to put a smile on the faces of northern European drivers who are lucky if they ever get the chance to drive their California with the roof down. It sacrifices some of this smoothness, particularly when the steering wheel-mounted switch is in the sport mode — much of what accounts for handling, certainty and poise comes down to rigidity, stiffness and reduced body roll — but in return, owners will find that this car’s gear changes are even more responsive, and that it can go into and come out of bends much more quickly, whatever the weather.
The new exhaust system delivers a unique note as that increases in intensity as the engine revs closer to the limit, so the perfect soundtrack for traveling on the most twisting of canyon roads.
And to ensure that the car looks as well as handles differently, Ferrari has changed the California’s front grille to something slightly more aggressive and has redefined the rear diffuser too. The exhaust pipes sport a matte finish and the center console carries a plaque warning passengers that this is the HS edition.
More details, including pricing, will be announced at the Geneva Motor Show. — AFP-Relaxnews
Source: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/drive/article/ferraris-gt-car-for-sunnier-climes-to-get-handling-speciale-option#When:10:57:27Z
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