VIDEO: Michael Schumacher saunters around 'Ring in Ferrari California
Click image above for high-res mini-gallery of MS and the California at the 'Ring
This past Sunday, Ferrari had its Racing Days event at the Nürburgring in Germany and after the customers got a chance to 'ring out their rides, company legend Michael Schumacher wheeled out the new Ferrari California and put it through its paces. For those of you waiting to hear a lap time, don't hold your breath. The track was wet, the course was the F1 track, and the event was more of a meet-and-greet than a pedal-to-the-metal assault on the GT-R. This short YouTube clip by JurreAG will show you MS taking the California through the first few turns from a standing start near turn one. While you can clearly see that the car has some oomph, there aren't any real references for comparison or hard data for bragging/arguing/flaming yet. Sure does sound nice though, and it beats the last video clip we had of the car pretty much sitting still and posing for beauty shots. Check out the mini-gallery of stills below and the YouTube clip after the jump.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
FThorn 9:02AM (10/09/2008)
That side shot has such similar proportions to the Corvette. I like the California a lot.
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Chase 10:18AM (10/09/2008)
I agree... Its like a Corvette with a couple refrigerators tacked on as ballasts. The California weighs 4,200 lbs -- Corvettes are 3,200. Its a Ferrari, but its no sports car.
Allan 9:13AM (10/09/2008)
How the hell can you tell how nice it sounds? All I can hear it some stupid announcer speaking a language I don't know...
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Red 10:03AM (10/09/2008)
This car is not attractive in bright colors. That gunmetal, however, is decent, but it makes the wheels look extremely boring.
Still, gotta hand it to Ferrari for selling out of California's for the next two years :).
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rsfourever 10:08AM (10/09/2008)
it's wierd, this car just does not scream "ferrari" to me... i don't know what it is about it...
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gokartn 10:12AM (10/09/2008)
I am not a fan of the California. It is too similar is size and proportion to the Maserati Gran Turismo. Except it is not as classy. The Cali has too many creases and JC Whitney vents. I don't think Enzo would approve of the monster of a folding roof. It looks like the prancing horse has gone boulevard cruiser on us. At least they did not make a family truckster, like the idiots at Porsche.
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LMBVette 11:07AM (10/09/2008)
There is a reason it's the same size as the Maserati GT....because regardless of what Ferrari says...they're built on the same platform.
Peter De Lorenzo skewers the new California over on autoextremist.....and I agree with him.
I don't like the California...it does not look like a Ferrari to me.
Serge 10:15AM (10/09/2008)
I still don't understand why people think this car is ugly and bad???????
I find it to be very unique and beatiful, especially with the top down. Based on the specs this might just turn out to be the quickest hard top roadster in production today. I don't see how people were surprised when it sold out... seriously, people spend upwards of $100,000 on slow ass (relative to price and HP) overweight SL AMG Mercedes! Not to mention close to $100,000 for that FUGLY ass Toyota thing they call a roadster (more like a toadster). With that kind of competition this car seems like a real performance car, not a fashion statement.
I excluded the XLR because it actually looks cool and different (like a roadster is supposed to), besides the V has some serious perfomance for the price in the luxury hartop roadster class.
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stretchsje 10:33AM (10/09/2008)
It's not a real Ferrari because the engine is in the wrong place. That doesn't make it a bad car, but it's not a proper Ferrari. This car has more in common with a Jaguar XK, for example, than it does an F40.
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extinctdoughnut 10:53AM (10/09/2008)
You just made me stupider.
PauloBecker 10:38AM (10/09/2008)
I stopped reading at this point:
"the course was the F1 track"
Meh.
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tom 1:30PM (10/09/2008)
I would have liked to hear the exaust.
I love Ferrari, but my mind is not made up on this car yet.
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