The 7 Speed Gearbox

The Ferrari California offered a number of firsts upon its debut in 2008. A retractible hardtop. A front-engine V8. A dual-clutch 7-speed transmission, for those seamless gear changes. And as a result of this transmission it presents at least one last: The last Ferrari to offer a manual gearbox. It's a natural classic, all good looks and serious performance, and it's got a foot in the present and the past.

The California is a "2+," a two-door with what we'll all agree to call two ass-holders in what we'll all agree to call the "backseat." Which puts it in the class of "grand tourer," a fine distinction for a car that really does look like it just wants to get on the road and stay there. Oh, and you're of course invited to come along.

With 2+ Seating, Hmm

Its link to the past is right there in the name -- the California is so named for the 250 GTs that awed a 20th-century world in the late '50s. You'll remember the most famous dignitary of the 250 series as the car in the 1986 John Hughes classic "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." That was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California, one of few than a hundred cars (as noted by Cameron). (The car in the movie was a replica, not an actual 250, because if it had been, Ferrari enthusiasts would have burned down Hollywood had Hughes actually destroyed one of the rare beauties.)

So the new series, which could just as easily have been called the "Utah" or the "Connecticut," adopts the name of that 50-year-old classic and lays in all the new gadgetry of this, the modern era. Performance is turn-of-the-century, too: zero to 60 in a shade under four seconds, a top speed of 193 mph, and due to long hours in a wind tunnel, the most aerodynamic car Ferrari's ever built.

It's Not Just Nice

But in the canon of Ferrari's aggressively powerful cars, the California has already gotten a bit of a rep for being nice. It's lovely, but not shockingly so. Very fast but in a controlled way. And while the front end brings to mind, say, a dignified Aston-Martin, the rear gets a lot of grief for being a bit too big.

But Ferrari was serious when it decided to build a car that could perform but could also fit a small child (say, the child of your mistress) in the back seat. A little something for everyone, it seems. Everyone who has $230,000 and a wish to take your best normal-sized friend and your best small friends for an exhilarating trip.

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Ferrari F430 0-60 in 4 Seconds

On a pretty regular basis, Ferrari makes its new Best Car Ever. Right now there's maybe some debate over which one this is, but one of the candidates is the F430. It's been around since 2004 since it can be properly called "venerable," even if the coming of the 458 Italia has in some ways outshone the 430.

Rest assured it is the Best Car Ever. It followed the 360, considered still by many the Best Car Ever too. Really it's all in what you want. The F430 is a beautiful machine, almost friendly-looking in a way that the 458 Italia really isn't. The F430 carries a lot of DNA from previous Best Car Evers. The tail lights and vents, the racing profile of its low front-end. The V8! The fact that it comes in a variety of flavors, convertible and coupe, fast and faster. Best and bester.

Ferrari F430 Race or Sport

It's a matter of taste and choice, which you won't necessarily get with some of Ferraris more exotic exotics. Your basic F430 will run 0-60 in four seconds and reach top speeds of 193 mph or more. "More" if your F430 of choice is the Scuderia, which is lighter and faster and meant to run against the really super supercars. At some point, as you see, adjectives start becoming meaningless.

Suffice to say the F430 takes care of a lot of the thinking for you, so you can sit back and drive. From steering to brakes to engine and handling, you've got choices, but once they're made ("race" or "sport?"), leave it to the car. If you choose the Spider convertible, bear in mind that because there's no roof, the frame is reinforced with strengthening bars and so on, and all the weight scotches its handling a touch. Still, it's nearly as fast as the hardtop.

Ferrari F430 Spider or Hardtop

The engine sits behind the driver, under glass. It's a refined way to drive, a loud vibrating ham of a motor that roars behind your head and can be seen to vibrate as you take it up to speed. All these wonderful qualities can be broadly defined as "familiar." From the 360 to the F430 and on to the really excellent 458, you're always talking about the Best Car ever.

There's always something new under the sun. It's always fast, often red, and sometimes has no top. Its name changes, and it improves, but it's always the Best. It's evolution we're talking about here, and to ask which is the best of the Best Ferrari is to ask which animal is the best. You sort of have to pick the one you like, because it's here now. But always moving.

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Mark A Cella and the Ferrari 250 cc Grand Touring Sport Coupe for Competition

Before the Berlinetta or Sport Coupe, is the Ferrari 250 GTO. What made the GTOs strong were the record braking V12 GT racing engines. GTO, or Gran Turismo Omologato, translated from Italian, meaning Grand Touring Homologated, and homologated is Official Agreement. 250 is the measurement of cubic centimeters inside each cylinder.

Mark A Cella's Official Agreement is the 250 is all Race

The SWB was built from 1953 to 1964 and really put Ferrari in the limelight. It became Ferrari's most successful car line of that time. It was their first all wheel disc brake vehicle. One model was their first four seater. Its V12 engine weighed about half as much as the competition's. The higher tuned ones hammered up to 280bhp at 7,000 rpm. They had a four speed manual tranny, all of which exploded the car to more victories then I can list, here's just a few:

The first four places in its class at the 1960 Le Mans 24 hour race, leaving Chevy and Aston Martin far in its dust. With three consecutive Tour de France wins, taking the first three places at the 1960 Tour de France, 5500 km race. Later that season the SWB won outright, at Goodwood when Sterling Moss lapped the entire field in it, making it the second consecutive win. Then in England, Monza in Italy, Spa, Nurburgring, and Monthlery.

The Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione weighed in at only 2,314 lbs., giving it a very high power to weight ratio. Top speed was approximately 152 mph, and 0-60 was done it 6.2 sec. Great numbers for this era.

Mark A Cella Officially Agrees One of the Greatest Ferraris of all Time

Enthusiasts envied the fact that owners of this car could show up, unpack and race in the same unmodified car, occasionally changing tires. The only thing necessary was to paste on numbers. The competition models were lighter and had 30-40 more horsepower, regardless of which one you were in other manufacturers didn't stand a chance.

Sports Car Intl placed it as their 7th Top Sports Car of the 60's. Motor Trend voted it 5th on their top ten Greatest Ferraris of all time and Mark Cella rated it first place on his list of top Muscle Cars of the 60's. It leads over his 67 Corvette Sting Ray and 3rd place 68 Chevrolet Camaro.

Learn more about Mark A Cella. Stop by Mark Cella's site where you can find out all about Mark A Cella and his work.

categories: ferrari 250 swb berlinetta,ferrari,exotic cars,sports cars,automobiles

Posted under Cars