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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Posted under Cars

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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Posted under Cars