Photos from the Ferrari California Presentation at Maranello and Los Angeles

Last night more than 2,000 special guests on both sides of the Atlantic witnessed the world premiere of the new Ferrari California. At the private airport of Santa Monica, where the US-American presentation was held, Ferrari actually auctioned off the first California for a whopping $520,000 with all proceeds going to charity. Such an event in California couldn’t be done without the presence of Conan the Governor aka Arnold Schwarzenegger and of course the usual celebrities including Brittny Gastineau, an actress and model we've never heard about but wouldn't mind getting acquainted with. -Continued

On the other side of the pond, the drop-top California was presented at Maranello in Italy by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo, together with the Scuderia Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, who drove the car inside the new factory building and of course, Michael Schumacher who was involved in the development of the new GT.

Ferrari to Perform World Premiere of California in Maranello and Los Angeles today

For the first time in the Prancing Horse's history, Ferrari will perform the world debut of a new model, the 2009 California, simultaneously at its headquarters in Maranello and Los Angeles while enthusiasts will be able to watch the event live on the company’s dedicated website at www.ferraricalifornia.com from 22.00 Italian time or 16.00 EST for those living in the States. The presentation, which comes ahead of the California’s official unveiling at the Paris Show in October, will be watched by more than 1,000 special guests from all over the world inside Ferrari’s new production line building designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, in Maranello. -Continued

In addition to President Luca di Montezemolo, the event will also be attended by the Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa while Michael Schumacher will also be on hand, having been involved since the early stages in the development of the Ferrari California

Here in the States, Ferrari’s new model that sports a front mounted 8-cylinder engine and a retractable folding hard top, will be presented at Santa Monica Private Airport, just outside Los Angeles during a ceremony attended by a further 1,000 invited guests from all over the American continent.

Ferrari California Photo Shoot in San Francisco

Seems like Ferrari has already begun taking its new California coupe-cabriolet out on the streets for the standard commercial / media photo shoots. These photographs, courtesy of Flickr member “Thomas-Pix”, were taken from the Vesuvio’s second floor at the corner of Columbus and Broadway in San Francisco's Barbary Coast area of North Beach. The all-new Ferrari California features an electric folding hardtop and is powered by a front-mounted 4.3-liter V8 engine delivering 460HP. The California will make its official debut at the Paris Show in early September with sales set to start in early 2009. -More pics after the jump

Via: Flickr

Schumi Completes Development Tests on Ferrari California

Seven times Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher might have left the paddocks but he still continues to be actively involved with the development of all Ferrari models, and the new California that’s due to be unveiled at the Paris International Motor Show in October is no exception. See what Schumi had to say about the California and how it compares against the 430 Scuderia right after the jump. -Continued

“I have to say that, as with the 430 Scuderia, participating in the project since the very beginning has been really fascinating and great fun,” commented Schumacher at the end of a test session at the Fiorano circuit.

“Although the cars are very different, they both offer absolutely unique driving pleasure because of the inherently sporty character of all of the cars that come out of Maranello. The 430 Scuderia is, of course, a more extreme model with a focus on absolutely cutting-edge performance. However, although the Ferrari California is very much a Grand Tourer in terms of its usability and high level of interior comfort, it is still surprisingly sporty and fun to drive under any kind of conditions.”

Schumacher also explained the differences between the 430 Scuderia and the California: “They were designed to meet different requirements: the 430 Scuderia is aimed at drivers who want the very essence of a Ferrari and will get it out on the track as often as they can.

“The Ferrari California, on the other hand, is designed for everyday use and for weekends away whilst still guaranteeing all of the emotional impact that only an authentic Ferrari can deliver.”

Video: Ferrari California Stars in Gran Turismo 5

Ferrari has released yet another video of the all-new California Coupe-Cabriolet on its dedicated website. However this time, the Ferrari California is shown racing around various locations in the computer animated world of Sony’s Gran Turismo 5 video game. Could this mean that the new California will make an appearance in one of the forthcoming updates of the GT5 Prologue series or even the actual Gran Turismo 5? Hard to say since there’s no official announcement, but we’ll keep you posted on the matter for any future developments. -Video after the jump

Via: Worldcarfans

Video: Ferrari California’s Foldable Hardtop in Action

Bit by bit Ferrari is releasing more details and info on its new California 2+ coupe-cabriolet model. This time the Italian sports carmaker has revealed a short video displaying the California’s retractable hardtop that can be deployed or retracted in just 14 seconds. Video after the jump. -Continued

Via: Autoblog.it

Ferrari California Fully Exposed

While Ferrari had us glued on their dedicated California website waiting for the countdown to end in order to see more pictures of their hardtop convertible, at the same time the Italian sports carmaker gave German car magazine “Autobild” full access to the newest member of the Prancing Horse family. Not very “internety” of them, to say the least.

The new images give us our first view of the California’s interior which looks very similar in design to the one found in the more upscale Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. Kinda toyish and far from the elegant cabins featured in the Ferraris of the past if you want our opinion. -More images after the jump

Pics Via: Autobild

Ferrari California Stradale Study

While the newest model from Ferrari’s stable has yet to hit the road, fans of the Italian marque are already speculating on special edition versions, and in the case of the guys at CGI Automotive, they’ve even come up with a rendering of a sportier edition that could bear the Mondial or Stradale nametag among other choices. We don’t know if this artist’s rendering has anything to do with reality, but we too believe that in the near future Ferrari will proceed to the development of an even sportier variant of the coupe-cabriolet California.

Source: CGI , Via: WFC

Ferrari California Coupe-Cabriolet: New Image Gallery with Top Up

Continuing the stream of information on the new California GT, Ferrari has released more details and photographs of its 2+ convertible, including pictures of the retractable hardtop closed. Needless to say, the California looks sensual enough either way. Ferrari also informed us that when the roof is up, the 4.3-liter V8-powered GT boasts a boot capacity of 360-litres while when its down, storage space is reduced to 260-litres. Moreover, for the first time on a Prancing Horse car, the boot and cabin communicate directly, allowing a choice of luggage configurations to be used. -Continued

The Italian carmaker also announced that President Luca di Montezemolo put the California through its paces over several laps at the Fiorano circuit. Here’s what he said:

“I am very satisfied indeed with the work that the women and men of Ferrari have done,” declared Luca di Montezemolo. “The California is an extraordinary car and I was delighted with the performance, comfort and driving pleasure it delivered. The California is, like all of our models, the epitome of cutting-edge innovation. Its gearbox, suspensions and chassis are the most advanced possible.”

“This is the first dual-purpose Spider/Coupé with a retractable hard top that closes in just 14 seconds. Despite its extraordinary performance, the California 2+ is also exceptionally easy to drive and has a space behind the front seats that makes it supremely flexible in terms of usage.”

Video: Ferrari California with V8 Symphony

Since we still have some time before Ferrari unleashes a driving video of its all-new California 2+ GT, we decided to download the official teaser clip and garnish it with the scrumptious sounds of its 460Hp 4.3-liter V8 engine. The California, that’s equipped with an electric folding hard top, will make its debut at the Paris motor show in autumn 2008 with first customer cars expected to be delivered in early 2009. –Video after the jump