Prestige And Sports Auto: The “Affordable” Ferrari

Ferrari’s figures show that 85 per cent of Ferrari owners go on to buy another Ferrari, which is one of the highest loyalty rates in the industry. And the new California T is expected to reinforce that trend, because it’s sales tag is around $400k.

Priced from $409,880 the California T is the most affordable model from Ferrari in almost a decade, when the 360 Modena was discontinued in 2005 priced from $369,500.

The circa $50,000 price reduction over the California it replaced – the California T gets a new body a new twin turbocharged engine – will be enough to make it the most popular model from the brand, according to Ferrari Australasia president and CEO Herbert Appleroth.

There’s a good chance it will be the biggest selling Ferrari ever,” said Appleroth. “Already the popularity is overwhelming.”

He said by the end of June he expected a 12 month waiting list on the California T, with the model expected to boost Ferrari sales; so far this year the brand’s sales are down 26 per cent but the arrival of the California T is planned to boost full-year sales up by 10 per cent.

Appleroth describes the California T as the most “everyday” Ferrari ever produced, something that boosts its appeal because it is the “right car for the right time … it’s not ostentatious, it’s stylish, it’s ergonomically functional…”

Powered by a 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8, the new FerrariCalifornia T produces 412kW of power, which is significantly up on the 338kW of the 4.3-litre non-turbo V8 California it replaces. But it’s the jump in torque – a 56 per cent jump from 485Nm to 755Nm – thanks to the turbochargers that promise the most marked improvements to everyday driving.

All that power is fed through a seven-speed twin clutch automatic gearbox.

And, being a Ferrari, performance is high on the agenda, with the folding hard-top four-seater claimed to blast to 100km/h in just 3.6 seconds on the way to a top speed of 316km/h.