CloseISUK, whilst you are enjoying the car, I would appreciate your observations on
Thanks!
Congrats Iain 
Very nice color combo; actually one of the best, at least for me 
I guess you wouldn't need to drive Maser anymore since this will be a perfect DD.
Enjoy it in good health.
ONUR 
09 Audi TTS Ibis
07 997 Carrera S / 05 M3 Coupe / 03 M3 Coupe / 96 M3 Coupe EVO (ALL BUT HISTORY)
Great combo! More photos would be appreciated
987 Boxster S, Arctic Silver with 'Martini Racing' Livery, H&R Monotube Coil-Overs, H&R Anti Roll Bars, Strut Brace, FVD ECU, BMC Air Filter, Sachs Racing Clutch, Single-Mass Flywheel, Recaro Racing Shells, PSE.
997 Carrera 4S, Guards Red, Bilstein PSS10 Damptronic, H&R Anti Roll Bars, IPD Plenum, Dension Gateway 500, PSE.
reginos:
ISUK, whilst you are enjoying the car, I would appreciate your observations on
- the ride comfort on various surfaces and speeds
- any noises emanating from the highly articulated vario roof
- the general refinement of the car
Thanks!
i have about 550mi on my new cali and can answer your questions:
ride comfort is excellent especially with the magnetorhelogial (sp?) shocks. comfort setting is good for poor quality roads. sport setting is great for smooth surfaces.
NO noise at all from the roof, closed or open. also NO flex in the chassis
tne cali is a great gt car that goes like the wind. quicker than the f430 and much more comfortable. the double clutch tranny is light years ahead of the old, clunky f1 tranny. seats are comfortable and supportive with adjustable bolsters in 2 locations as well as lumbar support that also adjusts 2 different ways. MUCH better that the seats in my porsche turbo which were excellent. the only problem with this car as a daily driver is all the attention it attracts!
I'd echo ignacio's comments. The Cali is a seriously underestimated car IMHO. It is extremely fast and very refined with no wind noise from the hard top. The noise of the car is fantastic 
The build quality is excellent as is the paint finish. I'm just impatient for the weather to get a little warmer so I can try it out roof down.
ISUK:
Very poor pic I took on Wednesday when I had all the cars out.
i want to add the fact that photograghs do not do justice to the california. in person , it does not give the impression of an overly large butt.
the long hood is quite graceful and dramatic, similiar to the 550.
the cali is quite comfortable but not at the expense of speed or performance. it is considerably quicker than my old 996 turbo. i should note that my old turbo could always keep up with and often overtake f430's.
the convertible hardtop give me a coupe the majority of the time but allows alfresco motoring on warm, sunny days. with the top down you can speak in a normal voice except when you accelerate!
nberry:
Iian, how is it possible that the Cali which weighs more and has less HP than the 430 is faster? I believe Ferrari's own test numbers refute your position.
excellent question.
first, here is the first instrumented road test:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/ca...ari-california
3.5 sec to 60 mph. motor trend got an identical result
road and track previously measured 0-60mph for the f 430 as 3.8 sec in jan, 2008, as noted in the road test summary.
i have 3 explanations:
first, the double clutch transmission is very quick. all porshe pdk equipped cars are quicker that the 6 speed models.
second, the cali's torque is 358 vs 343 for the f 430.
third, the california has an excellent launch control mode to go along with the double clutch tranny--20 msec shifts!
if you drove a california the numbers would not surprise you. it is surprisingly quick. i'm sure the 458 will be even quicker.
Nick,
I think Ferrari have been very conservative with their own performance figures for the Cali. They evidently didn't want to upset potential 430 spider buyers whilst both models were still on sale together. The real secret to the figures is the DCT box which gives zero lag on upshifts so no momentum (however small) is lost as the car accelerates.
You really need to rack up a longish trip of 100 plus miles in a Cali to really appreciate just how good a car it is. The handling dynamics are very different to 430 and the steering "feel" isn't as scalpel sharp but once you become familiar with it and your confidence in it's abilities grows you can really start to have some fun.
The advances made with this car bode well for the 458 spider. With a folding hardtop and DCT transmission that car is going to be fantastic
The Cali has been clocked by Quattroruote at 3.9s for the typical 0-100 km/h dash. The F430 clocked the same time but above that speed, the latter's way superior power/weight ratio makes a difference and the F430 is quicker. The 458 should be a beast!
--
FERRARI RULES!!!
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