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2017 Ferrari California T Handling Speciale First Drive

There was a time when snow, rain, and even thick traffic were higher up the list of Ferrari's enemies than Porsche. These were mostly weekend cars, but even wet roads would see them snugly tucked up in their heated garages, and not just because to avoid scrubbing muddy shoe prints out of the carpets. Some of them were difficult enough to handle in the dry, and slick pavement sure didn't make them any more tolerant. The hottest modern Ferraris still don't enjoy being stuck in heavy traffic. Not for any mechanical reasons, mind you. They just don't bother hiding their utter disregard for the mundane, or their disregard for a driver forcing them to endure it, because they feel it's beneath them. And it is. That's where the California came in. Launched in 2008, the retractable-hardtop convertible is the most approachable in the company's range. It was aimed at newly moneyed buyers who weren't saturated in supercar folklore and wanted the badge, but not necessarily all of that attitude. Some, but not all. There are those California buyers who want the convenience with a little more attitude and the trademark crankiness. So, as it did with the original California, Ferrari has added a Handling Speciale Package to the new turbocharged California T's repertoire. This $8,120 option turns the least expensive Ferrari into something that's stiffer and faster and more fun, and the trade-off is a slightly firmer ride, all the time. 30 percent of Ferrari buyers would be happier to dump some of the California T's comfy ride in favor of more grip and more crankiness. Ferrari has left the core of the California T's engine untouched, so the 3.9-liter, twin-turbo V8 still has 557 lb-ft of torque from 4,750 rpm and 553 horsepower at 7,500 rpm. Like on every California T, the engine's boost manager only lets you access 442 lb-ft in the first three gears, with each successive gear unlocking a little more torque until you reach seventh, where the maximum is available. This helps make the California T drivable and has the added benefit of flexibility once in the tall top gear. While that is all stock on the California T, the seven-speed dual-clutch Getrag gearbox is the first part of the car to receive the Handling Speciale treatment. Ferrari rewrote its software to make it shift more aggressively both up (30 percent quicker) and down (40 percent quicker), particularly in the car's two sportier driving modes.

Ferrari 812 Superfast roadster on the way next year?

We'll lay this rumor here as a marker and compare it to future events. In a thread on the Ferrari Chat forum anticipating the reveal of the Monza SP1 and SP2, Ferrari expert Marcel Massini stopped by a few weeks ago to write, "Just wait till the 812 S Spider comes out (with a folding roof similar to the Portofino)." We don't know where Massini got his information, but he comes with credentials. The Swiss resident has been called "the world's leading Ferrari historian," documenting the Italian carmaker in books and articles for more than 35 years, and in 2014 he debunked the story of a 250 GTO for sale for $63 million because he knows where each of the 39 remaining GTO's are parked. If there's an 812 Superfast convertible on the way, the question is whether it will be another severely limited edition. Ferrari has lately been at its most restrained with V12 series production convertible models. The most recent was the F60 America, based on the F12 Berlinetta. That model was for the U.S. only, and Ferrari built 10. Before that, Ferrari made 80 examples of the 599 SA Aperta; this is the company that built 209 of the LaFerrari Aperta. The Ferrari 575M Superamerica, the first Ferrari with an electric hardtop, got 559 examples, and the brand made 448 models of the 550 Barchetta Pininfarina in 2001. You need to go back to the 1973 365 GTS/4 for the next-most-recent droptop V12. As for the roof mechanism, another forum member said he'd seen the car and the roof opens in the style of the mid-engined 488 Spider. On the Portofino, the entire rear decklid raises, the roof and backlight split in two, and a folding truss lays them upright in the trunk. The 488 roof also breaks in two, but it flips around hinges atop the B-pillar, resting upside down in a space above the engine. Mimicking the 488 for a front-engined GT would evoke the 575 Superamerica. That glass roof and backlight on that car were one piece that rotated around the B-pillar axis; when the roof was open, the underside of the roof was exposed. A bit of trivia: Leonardo Fioravanti designed the droptop 365 GTS and the roof mechanism for the 575 Superamerica. Yet another forum member said he attempted to place a deposit on a convertible 812S, but his dealer didn't know anything about the car, which isn't surprising. Related Video: Forum user gt_lusso wrote that the 812S Spider will come within 12 months.

Ferrari recalls 458 Italia because its trunk is a dangerous place to stow kids

Ferrari is recalling 3,000 458 Italia and Spider models and, believe it or not, it's not because they may catch fire. Nope, instead, the issue focuses on anyone that's unfortunate enough to become trapped in the Ferrari's perilously small frunk (front-mounted trunk).
Apparently, should someone find themselves trapped in the car's nose, the interior release handle only lets loose one of frunk's latches. That means that while anyone held captive by the V8-powered supercar won't be in danger of suffocating and will still be able to call for help, the cars are still ultimately in violation of federal safety mandates.
According to Uncle Sam, should someone become trapped in a trunk, like a child, they must be able to open the trunk from the inside and escape. That can't happen in the 458.