Ferrari California NZ Launch

**nz_alfa** · December 2nd, 2009 09:47 AM

November 28, 2009

The official release of the Ferrari California in New Zealand. Only took them half a year to get here. The launch itself was a spectacular event with Continental Car Services/Euromarque (the Alfa, Fiat, Citroen, Maserati and now Ferrari dealership) brought in 2 Californias, 2 F430, 1 550 Maranello and about half a dozen Maserati GTs and Quattroportes for the event. Invited were the perspective buyers as well as the admiring public.
When they first unveiled the California It was just 'WOW!' What an amazing looking car. Pictures just don't do it justice. The California looks about x10 better in the metal than it does in these pics. That low, wide swoopy nose and that high and big J-Lo-esque rear.
The interior is of the highest quality as well. I haven't seen craftsmanship like that in the Cali since I last saw the inside of my Aston. And the smell is suberb. If richness and expensive had a scent, it would smell like the California. It actually does smell like NZ$493k. The interior is easy to use and ergonomically, its brilliant. The big screen is easy to navigate through and the GPS looks amazing and the voice control is surprisingly good.
Then there's the engine. Wow what a machine. 4.7L V8. 460 BHP 0-100 in under 4 seconds. It sounds great too. It sounds different to the infamous crackle made by Ferrari V8s of old. The California's is a lot lower and more restrained which suits its GT character. The DCT gearbox is top notch as well. In Auto the gear changes are smoother than the F430's F1 system and in manual mode, they're quick and responsive. The handling is.. well there are no words to describe it.
While I was test driving it, it really was like falling in love. From the second I pressed the start button to the folding of the metal folding roof. Everything about the California is perfect. The seats, the engine, the noise, the power, the practicality, the gearbox, the sat-nav. The only thing wrong is the price. $493k is $100k more than the DB9 Volante. It is 57k less than the DBS Volante though. I really am thinking hard about buying one. I dont care if I have to sell my Lambo and 550 to buy it, but I want one for summer.

**nz_alfa** · December 2nd, 2009 09:50 AM

more pics

**nz_alfa** · December 2nd, 2009 09:52 AM

**mqavila2** · December 2nd, 2009 10:03 AM

That is freakin' awesome!!

**nz_alfa** · December 2nd, 2009 06:00 PM

Oh crickey its awesome. One of the best and most beautiful things I've ever seen. The stacked tailpipes are bit showy and useless but utterly cool.

**actor21** · December 12th, 2009 05:03 PM

i like the LP640 better..but then again i can't afford either of the two hehehe..*nz_alfa what's your lambo?

**nz_alfa** · December 13th, 2009 10:17 AM

It's a 2004 Gallardo. I've been thinking long and hard about selling it and the Fezza too. Just too expensive to look after and running out of room to store them. But then again I don't want to sell because no one is buying those kind of cars at the moment so if I sell they'll be cheap as chips.

But I do agree. I prefer the LP640, but here in NZ they're very hard to come across and when you do find one they're biblically expensive.

**actor21** · December 17th, 2009 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by nz_alfa

It's a 2004 Gallardo. I've been thinking long and hard about selling it and the Fezza too. Just too expensive to look after and running out of room to store them. But then again I don't want to sell because no one is buying those kind of cars at the moment so if I sell they'll be cheap as chips.

But I do agree. I prefer the LP640, but here in NZ they're very hard to come across and when you do find one they're biblically expensive.

wow you're a rich dude! i can only dream of having a lambo, maybe a camaro someday but importing one would result to a price jump from 25k US Dollars to 74k+ US Dollars for a V6 hahaha..

i always love the LP640 it's my ultimate dream car...i need to win the lotto jackpot 3times to be able to buy one hahahaha

**nz_alfa** · December 17th, 2009 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by actor21

wow you're a rich dude! i can only dream of having a lambo, maybe a camaro someday but importing one would result to a price jump from 25k US Dollars to 74k+ US Dollars for a V6 hahaha..

i always love the LP640 it's my ultimate dream car...i need to win the lotto jackpot 3times to be able to buy one hahahaha

not rich, just lucky. =D i would love a camaro as well but sadly NZ is right-hand drive and Chevys aren't very common so they'd be hard to look after. wow three times!?!?!?! How much is a LP640 over there and the lotto jackpot? There's a used one at the Lambo dealership in Auckland for NZD595k. Not sure how much that is in Peso.