► We drive Ferrari’s California T HS
► Swifter gearbox, sharper suspension
► No Speciale, but an improvement
‘There’s always going to be a worst song on the album no matter how great they all are,’ an exasperated Johnny Ramone once said about End of the Century, the long player the New York punk quartet made with punctilious pop Svengali Phil Spector. It’s a maxim that can be applied to everything from trilogy films to Ferraris. But not Ramones songs, which all sound exactly the same.
The California is not Ferrari’s best car, but it’s a good car. To compare it with the vastly more expensive 488 is to miss the point. It’s a Mercedes SL or Aston rival designed to pull in new (and often female) customers to the brand. But what if, having been welcomed to the Ferrari family, you want something more, a stepping-stone to the mid-engined car you might get further down the road?
That’s where the Handling Speciale pack comes in. This isn’t a Speciale in the mould of the 458 with the same name. There are no changes to the lag-free twin-turbo V8, no changes to the hefty 1730kg kerbweight.
What you do get is a set of springs stiffened by 16% at the front and 19% at the back, retuned magnetic dampers (normally a £3168 option anyway), and a swifter gearshift.
The HS pack on the old naturally aspirated California was a brutal affair. Stiffer suspension and a quicker steering rack ramped up the agility, but the ride comfort was left behind with that handful of spare bolts you always seem to finish up with whenever you tinker with cars. The trade wasn’t worth it.
This one is better judged. A new exhaust releases 3db more roar across the rev range, setting the scene from the moment you push the starter button. More advanced dampers help retain the civility at urban speeds, but there’s a noticeable improvement in body control when you start to draw hard on the engine’s 552bhp. It still feels like a big machine, but the even weight distribution gives it a pleasing neutral balance that you can really exploit if you switch out the rather cautious stability system using the simple three-position manettino toggle.
At £5568 on top of the £155,460 price of a basic California T, the HS pack is actually a bit of a bargain in supercar terms, if not in real-world ones. You’ll pay over £40k more for a 488 Spider. But it’s not quite a no brainer. There’s more exhaust boom and slightly less compliance. The HS undoubtedly feels more exciting, more satisfying to drive quickly, but unless you’ve ever actually felt that lacking in the standard car, you’re probably still better off sticking with the regular version. Ferrari also says the HS pack can’t be retro-fitted to existing Californias.
Still, around one in five buyers went for the HS last time, and we’d be surprised if this much-improved version doesn’t account for a bigger slice of the pie. It’s still no 488 to drive, but some hits were always destined to go platinum.
The specs: Ferrari California T Handling Speciale
How much? £160,798 (inc £5568 for HS pack)
Engine: 3855cc 32v V8, 552bhp @ 7500rpm, 567lb ft @ 4750rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch, rear-wheel drive
Performance: 3.6sec 0-62mph, 196mph, 26.9mpg, 250g/km
Weight: 1730kg
On sale: Now
Love: Ferrari’s most benign car has a naughty streak
Hate: That we can’t stretch to a 488 Spider
Verdict: Not perfect but perfectly judged
Rating: ****
Read more from the May 2016 issue of CAR magazine
