Ferrari California replacement takes shape

Ferrari is readying a replacement for the California. According to our sources, the new supercar will be shown at the Geneva Motor Show 2014.

The new model will usher in  turbo-charging to mainstream Ferraris, with the new car set to be powered by a 552bhp version of a new Ferrari-designed and built twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 engine first used in the Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli models.

Test mules indicate that there is still work to be done on the California replacement (its real name is still unknown), but Autocar understands Ferrari dealers are already taking pre-orders for the model with deliveries scheduled for May, just two months after its debut.

The styling of the coupé-convertible is understood to have been heavily influenced by the Ferrari F12, particularly at the front, although the shape of the headlights are said to be borrowed from the 458 Italia.  At the rear of the car, the height has been reduced slightly, although this visual effect is apparently heightened on the production car by some clever lines. The retractable hard-top roof remains. For the interior, the cabin is also said to have had an overhaul. A new-look dashboard and a completely new multimedia system are among the upgrades.

The 552bhp, direct-injection turbo V8 is adapted from its 523bhp form in the Quattroporte. Our source reported a louder exhaust note than that of the normally aspirated V8 found in the current California. A V6 engine option was understood to be under consideration at one stage, but plans for this have now been dropped.

Ferrari wants to reduce output of the California replacement by around 500 units per year as part of its plans to limit production to improve exclusivity but without harming profits.  Once order books officially open at Geneva, customers are likely to have to wait more than a year for delivery, with initial production preserved for pre-orders.

The price of the California replacement is understood to be the same as that of the current model.