2012 FERRARI CALIFORNIA

ENGINE 4297CC/V8/QOHC POWER 453bhp@7750rpm TORQUE 358lb ft@5000rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 193mph 0-60MPH 4sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 13-18mpg TRANSMISSION RWD, seven-speed auto MOT 12 months on sale ODOMETER 28,050 miles

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

Ferrari’s first front-engined V8 – and its first with an electric folding hard-top – was controversial at launch. The engine fires up immediately on the press of the starter button and while it takes a while to get up to temperature it idles evenly. The temperature and oil pressure gauge needles sit firmly in the middle of their dials once everything has warmed up and don’t move from their marks, even when the cooling fans kick in. The California gets into gear with a single pull of the right-hand shift paddle and pulls seamlessly through its ratios. Wide tyres make the car feel skittish and tramline a lot on uneven road surfaces but not uncontrollably. The automated manual gearbox works best in automatic mode, the throttle always feeling responsive and accompanied with a ready V8 howl, though the gearbox has a habit of overriding the driver unexpectedly and choosing to change gear unprompted in manual Sport mode.

BODYWORK CHECK

The exterior is spotless with no scuffs, dents or corrosion.

The alloy wheels are unmarked and the Pirelli P-zero tyres have plenty of tread left.

HOW’S THE INTERIOR?

The frameless windows drop correctly when the door is opened to equalise air pressure and snap back up when closed. The interior is almost completely unmarked apart from a slight scratch that’s visible on the centre console. The leather on the driver’s side outer bolster is starting to wrinkle, too, but there’s no danger of it drying out and splitting just yet. The roof electronics all work, including the alarm going off (and the mechanism refusing to work) if you attempt to operate it while the car is in motion.

UNDER THE BONNET

It’s similarly clean under the bonnet although much of it is obscured with plastic and the paint on the engine block’s Ferrari badge is faded and pitted. The service history is faultless; here are just 28k miles recorded, it’s had four owners since 2012 and every mile has been accounted for in both continuous MOT test certificates and regular servicing at Ferrari specialist SBR. More than £2k was spent on overhauling its suspension last year.

THE CCW VIEW

The classic market has yet to pigeonhole the California, so it’s a good time to find a nice one to cherish. This thriving breed is closing in on 20 years old so it’s only a matter of time before it gets evaluated retrospectively. The last normally aspirated V12 Ferraris are already sought-after and this last of the non-turbo V8s has similar appeal at a much lower price – in this case pretty much in the middle of the F149’s value spread. And yet its combination of low miles, fastidious ownership and great condition means that it’ll be sought-after should the market suddenly shift. Sam Dawson

EXTERIOR

Immaculate paintwork

INTERIOR

Hard to fault

MECHANICALS

V8 drivetrain seems healthy