‘Mainstream’ Ferrari drops V12 for turbo V8
It was inevitable — at least according to the competition that has already made the switch — that Ferrari would eventually have to produce some smaller displacement, turbocharged engines if it wanted to be competitive in the supercar horsepower race while still reducing fuel consumption and emissions as governments worldwide are demanding.
That it is the California — the “T” model introduced at the Geneva Motor Show — leading the charge is also hardly surprising. The California, though imbued with all the styling and technology that the Prancing Horse is famous for, is still its most mainstream product, the least likely to offend hardcore aficionados who still relish the sound and fury of the company ’s traditional normally aspirated engines.
Supplanting the prev ious 4. 3 - litre V8, the new 3,855-cc twin cam V8 pumps out an incredible 552 horsepower thanks to two great, hulking twin-scroll turbochargers. Thanks to said turbos, there’s also a whopping 557 lb.-ft. of torque (185 more than the outgoing 4.3L) at a very unFerrari like 4,750 rpm. More importantly, Ferrari claims that those two huffers don’t dampen all the exhaust music from the company’s trademark flatplane crankshafted 90-degree V8. Ferrari also says fuel economy is reduced by some 15 per cent compared with the outgoing 4.3L, but that will, most assuredly, depend on how enthusiastically you’re engaging those turbos.
Designed by Pininfarina, the California also gets updates for the 2015 model year. Carrying over some styling cues from the F12 Berlinetta, the California T’s classic roadster shape appears lower and more aggressive than the outgoing model despite being almost identical dimensionally. Interior improvements include an upgraded infotainment system and revised “push-button” transmission controls. Ferrari also announced that its upscale FF will be the first Ferrari with Apple’s new Siri-controlled CarPlay infotainment system.