Ferrari California Stop&Start review

Ferrari California drop top supercar gets green technology: CO2 emissions down, torque up

Evo rating
Price
from £144,690
  • Greener, at no cost to the driving experience
  • Prius drivers will still hate you

HELE. Not one of the greats as far as Ferrari acronyms go, is it? That it stands for High Emotion Low Emission adds not a dash of romance. Still, the introduction of Maranello’s eco initiative, which is making its debut on the California, is nothing to fret over.

Initial concerns over noise and speed of restart for the new Stop&Start system are unfounded: the burst of V8 bark emitted by the California upon pressing the starter button is muted for stop/start activity, where start-up times drop from 700 milliseconds to 230. The result is basically seamless.

Further chipping away at CO2 (down from 299g/km to 270, which, yes, makes naff-all difference to how much tax you’ll pay) are advanced control of the cooling fans, which now use brushless motors, honing of the fuel pump and gearbox operation, and a more efficient air-con compressor.

All that saved energy provides an extra 18lb ft to bolster the existing 358lb ft (power and quoted performance are unchanged), and while the California is still not Ferrari’s sharpest car, its qualities remain intact: the flat-plane-crank V8 is effortlessly dramatic, the folding hard-top excellent, and there’s no shortage of long-legged cruising ability.

The key point is that the addition of the Stop&Start system (an £820 option from November, and standard from 2011) and the other HELE technology that comes with it isn’t to the detriment of the driving experience. And that’s really quite important, because it’s likely to be rolled out across the Ferrari range before you can say Gran Turismo Omologato.

Specifications

EngineV18, 4287cc
Max power453bhp @ 7750rpm
Max torque376lb ft @ 5000rpm
0-603.9sec (claimed)
Top speed193mph (claimed)

Most Popular

The BMW M3 is going electric in its next generation
BMW M3 teaser
News

The BMW M3 is going electric in its next generation

The next M3 supersaloon is receiving a pure-electric powertrain, but it’s not all bad news…
30 Nov 2023
Used car deals of the week
Main used car deals
Advice

Used car deals of the week

In this week's used car deals, we've sourced everything from a BMW M3 to a Maserati MC20
30 Nov 2023
Best car tyres 2023: evo performance tyre test
Best car tyres 2023
Features

Best car tyres 2023: evo performance tyre test

Which tyre should you choose for your performance car? This year’s evo tyre test puts eight strong contenders through their paces to find the very bes…
1 Dec 2023