While other car makers have seen their brand equity rise and fall like the tides (can’t explain it!), Ferrari seems to have long ago set the gold standard, and has yet to see its desirability wan. A good bit of that is due to the marque manufacturing some amazing road hardware, and backing their performance with a serious long term commitment to racing. Another reason is company’s long held belief that their products should be exclusive in both pricing and production numbers. That’s helped keep the values on even used Ferraris pretty healthy with few exceptions.
Some of those few exceptions might be considered to be the autotragic-equipped 400i tourer, the 2+sort of 2 Mondial, and potentially the subject of today’s Hooniverse Asks- the 2008-present California. Already on the market for 5 years, the California seems almost to be Ferrari’s red headed stepchild as it has received little attention to date with the exception of a minor power bump and corresponding weight loss program, and more recently a higher output HS model.
The thing of it is, while the California is Ferrari’s first road car with a front-mounted V8, their first with direct injection, and the first with a folding metal roof, that all doesn’t seem enough to build an aura of excitement around the ride as does the mid-engined and V12 cars. Maybe it’s the fact that the California was positioned as a tourer and not a balls to the wall sports car, but the question remains, will it find its place in the future, or will it suffer a fate similar to the 400i? What do you think, is Ferrari’s California collectible, or forgettable?
Image source: Tuningnews
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