2017 Ferrari California T Handling Speciale First Drive Review

What does $8,150 buy you these days? A set of really nice patio furniture, or perhaps an all-inclusive two-week vacation for you, the spouse, and the kids? If you’re a fan of “Better Call Saul,” a cocobolo desk and a few loud shirts? If you’re shopping for a Ferrari, just over eight grand can get you an option or two: more leather, fancier paint, maybe different wheels. However, if you’re a Ferrari California T customer, you can spend them duckets on the HS package, better known as Handling Speciale. I’ll just blurt it out right now—totally worth it.

Here’s what you get: visually, very little. The front grille and rear diffuser bits are covered in matte chrome, and the exhaust tips are darker. That’s it for looks. Mechanically, the springs are 16 percent stiffer front, 19 percent stiffer rear. The magnetic dampers have been reprogrammed to provide a sportier ride, and Sport mode is now sportier. Perhaps most important, the California T HS comes with new exhaust “silencers,” as Ferrari calls them. Essentially big square resonators, one per side. They result in an exhaust note 3 decibels louder. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission has been tweaked for HS duties, now featuring 30 percent quicker upshifts and 40 percent quicker downshifts. That’s basically it.

 

But let’s talk a little bit about the California T itself. Almost one out of every three Ferraris sold is a California T—the folding hard top convertible accounts for 30 percent of Ferrari’s sales. That’s a pretty solid chunk. Ferrari is the first to admit that the California T is decidedly a grand tourer, a GT that can drops its roof at the touch (and hold) of a button, perfect for a petite escape pour deux to Saint-Tropez.

But here’s the important part. I clearly remember my first adventure in a Ferrari California. It occurred in the old naturally aspirated California, which I drove from Los Angeles up to Sonoma Raceway (Sears Point!) to attend a Ferrari Challenge race. Our dearly departed photographer Mike Shaffer drove up separately in a Nissan Pathfinder. He asked if we could switch cars for the drive home. Sure, I told him, I don’t see why not. Which is a bleached-out way of saying I didn’t care for that California.

But see, the initial California was intended to be a Maserati. This sort of thing happens from to time to time in the car world. For example, the Porsche 924 was initially going to be a Volkswagen. Then, for many reasons, that Audi-engined coupe got badged with a Porsche shield. The 924, like the original California, wasn’t very good. But by the time Porsche got to the 944 Turbo, hey, not bad at all! Same story, I’m happy to report, for the California T, especially the Handling Speciale version. Here’s why.

I’m going to start with the transmission because if Ferrari’s dual-clutch isn’t the best in the world, then it’s tied for best. Holy wow, man! Shifts via the paddles are essentially instantaneous. Talk about rapid-fire. I’m sure if left alone in Auto mode, the transmission would shift itself just fine. But when presented with oversized metal shift paddles, well, I just couldn’t stop myself from shifting. That’s quite a trick on Ferrari’s part. Making you feel like shifting even when you don’t need to.

Just like the 488 GTB, the California T has a 3.9-liter, twin-turbo V-8 underhood. For relaxed California T duty, the engine churns out 552 horsepower and 557 lb-ft of torque. (In the more maniacal 488, that same motivator cranks out 661 hp and 561 lb-ft of torque.) Turbo lag? What turbo lag? Honestly, there isn’t any. As for torque, there’s so much of it that you don’t need to shift. But the transmission is so fabulous that you’re going to want to go through the gears just to feel ’em. The new exhaust setup sounds so good that you’ll also want to hear said shifts rattle off like thunder.

But as this is the Handling Speciale, let’s talk handling. Totally excellent. Wondrous steering, excellent grip, light feeling despite itself—the big takeaway is that it’s just so much fun to drive. Yes, the massive layers of power help things, but the car handles fabulously. I flogged H. Speciale up and down a particularly scenic road, not far from Genoa, Italy. The three-position manettino was initially clicked one up into Sport mode. However, the car has such fantastic mechanical grip that I quickly switched all the handling nannies off. The California T HS didn’t miss a beat. Running around with that much power and no net can at times make you sweat, but not here. The deep red Ferrari lived up to the brand’s reputation and proved itself to be a lovely, well-behaved, great-to-drive (dare I say it?) sports car.

Now, it’s true, the California T is still a folding hardtop convertible, but the HS package brings out the car’s sporty side. If the 488 is your idea of a sports car, then the California T HS splits the difference between a GT and an out-and-out sports car. I’d love to throw this sucker into a comparison test against the Mercedes-AMG SL63—or, as it’s known around the office, Torque Vader—and see what’s what. Because that particular AMG fills a similar niche, in my mind at least. Ferrari is still sticking with that whole “No comparison tests!” charade. Let them know what you think about their decision: @Ferrari. For the record, AMG is game.

Ferrari claims that the HS is for GT customers that want a little more sport. With its massive power, its groovy transmission, its top-down thrills, its massive dose of grip, prowess, and stability, and its inherent Italian sex appeal, I’d say the latest, greatest California is for 488 GTB customers who like to travel. The trunk is small, especially with the top dropped, but you can shove quite a bit of luggage behind those front seats. Color me impressed.

2017 Ferrari California T Handling Speciale
PRICE	$210,843
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, RWD, 4-pass, 2-door conv
ENGINE	3.9L/553-hp/557-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8
TRANSMISSION	7-sp twin-cl auto
CURB WEIGHT	4,000 lb (est)
WHEELBASE	105.1 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	179.9 x 75.2 x 52.0 in
0-62 MPH	3.6 sec (mfr est)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	16/23/19 mpg (est)
ON SALE IN U.S.	September, 2016

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