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FERRARI has sought inspiration from its past to create a luxurious new two-plus-two touring convertible that will be available early next year - sign up now if you want one.

The Ferrari California joins the Prancing Horse's eight-cylinder family and sits alongside the flagship 612 Scaglietti in the prestige sporty Grand Tourer segment.

A new addition to the Ferrari line-up, rather than a replacement model, the California takes both its name and some of its styling from the 1960s 250 California Spyder.

Ferrari says the new model will be available exclusively as a convertible with a folding hard top - officially there are no plans for a fixed-top version.

Apart from its folding top, the California features a two-plus-two concept - from the initial photographs, this comes from a small amount of space behind the front seats which could accommodate a pair of jump seats, for very small children or extra luggage space.

In addition to sporting the marque's classic styling cues, the cabin has also been trimmed using quality materials by Ferrari's own skilled artisans.

New accessories and equipment, such as the seats, steering wheel, its own instrument panel and infotainment system, together with optimised aerodynamics, are created to be highly ergonomic.

The California will be powered by a new V8 engine mounted for the first time in the marque's history in the mid-front position.

The forthcoming Ferrari California's 4.3 litre V8 engine (developed from a Maserati block) features direct fuel injection and a "flat" crankshaft.

With its transaxle layout, the engine allows the Ferrari California to sprint from standstill to 62mph in less than 4.0 seconds, which is far quicker than traditonal grand touring territory.

The power unit is coupled to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission which has been designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions - the latter expected to be around 310 g/km.

The California is also equipped with the exclusive F1-Trac traction control system which made its debut on the 599 GTB Fiorano and has been further honed to suit the typical driving conditions expected for this new GT.

Brembo brakes featuring carbon-ceramic material discs as standard guarantee efficient braking while ride comfort is enhanced by a new multilink rear suspension system.

To keep weight down, both chassis and bodywork are aluminium, in line with the rest of the current Ferrari range.

The Ferrari California will be officially unveiled to the public at the Paris International Car Show in September. Ferrari says the new convertible is expected to cost in the region of £130,000.

12:34pm Friday 6th June 2008

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