I never understood the hate the California got, as I think it's a great looking car, and my friends who've drive it have said it's a hoot. And like Patrick said on the HP, its replacement doesn't sound bad either...

 

Ferraris front-ends are all starting to look alike (a la AM?). Very Lusso-esque.

The Cali (and this?) pretty much got lambasted by the purist community. For a lot of reasons. First, the Cali had cup holders. CUP HOLDERS! WTF, Maranello? What are you doing to the brand? Ferrari started as a RACING car company that almost disdainfully sold street cars in order to fund the racing efforts. Enzo is rolling in his grave over this alone.

Second, it's a down-market car. Maserati historically occupied that space. So, this is cannibalizing your own products. It happens, but why? This is due to a drive for profits, arguably. As you know, Ferrari is now a listed company (10% of the company was offered in an IPO). That means quarterly financial performance may be driving decisions as opposed to car guys dreaming up cool cars.

Third, there's a general dislike for Marchionne by the purist community. And, LdM, even. They view these two characters as not being true to the marque's principles and values, I suppose. They're frequently lambasted for their bad product and, maybe more importantly, racing decisions. Cars like the FF were flat-out failures. And, the Lusso may be, too. Sure, they're all good cars (Cali, Portofino, FF and Lusso), but they may be financial failures. The only reason the FFs even sold, for the most part, was the dealers pushed them on existing clients who were willing to move up or remain on "The List." Otherwise, those cars would likely have sat and sat and sat on the lots. SpA and FNA forced these cars on dealers, too. In other words, they were just showing up on trailers and off-loaded. Dealers had no say. And, sadly, this was just another nail in Ferrari's coffin for me (Classiche, dealer mark-up, sketchy service, politicking, etc.).

Anyway, while I'm sure the Cali/Portofino is a nice car in many ways, it's also considered "soft" in comparison to the 488/812. It's got a 2+2 seating and seemed to be more aimed at being the "wife's car." I can see it pulling up at the Four Seasons, top down, a woman exiting with a nice Hermes Birkin and having lunch and then hitting the Mall for a few hours. I just don't see it as a track-car. To the purists (old-timers), this is a bit of a sacrilege. But, SpA has recently announced a new SUV. So, what was I saying about Enzo rolling in his grave?

CW

 

I absolutely love the FF, but hear you about how they basically forced them on people. And the SUV thing is just awful. I seriously don't know how Sergio can look himself in the mirror.

 

Living in the CO mountains, I see FFs somewhat regularly. I don't dislike the front end, but the hatchback is a mess. To my eyes, anyway.

The FF was, really, an LdM vanity project. He was a new Father at the time and wanted a car he could put his bambino in the back of. I felt they were not only ugly but also overpriced. That said, they can certainly get their move on.

CW

 

Here are a couple of vids from Thursday night at the grand opening in Austin.



The first one is my daughter and the youtube is mine but it's oriented incorrectly. The sound is clearer on the youtube video I think. Here are a few pics as well.