It's not an all-new car, but Ferrari's California T marks both a major update for one of Maranello's best-selling models and also the return of turbocharged engines to Ferrari road cars.
Exterior
While the California T looks very much like its predecessor in silhouette the details have changed quite a bit, from a bigger, wider, squarer grille, to lights that look a lot more sexy and FF-y to a side profile that's said to be inspired by the 'Pontoon' Testa Rossa race cars from the 1950s. At the back, Ferrari is claiming some aero improvements with the incorporation of a new triple-deck diffuser.
Interior
The cabin of the California remains much as it was - comfy and cosseting, with just about enough space in the back seats to squeeze the kids in for a school run (Ferrari drivers do school runs, right?). There is a new, chunkier steering wheel shared with the FF, 458 and F12 and a new 6.5-inch touch-screen mounted below the central air vents, while between them is a new display called the TPE - or Turbo Performance Engineer display. It's touch sensitive as well and gives the driver more in-depth info as to what the engine is up to.
Mechanicals
Ah yes, here's where it gets really interesting. The last time Ferrari offered a turbocharged engine in one of its cars it was a 2.0-litre version of the 308, designed to circumvent Italian tax laws. This time around, it's much more serious and is a major signpost to the future of Ferrari engine tech, and how the company intends to keep up its signature performance and noise, while still reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
As with the last California, it's a V8, but there the similarities end. It's a 3.8-litre engine, carrying low-inertia twin-scroll turbochargers to boost its power by 70hp over the outgoing naturally aspirated engine - to 560hp, delivered at 7,500rpm - quite a high redline for a turbo. Torque has increased by almost half to a whopping 755Nm, which should ensure the California T steps off the line pretty smartly. Ferrari is claiming a 3.6-second run from 0-100km/h.
In spite of the increase in performance and power, Ferrari is also claiming that overall efficiency has been improved by 15 per cent, and that the California T has emissions of 250g/km - impressive for a car with such performance.
Ferrari is also keen to point out that it has worked hard on the engine and exhaust notes, to ensure that the turbos (which normally muffle the sound of an engine) don't get in the way of the aural experience. In fact, the Italians are claiming some world firsts for the way this engine sounds. Should be interesting...
To keep all of that power in check there's a new steering box, updated suspension with Magnaride dampers (said to be 50 per cent faster to react than before) and a revised version of the F1-Trac traction and stability control system that is designed to maximise corner exit speeds. There are also powerful new ceramic brakes that can apparently stop the California T from 100km/h in just 34 metres.
Anything else?
The California T will get its first public outing at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and will do so in the two new colours - a dark, blood-red called Rosso California and a lighter Blu California, both of which take their inspiration from classic Ferrari colour schemes from the 1970s.