My FH5 Log: Ferrari de Mayo (Part 2)

The Series 7 update in Forza Horizon 5 celebrates Ferrari taking over the entire series playlists in time for Cinco de Mayo celebrations. The next one in the Ferrari de Mayo takeover in FH5 is the Ferrari California T, a minor change version of Ferrari's open-top grand tourer, which is yours to drive after getting enough points in the Series 7 Storm Playlist.

The California T is the minor change version of the Ferrari California open-top grand tourer that was first unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. This minor change premiered at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and the previous model's 4.3L V8 engine has been replaced by a smaller but more powerful 3.9L V8 turbo engine with Variable Boost Management that produces 560PS of power and 755Nm of torque while mated to an F1 dual-clutch gearbox. In addition, the California T features SCM3 magnetorheological damping system, F1-Trac traction control, and numerous improvements to make it more enjoyable to drive than the pre-facelifted California.

Gosh, I'm planning to compare this to its successor, the Portofino, but in the meantime, some rich kids on the block wanted to race this future classic in a sprint race. No regrets then. Roll the tape.

It may be a grand tourer but it's still a Ferrari.

Enjoy your new ride!

Welcome Back: 2009 Ferrari California

This California is modified to do some
Nurburgring action

Vicki Butler-Henderson's right. When the roof opens,
the back does look like J-Lo after her visit to the pie shop.

Feels like I'm in Tagaytay...

Ferrari's California is definitely the first Ferrari that comes with a hard-top convertible. Not just that, it is the first with the fuel-injected 4.3L V8 engine that produces 453HP of power and 357lb-ft of torque. However, the Ferrari California is seriously uncool if you're a bloke but it's cool if you're a girl. Just ask Fifth Gear's Vicki Butler-Henderson. In Jeremy Clarkson's 2009 DVD titled "Clarkson: Duel", there was a part where which British motoring TV show has the best drivers. Representing Top Gear, there's Jeremy Clarkson and The Stig, and they're pitting against Fifth Gear's Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson. The first round pits Tiff and Stig on their Hyundai compacts and this part reveals one of Stig's weaknesses. That is that when The Stig saw a girl with a gun (particularly Vicki holding the paintball gun), he gets to a standstill, resulting to a humiliating loss. On the second round, Vicki Butler-Henderson drives the Ferrari California while Jeremy Clarkson drives the Aston Martin DBS Volante. Because this is Britain, rain is likely to occur and before they race, they have to close the roof but thanks to The Stig's distraction, Vicki had a three-second start. When the race began and after the roofs are closed, the rivalry between Clarkson and Vicki Butler-Henderson fueled their fanatical hatred during the race. The race ended in a dead heat. On the third and final round, The Stig and Tiff Needell will race using the bicycle but unfortunately, The Stig doesn't know how to ride the bike, resulting a win to Fifth Gear.

Just one thing, this Ferrari California was featured in Top Gear Korea, where presenter Kim Jin Pyo is chauffeuring actress Kang So-Ra after her gig at the 2011 Busan International Film Fest. When Kim Jin-Pyo full throttled the California, Kang So-Ra's gown's blowing away due to the speed of the California.

Anyway, enough talk right now because the California returned on Forza Motorsport 4 and it's part of the game's AutoVista feature where you can explore more about this car and hear Jeremy Clarkson's comments about the Ferrari California. Maybe this car does have a point...

The Ferrari California (if you're a bloke or a girl)

California drifting in London

When this kind of Ferrari debuted at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, what can I say about this Ferrari California (フェラーリ・カリフォルニア)? Is this a convertible? A long distance cruiser? A supercar? And still be a Ferrari? We're not diddling about this like what Vicki Butler-Henderson reviewed on Fifth Gear but this Ferrari California is stubbornly different than the other Ferraris ever made. Enzo Ferrari will be turning in to his grave when he encounters this kind of Ferrari but this is not some kind of a long distance grand tourer and a supercar all rolled into one. The California is Ferrari's first ever FR sports cabriolet that comes with a first retractable hard-top that can be opened or closed in less than 14 seconds. It is the first to come with the first fuel-injected 4.3L V8 engine that can go 0-60m in under 4 seconds and a top speed of 310kph. This car marks the start of Ferrari's commitment to reduce emissions and it will yield more women with the California. It has CO2 emissions of 305.6 g/km while the combined fuel economy is 13.1 l/100 km, which are bad numbers for a supercar. It even comes with the new 7-speed double-clutch paddle shift transmission, which is a first for a Ferrari road car.

Stig remembered that this car is
driven by Vicki Butler-Henderson

It maybe somewhat a Ferrari convertible you may fall in love it but because of the car's firsts, this car made me feel like a jerk. I felt like I'm ending up on the same league of Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, and the rest of the Fifth Gear presenters, but I don't want to be like them because a show like Fifth Gear is really really boring. By the way, it was featured on Jeremy Clarkson's 2009 DVD titled "Duel", where Clarkson's Aston Martin Volante battled against Vicki's California and it all ended on a "Dead Heat". Not only that, the people behind the Gran Turismo series were responsible for the Ferrari California's promotional video that was seen at the special Ferrari website, way before its Parisian debut since Autumn 2008.

This California only live twice...

Having the Ferrari California featured on Gran Turismo 5 is somewhat an ambitious act to follow but when I drove this thing the first time after watching the duel between Clarkson and Vicki Butler-Henderson, I love it. I think this car is might have been a whole new romance but when I corner around the sharpest of corners, well, let's be honest, let's say difficult. Despite that, the California is more fun and I am going to be bonkers, just as women in the motoring journalism drive me mental.