Ferrari California T Handling Speciale, car review: This kit is must-have

£5568 option pack adds dynamic prowess – and a louder exhaust

John Calne
Wednesday 23 March 2016 13:33 GMT
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The launch of a new options pack isn’t usually worthy of note. But when it’s called Handling Speciale and it’s Ferrari’s way of transforming the California T from grand tourer to open-road weapon, well, taking note is very much what we’re doing.

As GT cars go, the California T is at the faster end of the breed. Its 3.9-litre V8 screams out 552bhp and 557lb, so you need to have a fairly high opinion of your own driving skills to think it ought to give you more.

These are Ferrari owners we’re talking about, though.

So here we have the HS option pack. It includes stiffer springs, enhanced stability control and those magnetorheological shocks that first cropped up in the 599.

None of which is much use when you’re an 18 year old posing around Knightsbridge on dad’s tab. But the Handling Speciale pack also gives you a lairier exhaust note, which will be worth the extre £5568 alone.

Assuming you’re a grown-up with a racetrack to call your own (or a nice B-road, which may also be your own), the effects of the HS pack are instantly noticeable. The harder you push it, the better it gets, controlling body movement to perfection and rewriting the rules on where the limits lie.

The California was already a rewarding car to drive fast. Now it’s a vastly rewarding one. In Comfort mode, it’s still comfortable enough, but in Sport it’s now a lot sportier (albeit crunchingly hard when you hit a pot-hole) – and the combination of induction and exhaust noise is more exhilirating than ever.

Ferrari California Handling Speciale

On Sale: August
Price: £160,798 (inc. California T plus Handling Speciale package)
Engine: V8, 3855cc, turbocharged, petrol
Power: 552bhp (with 98 octane fuel) at 7500rpm
Torque: 557lb ft at 4750rpm
Gearbox: Seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Kerbweight: 1625kg (dry, with lightweight options)
Top speed: 197mph
0-62mph: 3.6sec
Economy: 26.9mpg (combined)
CO2/tax band: 250g/km, 37%

Naturally, it steers like a precision instrument. The controls in general are calmingly slick and smooth amid all the sound and fury, making this an easy car to drive by Ferrari’s oft-overwhelming standards.

And yes, everyone will notice you. Back to the millionaire adolescent in Knightsbridge again; there’s only a modest amount in the way of styling tweaks, but they exist and it’s not as if the California was a shrinking violet in the first place.

So if that’s all you want, and you can afford a car like this in the first place, the HS pack is an option you’ll tick without a second thought.

And if you want a California that’s the last word in dynamics? Then more than ever, this kit is must-have.

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