The all-new Pininfarina-designed California was unveiled at the October 2nd, 2008 Paris Motor Show. It is a GT model with a front-mounted eight-cylinder. The car's most notable feature is a retractable hardtop, besides other innovative features. Its V-8 uses direct fuel injection and is connected to a new seven speed double-clutch transmission. Cabin technology includes Bluetooth cell phone integration, an iPod connector, and a hard drive-based navigation.
According to Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa it combines the purring, powerful performance of a Ferrari with features for people who want more fun from their sports cars and he's predicting record sales.
About 6,000 people-including more than 100 in South Africa-have expressed interest in buying a California, which will retail for approximately $250,000, before Ferrari has even opened its order book.
Felisa said Ferrari expected 2008 to be another record breaking year, with "more or less constant" sales in US and Europe boosted by growth in countries such as Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said in a press conference he hoped the financial would remove some of the distortions in the market, with people paying to move up the waiting list for a Ferrari or selling their Ferrari contract.
He said the waiting list was an important tool in maintaining an exclusiveness that people were willing to pay for, as Ferrari always supplied less than the market demanded.
Ferrari delivered 6,465 cars in 2008, an increase of 14% from 2006 to meet demand in new markets, "without losing one inch of exclusivity" in its established markets, Montezemolo said.

Source: http://www.motoring.co.za/ and http://reviews.cnet.com/