2010 Ferrari California

The California is a car filled with firsts for Ferrari: the first front-engine V-8, the first use of direct injection, the first seven-speed transmission, the first true launch-control system, the first retractable hardtop, and the first stacked exhaust. But fear not, all these firsts have not changed the purity of Ferrari; they've just expanded its range.

There have been front-engine sixes and 12s, but this is the first front-engine eight and with it Ferrari has managed to make the entry-level California a true supercar in every sense of the word. The direct injection helps improve mileage and decrease emissions but because the California is heavier than the F430 it shares its engine architecture with, the tuning is optimized to boost torque by 14 lb-ft at the expense of 29 horsepower, for a total of 454 hp and 357 lb-ft.

The Getrag dual-clutch seven-speed automated manual gearbox is nothing short of absolute perfection, worlds better than the old single-clutch F1 automated manual found in most current Ferraris. The speed in which shifts are made has always been a bragging point for the Italians, and the nanoseconds have slowly diminished over the years to the point where they are now basically immeasurable. In addition, the neck-snapping caused by the old F1 gearbox is gone. All you're left with is a constant acceleration accompanied by a sweet-sounding bark between shifts.

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