Top speed comes in at 325 km/h or 202 mph, while torque grows from 485 Nm (358 lb-ft) to 603 Nm / 445 lb-ft.
Last night more than 2,000 special guests on both sides of the Atlantic witnessed the world premiere of the new Ferrari On the other side of the pond, the drop-top California was presented at Maranello in Italy by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo, together with the Scuderia Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, who drove the car inside the new factory building and of course, Michael Schumacher who was involved in the development of the new GT.
For the first time in the Prancing Horse's history, Ferrari will perform the world debut of a new model, the 2009 California, simultaneously at its headquarters in Maranello and Los Angeles while enthusiasts will be able to watch the event live on the company’s dedicated website at www.ferraricalifornia.com from 22.00 Italian time or 16.00 EST for those living in the States. The presentation, which comes ahead of the California’s official unveiling at the Paris Show in October, will be watched by more than 1,000 special guests from all over the world inside Ferrari’s new production line building designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, in Maranello. -Continued In addition to President Luca di Montezemolo, the event will also be attended by the Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa while Michael Schumacher will also be on hand, having been involved since the early stages in the development of the Ferrari California
Here in the States, Ferrari’s new model that sports a front mounted 8-cylinder engine and a retractable folding hard top, will be presented at
Seven times Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher might have left the paddocks but he still continues to be actively involved with the development of all Ferrari models, and the new California that’s due to be unveiled at the Paris International Motor Show in October is no exception. See what Schumi had to say about the 
“I have to say that, as with the 430 Scuderia, participating in the project since the very beginning has been really fascinating and great fun,” commented Schumacher at the end of a test session at the Fiorano circuit.
“Although the cars are very different, they both offer absolutely unique driving pleasure because of the inherently sporty character of all of the cars that come out of Maranello. The 430 Scuderia is, of course, a more extreme model with a focus on absolutely cutting-edge performance. However, although the Ferrari California is very much a Grand Tourer in terms of its usability and high level of interior comfort, it is still surprisingly sporty and fun to drive under any kind of conditions.”
Schumacher also explained the differences between the 430 Scuderia and the
“The Ferrari California, on the other hand, is designed for everyday use and for weekends away whilst still guaranteeing all of the emotional impact that only an authentic Ferrari can deliver.”
While the newest model from Ferrari’s stable has yet to hit the road, fans of the Italian marque are already speculating on special edition versions, and in the case of the guys at CGI Automotive, they’ve even come up with a rendering of a sportier edition that could bear the Mondial or Stradale nametag among other choices. We don’t know if this artist’s rendering has anything to do with reality, but we too believe that in the near future Ferrari will proceed to the development of an even sportier variant of the coupe-cabriolet
