978-1-4222-3279-8

365 Unveiled during the 1966 Geneva Motor Show, the Ferrari 365 California set the benchmark for luxurious high-performance sports cars. This Pininfarina-designed convertible was manufactured with the intention of replacing its predecessor: the 500 Superfast. Whilst the 365 California’s chassis was structurally identical in shape to the Superfast, the bodywork was given a cabriolet look and fast became the ultimate open top Italian sports car. The 365 California was not, however, an affordable vehicle: the very high retail price only attracted the elite top end of the automotive market and only 14 were ever built. The high-performance sports car was a front-engined, longitudinal positioned 60˚ 4.4L V12 that boasted an incredible 320 bhp and a top speed of 152 mph, highly competitive against other cars of

and detailing. The door design of the California featured a scalloped arrowhead shape near the upper edge with a chrome trim running through the center, which incorporated the door handle; this was a Pininfarina design feature that had previously been seen

this caliber during the 1960s. As with the earlier Superfast, the California type 598 chassis were sent to the Pininfarina factory in Grugliasco, where they were bodied and trimmed then returned to Ferrari for the fitting of the mechanical components

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