I dig the new 2009 Ferrari California!

The Ferrari booth at the LAAS was one of my favorites, for obvious reasons - the cars are simply awesome! I was delightfully surprised when they let us sit in the cars (I love press days!). I made a beeline for the new California roadster.

The Good - The folding hard top of the California is so beautifully crafted that when it's up, you can't tell it's a convertible. It looks even better than the folding hard top on the new BMW 3 series convertible. The LED lights in the headlight assembly look great and add a high-tech feel to the car. I also like how the front corners of the car are chiseled and point towards the classic Ferrari grill. The proportions of this front-engined GT are also very classic, unlike that of the Porsche Boxster. Me likes.

The Bad - What is up with the side vents? They look very plasticky and cheap. The shape is awkward too on the fender, I don't like it.

The Ugly - Here's the worst part - yep, you guessed it, the vertically stacked double tail pipes. Need I say more?

Overall the Ferrari California is well-designed, a modern interpretation of the classic Italian Grand Touring coupe. I'll take one, but probably not in powder blue.

2003 Porsche Boxster S is pretty cool

So my friend Steve brought his Porsche Boxster S over today so I decided to review it on the blog.  

Although there's a new Boxster on the scene right now, it's really hard to tell them apart.  Steve begs to differ, he can easily tell the new one from the old.  He's smoking crack.  There's almost no perceptible differences between the two.  This 2003 Boxster was the first year they made it with a glass rear window, so you don't end up with a completely clouded out plastic window in 2 years.

The Good - The Boxster looks way better than a 911. Period. It also is one of the best looking roadsters with the top down. It's the least chick roadster of them all, way better than a Miata or a VW EOS.  Dig the red Brembo brake calipers you find on the Carrera, part of the package you pay the extra 20 grand for on the S.  I also like the whited-out blinkers on the tail lights, much classier than the amber ones. Steve swapped out the amber front side turn signals with darkened white ones.  The centrally located twin tail pipes are also a nice touch.  Also like the integrated fog lights.

The Bad - when the top's up.

The Ugly - when the top's up.  And the fact that the front wheels are so far back from the front end of the car.  There's simply too much overhang on the front end, they should've pushed the front wheels to the corners.

In conclusion, there's really not too much to pick with on the Boxster S.  It's almost as great looking as my 2005 Infiniti G35 S sedan!