There is a looming sense of despair, as I watch deep grey clouds collide on the horizon and dissipate into precipitation. I bet the weather deities are sniggering as my carefully laid plans for a weekend drive to Fujairah in our long-term Ferrari California are cruelly washed away.
OK, things are not as bad as the opening paragraph would have you believe, and the purported downpour is really just a light shower that would barely classify as rainfall elsewhere in the world, but two minutes of wet weather in our parts means the sprawling urban scape is rapidly transformed into a partly submerged mess of impromptu water features and confused drivers.
These things conspire to make for a grim motoring reality. Crashed and broken-down cars are lined alongside nearly every major traffic hotspot. Not a fate I want to befall our Dh800,000-plus long-term Ferrari. Therefore, I daren’t stray more than a few kilometres from home as I intend to preserve the California in one fully functional piece. My east coast road trip is on hold until the danger of light rain has passed.
That said, even a brief run to the supermarket is a treat in the baby Fezza. It’s perfectly capable of negotiating the most treacherous speed humps and tightest car parks.
It really is a car in which you can whizz to the shops and back without breaking a nervous sweat. It’s even better if you can find a tunnel along the way — and I strongly suggest you do. Just stow away the roof (electronically, of course) and stomp on the right pedal; you’ll look forward to grocery runs like you never have before. I promise.
The progress
Week 1
You can effortlessly pootle around town as the smooth-shifting seven-speed doubleclutch auto goes about its business serenely — it’s not as grumpy at low speeds as the single clutch auto it replaces. You can drive it for hours without fatiguing your spine and it sounds just glorious.
Highs: Notably faster than before, but still comfy
Lows: Stylistically, not as striking as its siblings
