Ferrari to unveil new car at Paris autoshow

MILAN (Reuters) - Ferrari will unveil at the Paris show next October a new car called the California, its first convertible with a retractable hard top.

Although the Italian luxury sports car maker of Formula One fame has only released the slightest of details about the car, it has given its fans a sneak peak by posting photos of it on the Internet (www.ferraricalifornia.com).

The car has a V8 engine like the F430 Scuderia, but it is placed in the front rather than the back. And it is strong enough to propel the two-seater from zero to 100 km/h in less than four seconds.

Other details about the car have yet to be published, but it will be similar in size to the F430, according to a spokesman.

The car, which is similar to the 1957 250 California in name only, will arrive on the market in early 2009, he said.

Its price tag has yet to be posted.

"It's not a cheap car. It's not an entry-level car," the spokesman added.

Ferrari is a subsidiary of Fiat, the Italian industrial group.