For most manufacturers, a new entry-level car might mean a frugal little shopping trolley, something to trick the kids into what passes for brand affinity these days. At any rate, something to ease people into the brand. When you are a maker of Italian sports cars of some repute, your new entry-level car is a hardtop cabriolet with over 450bhp on offer.
The Italian marque has eschewed a fabric roof in favour of something more useable all year round. In many ways the California should not be seen as a standalone soft top but as part two of the 458. Both the California and the 458 sit in territory previously occupied by the F430 - clearly Ferrari has seen an opportunity to maximise sales here.
Those who are passionate Ferrari enthusiasts might be up in arms about what they see as a dumpy boulevard cruiser, but the important thing for the Prancing Horse is not the fans, it's who is willing to shell out for their cars. The California isn't going to damage Ferrari's reputation like Porsche's was after the Cayenne launched, and it will pay its way.
Ferrari is venturing into some new territory with the California though, competing with cars it'll no doubt regard as a touch downmarket - cars like the Mercedes SL AMG reign round these parts, but the Ferrari will no doubt convince some purely on the strength of its exclusivity and more exotic cabin.
The California is a more affable car to drive than most Ferraris - the paddle-shift automatic gearbox is a cinch to use and the ride is on the comfortable side of sporty, managing at the same time not to detract from the handling. It isn't as relentlessly focused as certain other Ferraris, but neither is it stodgy and imprecise.
You can't get away from the car being just a tad overweight though, which is down to that folding metal roof. It needs plenty of space that the back of the car when it is stored away, too. That aside, it remains a very quick and mature car. Even with the top down you can still cruise comfortably at speed.
It might be a cruiser, but it's still a sports car. Ferrari might have come with the California for pecuniary reasons, but that it remains a Ferrari with its integrity intact is nothing short of remarkable - it could well have been a disaster.