Tunisians Destroy Ferrari California Allegedly Owned by a Family Member of the Exiled President [with Videos]

Earlier this week, a video showing ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano dangling from the forks of an industrial truck made world headlines. But that wasn't the only car from Maranello to be targeted by the angry protesters. New videos and photos showing yet another Prancing Horse model being 'liberated' have now surfaced online.

This time it's a red-colored Ferrari California claimed to be owned by a member of the former Tunisian Preseident's family named Sofiane Ben Ali. In their mad rush, Tunisian rioters utterly destroyed the hardtop convertible relieving it from tires, badges and anything else that could get their hands on.

The looting seems to have taken place in the garage where the Ferrari was parked, meaning that no one took the Italian supercar for a spin, which is kind of sad (in a twisted way of course...). Scroll down for the video and photos.

Source: Czechferrari via Autoblog.nl

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Paris Show: Ferrari California HELE gets Stop- Start Tech, Emits 23% Less CO2

Visitors to the 2010 Paris Motor Show may have noticed a rather innocuous looking, black-topped Ferrari California on display at the automaker's stand. This is the Ferrari California HELE, which stands for High Emotion Low Emissions. Think of it as a Ferrari for the environmentally conscious.

Featuring a host of technological jiggery including intelligent fan and fuel pump control, adaptive gear shift and "electronically controlled variable displacement"...air conditioning, the California HELE is said to reduce CO₂ emissions by 23% over its non-HELE sibling.

That's 270 g / km down from 299 g /km. The California HELE also features a stop / start system that can restart the car's engine in an impressive sounding 230 milliseconds.

Ferrari is also introducing some new two-tone finishes - no doubt for the 599 GTO wannabes - and water-resistant leather for its California range. There's no word on pricing or launch dates, or in what markets the California HELE will be sold. No doubt buyers will pay a premium over the non-HELE base model.

By Tristan Hankins

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Ferrari Readies Bi-Colore California Special for Goodwood Festival

A special version of Ferrari's California will make its first public appearance at this week's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Set to race in the Sunday Times Supercar Run, the California special features a two-tone finish with the body painted in Argento Nurburgring (metallic silver) and the roof and A-pillars in Nero (black), a theme that the company claims echoes its bi-colore berlinettas of the 1950s and 1960s.

The hardtop roadster also features several items from the Genuine Ferrari Accessories range, such as forged 20-inch matte-black wheels with titanium wheel bolts, as well a host of factory-fit options from the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation Programme, including diamond-stitching on the rear seats and Cavallino stitching on the headrests.

The California special will be joined at Goodwood by the 458 Italia and the 599 GTO as well as the Italian firm's 2009 F1 car that will driven by Marc Gené, throughout the weekend.

Ferrari California: New Picturesque Wallpaper Gallery

From mid October to early November, Ferrari invited more than 300 journalists from all over the world to Sicily to test-drive its latest supercar, the California. As you can see in our picture gallery after the jump, the members of the press had the chance not only to discover the attractions of the new coupe-convertible Ferrari but also the unspoilt beauty of western Sicily. The California, which is mechanically related to both the Maserati GranTurismo and Alfa Romeo 8C, comes with a retractable hardtop and is powered by a 4.3-liter V8 engine delivering an output of 460 HP.