Driving the 2015 Ferrari California T: The everyday supercar that's anything but

Driving a Ferrari is a bucket-list event — one of those milestones you'd fantasized about back when you could scarely doodle a sports car without trying to eat the red crayon. And after three days with the 2015 Ferrari California T, my list needs a rewrite.

Ferrari calls the updated California the “everyday Ferrari,” one that's not as hard-edged or audacious as the 458 Italia. To put that claim to the test, I spent my days it in as I would a daily driver, with some beach cruises and a requisite drive through the Malibu Canyons thrown into the mix.

Unfortunately, commuting to Yahoo's Santa Monica office from the San Fernando Valley meant slogging through America's largest roving parking lot, the 101. While in gridlocked traffic I realized the biggest downside of a turbo Ferrari (the first turbo since the F40): the noise, or lack thereof. An Aston Martin V-12 sounds operatic whether spitting and burbling at low rpms or bellowing at full throttle; at low rpms this 3.9-liter engine sounded bored, even anonymous with the white noise generated from the twin-turbo. If it weren't for the premium Beige Tradizione leather touches and console-mounted badges, I'd almost forget I'm in an Italian exotic and not a cushy tourer. On the flip side, the cabin felt serene with the hard top up, and it muted all the honks and screams you'd hear while crawling through Sunset Boulevard.

It's as livable as a $200,000 2+2 can be, even if those rear seats could barely fit a grade schooler. And surprisingly, the Ferrari didn't call attention to itself, in part due to the darker-hued Rosso California paint, and bodywork that's subtler than a Lamborghini Huracan or 458. I was even ignored while absurdly trying to load a screen door into the trunk in the heart of Hollywood, and never got asked at stoplights what I did for work, or how I liked the car. I appreciated that anonymity. Then again, I was in Los Angeles, the mecca for Ferraris and a place innoculated to supercars.