First Drive: 2009 Ferrari California in Sicily

Click above for hi-res gallery of the Ferrari California

The best Ferrari is the next Ferrari. Whether you consider that to be a statement of fact or an opinion largely depends on how you define the term. It's an opinion like a Supreme Court justice's ruling is called an "opinion". Or better yet, like billions worldwide would view the Bible as God's "opinion". Coming from the mouth of the legendary Enzo Ferrari himself - famously expressed in response to a journalist's query - for the congregations of the faithful around the world, it's the gospel truth.

The Commendatore's statement was - as it remains to this day - backed up by a spirit of progress, by the constant pursuit of technical perfection that continues to drive his company into the 21st century and which makes each new Ferrari better than the last. Follow Enzo's declaration to its natural end and you'll conclude that the best Ferrari must be the new California, unveiled earlier this month at the Paris Motor Show, brimming with the latest in performance automotive technology and ready to hit the market next summer. But some 20 years after his passing, would Enzo Ferrari's truism still hold true? That's exactly the answer we sought as we boarded a flight for Italy to drive the new California along the twisting mountain passes, scenic coastal roads and wide open autostradas of Sicily. Follow the jump to read what we discovered.

Photos Copyright (C)2008 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc.