Enhancing the appeal of their front-engined, drop-top sports car, Ferrari announced a new handling package option for the California T. The new Ferrari California T Handling Speciale is ought to make the car more interesting to customers that are not female.

The modern California has always been the underdog in Ferrari’s range. Every once in a while the Italian car makers shows it some love, just enough so they won’t feel guilty, and then go back to extracting more power out of the F12. The new Handling Speciale (HS) option is what they have come up with for the Cali T, but it’s a not just a gimmick. The package does actually make a difference in the way the car drives.

Ferrari California T Handling Speciale package comes with new damper settings (SCM3 magnetorheological) and modified springs which make the car stiffer (16% stiffer front springs and 19% at the rear). Ferrari admits that that takes away from the ride comfort of the soft California, but you won’t mind that once you flick the manettino button to Sport mode and feel the sweet handling and the feedback you get through the steering wheel.

California T HS also comes with a revised gear-shift logic for the Sport mode which in both automatic and manual modes result in faster and sportier shifts. But the best part of the package has to be the new exhaust system featuring two primary pipes and a new geometry that result in a more sonorous engine noise. The HS Package models get matte Grigio Ferro Met front grille and rear diffuser as well as matte black tailpipes.