The Mondial was defined being a family-Ferrari, what the California is not. The California was designed as a 2+2 and is available with two back seats (LJ-configuration in the VIN) as well as with a kind of rear shelf (LH-configuration in the VIN). Only six cars have been fitted with a Manual transmission. The California VIN is the only VIN that includes the kind of transmission (the digit “L” is replaced by “M”). The first California was a press car that lived on a borrowed VIN (#146364) from a 2006 Fiorano, a very common habit in the second half of the millennium’s first decade and before the presentation cars of Paris (#163203 and #163204 plus #163205 at Pininfarina’s) at least already 17 production cars did leave the Factory. Three days after the Show, Michael Schumacher presented the car (#163206) for the first time to public on a track during the Racing Days 2008 at the Nürburgring. The 2+2 configuration was by far produced in higher numbers than the rear shelf option.
In 2012 the first California “Modificato” was presented and named California 30. The “30” defined less weight of 30 kgs and the gain of additional 30 hp. The car appeared to look a bit more grown up. The serial number range of the California 30 starts in the high 185000-range. In March of 2014 #199978 was the lowest Serial Number seen of the second evolution of the California, the California T, the first street Ferrari with turbo charged engine since the F40. Neither the California 30 nor the California T were available with the Manual transmission. Only “Special edition” of the California so far was the California 30 Giappone F1, a run of ten cars to celebrate Scuderia's first Japanese Grand Prix victory in 1987.
To come back to the question if the California is a four seater we quote a motor magazine: “the California is a coupé with fully-fledged rear seats - at least for slim fellow traveller…”
We have added a small Slide Show of the Californias