[1][2] The design was commissioned by George Griffith, a successful racing sailor, who was a member of Los Angeles Yacht Club.
It has a masthead sloop rig; a spooned, raked stem; a raised counter, transom; an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel.
Tom Burden notes, "Cal 40s have twice achieved the record of being the biggest one-design fleet ever in the biennial Transpac Race, with 14 boats in 1966 and 2005.
"[5] In a 2020 review Tom Burden wrote, "today the Cal 40 has attained true 'cult' status as a design that is sought after, restored and passed down through multiple generations of families.
Folks spend multiple years and a quarter of a million dollars restoring Cal 40s and fitting them out with the latest sails, gear and electronics ...