Ferrari Portofino: Not Just Holidays Roads
FERRARI PORTOFINO
Not Just Holidays Roads
Words by Alessandro Marrone
Photos by Jay Tomei
Every self-respecting fairy tale should start with “Once upon a time there was a Ferrari …”, but probably no child would be able to sleep then, being instead carried away by tales of screaming engines, braking to the limit and that constant feeling of having the heart in your throat. Daydreaming means this after all, gently moving your hand on that prancing horse in the middle of the steering wheel and realize that we are not flipping around in our bed, but this is happening for real and every moment spent without tinkering with the wheel, it is a grain of sand that comes down in the hourglass at my disposal. And I do not want to go down to any kind of compromise, in the name of automotive journalism, or simply with a hint of healthy selfishness, inevitable and understandable as soon as you find yourself on a new fireball from Maranello. A bit like a magic lamp to which everyone aspires, a Ferrari is not only a beautiful dress – a red dress in this case – a noisy engine and the innate ability to combine performance, driving pleasure and visceral emotions. Every car came out from the gates of the Commendatore’s factory embodies a triumph of passion and is ready to write that chapter of its history without any doubts the most significant automotive brand in the world.
Fire! The Portofino is very fast, has a whole new line and tears a hysterical smile only to think that it is classified as the heir of the “Ferrari for women”. Apart from the fact that the California T had already transformed a large grand tourer with a folding sunroof in a performing 2+2 that thanks to the introduction of the new turbocharged unit guaranteed authentic Ferrari figures. Putted this way this sounds a bit simplistic as an explanation and I agree – there is a lot, very much to say about it. With the Portofino things have changed again, I would even dare distorted if it were not that the soul is more or less the same, or a 3.9-liter turbo V8. Many will think that the increase in raw power, which rises from 560 to 600, may represent a reasonable increase in terms of acceleration, torque and even top speed, but the reality of facts is clear limpid like today’s sky that shines on the countryside a few kilometers from Modena. Forget the muffled sound that you would expect from a GT suitable for long motorways cruise and perfectly able to take you on vacation, without necessarily leaving your child at grandparents’ house. The Portofino, which logically takes its name from the famous Ligurian resort (and here I feel even more involved) does not disdain a nice walk with the solid roof folded into the back trunk, but unlike the California T and finally shaking off the memories of the 2008 California, has the ability to squared the fun at the wheel the precise moment you feel the need to bring out the true nature of the Prancing Horse.
It’s a story of speed, no matter if you’re singing a mighty V12 or a modern turbocharged 8-cylinder engine, power steering is electric for the first time on this model, there’s a third-generation electronic self-locking diff and even a control unit that manages the engine torque as if it was a naturally aspirated. It does not matter, all we want is to reach such speed as to feel the knees tremble and a total driving involvement, able to catapult you into that dimension that unfortunately runs time quickly, without even making me realize that in a few minutes I’m already entering the winding curves that climb beyond Sestola, right towards Monte Cimone. Emilia Romagna is not just good food, nice cars and green fields or at least not necessarily in that order. There are roads away from those green meadows that seem to be placed there for the beautiful cars and – in that occasion – thanking you for the fact that you have not spent time on good food already. Leaving aside Comfort mode, useful to keep the voice of the V8 low and managing a softer steering wheel and throttle, we have two other driving modes, just like the previous California T and then giving up the one and more extreme Race to the other models of the brand. Putting in Sport, the exhaust let the four pipes at the rear more angry and insistent, making us almost forget that the eight cylinder in front is helped by a couple of turbos. Troubled, in the positive aspect of the term, I cannot immediately appreciate the incredible maneuverability of the Portofino, which is certainly not a small car, but with a total weight of 1.664kg and the layout of the engine lower and more towards the center of the car body itself, make the movements between a curve and the other as fast as those of a feline and at the same time allow you to act violently on the steering without unbalancing the frame and the consequent entry of the following bend.
There is no turbo lag, of course. As soon as I put the throttle to the floor I immediately realize that it is not just about 40 more horsesthan the Cali T, let alone the extra 5Nm of torque, no way. It is the immediacy and the same delivery that before made you feel like being on a plane, now it is as if you were thrown from that very plane. The carboceramic brakes comes as standard and have their dirt to work every time you choose to take advantage of the Portofino for what it hides under an elegant and sinuous dress, the result of an extremely accurate work and completed by the Ferrari Design Center led by Flavio Manzoni, a man who would be able to bring out a work of art from the classic sketches that take shape when you’re entertained in a phone call longer than usual. With the closed roof you have a real fastback, a coupe with a real glass window that offers great visibility and brightness to the car itself. Within just 14 seconds, the completely redesigned canopy closes and steals very little space to the luggage compartment, emphasizing the engine speed decibels and bringing fun to levels that are daily bread for a Ferrari.
I do not understand how it is possible, but the lightning-fast sequential dual-clutch transmission derived directly from the experience gained in F1 is even more responsive and if Comfort (mode) does its job without you realize it, in Sport and taking advantage of the paddle behind the wheel is a pleasure and makes you feel really in command of the situation, an aspect that on cars so technologically and technically advanced should not be taken for granted. Just the steering wheel and so the on-board instrumentation including the huge new 10.25-inch central touch display and the optional Passenger Display, have been updated and aligned with those seen with the GTC4 Lusso, thus making the Portofino not only ready for the fierce competition, but able to better manage navigation, stereo system and smartphone connection, thanks to the two digital screens located on the sides of the only analog instrument left, the tachometer. Here you can place the map in order to keep track of the navigation, but also all the various parameters of the car.
The road continues to rise, the wind is our only companion but does not break into the cockpit, which is exceptionally isolated, thanks to a rather high beltline, which also helps to make the profile of the car massive and aggressive, both with the roof open or closed. It is not easy to describe how beautiful the Portofino is and certainly, the Rosso Portofino itself helps because it accentuates the lines and the numerous details. The layout may be mistakenly seem that of a typical coupe/convertible, but the sloping and elaborate tail is the predominant detail that elevates the image of the car, which plays between holes, vents – also around the lights – and a rear which in my opinion is the best bit of the whole car. Soft as it should be on a grand tourer, but sharp as you would expect on a Ferrari, the Portofino is climbing towards the Cimone with a disarming ease. I play with the gearbox and call into question the lower ratios noting that this turbo engine cries out loud and spits violence up to 7,500 rpm (I repeat that, 7500 rpm on a turbo engine!). The maximum torque curve is then available from 3000 to 5250 rpm and this translates into a constant push and an intense pressure on the fantastic and comfortable seats, also new and able to save weight and space in favor of the rear occupants.
Holding the manettino to the right disables traction control and if the steps towards your own abilities and the 600 horses of the Portofino could make you fear a sad journey to the gallows, the prancing horse proves that it is not here to bite you and that the perfect balance of the weights and the driving harmony that is obtained even at the most spirited paces, making the behavior predictable and for this transmitting to you that safety that allows to make better use of a car that in the right hands would not struggle to keep up to more traditional supercars. After all, keep in mind the fact that this “Ferrari for women” (as some call it) burns the 0-100 kph in just 3 seconds and a half, about a second faster than the legendary F40 which is certainly more exciting, but a thousand times more challenging even in the simplest maneuvers. I say this, certainly not to compare a superb contemporary GT to an icon that will never get old, but to underline how the past years and development have led to the availability of performance once prerogative of cars almost unattainable and in any case only exploitable from a small circle of people. With the Portofino you could also leave home in flip-flops, blast at 320 per hour and reach the Ligurian Riviera to finally fold up the roof and let the breeze mix with the sound of a V8 that acts like a n/a. The first step to enter the contemporary Ferrari world requires a toll of € 196,061 and although there will always be those who will continue to turn up their nose not liking the turbos under the hood or for the fact that it is so different from the more generous V12 of the GTC4 and 812 and of course the mid-engined 488, the Portofino exudes the true essence of Ferrari from the moment you open the door and enter the rampant world that is able to turn a parking maneuver into a special moment.
FERRARI PORTOFINO
Layout – front-engined, rear wheel drive
Engine – V8 cylinder 3.855cc – turbo
Transmission – 7-speed automatic gearbox
Power – 600 hp @ 7.500 rpm
760 Nm @ 3.000-5.250 rpm
Weight – 1.664 kg
Acceleration – 3,5 sec.
Top Speed – 320 kph
Price – from € 196.061