The Friendly Stallion
Tame, or roaring with horsepower when you want it to be, the Ferrari Portofino is one supercar you can drive all day, every day
The day started off perfectly. It was bright and sunny, and I was finally going to have my first feel of driving a Ferrari. The weather was pristine when I reached the Ferrari showroom at Platinum Park KL; and there parked outside, glistening in the sunlight, capturing the stares of passers-by, was the sporty red Ferrari Portofino.
The good thing about this test-drive experience is that it comes with a quick lesson about the car before I get to drive it on the open road, as well as a trainer who guided me throughout the entire experience. So I first discover about all the nifty buttons and pushers— lest I propel myself too fast too soon, knowing the power of Ferraris.
After a tour around the car, checking out its exquisite detailing and sexy exterior, my guide gives me a quick rundown on the interiors and functionality available in the Portofino, which was made to replace the Ferrari California T model. But this grand tourer, thanks to the advances in technology and design, fares better than its predecessor, with significant weight reduction despite an increase in torsional rigidity.
Upon entering, I adjust the full electric seat to my comfort and liking and push the start engine button; the engine roars alive and more onlookers stop to gawk—a natural reaction when seeing, or rather hearing, a Ferrari come to life.
My destination is the hill resort in Bukit Tinggi, Pahang. The perfect route for me to test the entire capability of the Portofino, as well as photograph the GT in a scenic location. I start out rather unconfidently, unsure about how much force to put on the pedal, and seated lower than I usually am,
as the car is more grounded in order to increase stability at higher speeds. It’s a good thing the Portofino comes fitted with front and rear parking cameras, which help me slowly manoeuvre out of its tight parking.
Thankfully for me, the Portofino is relatively easy to handle and almost anyone can pick it up on the go. Five minutes in and I’m ready to tear down the road... if only it weren’t for KL traffic. However, I finally reach the exit to the highway, and it’s smooth sailing from there. In fact, the roads are so empty, we have enough time to do a high speed photo shoot. Our photographer bravely puts his camera out of the window from a car in front of us (which isn’t a Ferrari) so I have to be careful not to step on the accelerator too much and overtake him—a task that proves to be somewhat difficult, as it’s too easy to pick up speed when you’re in such a powerful car.
With the first photo shoot done and dusted, I’m finally free to put the pedal to the metal and accelerate to our second
and final photo shoot destination. Before I knew it, I had left behind our photographer in the other car.
Having driven a number of cars, I’ve come to realise that some carmakers’ build quality supercedes that of others. While some may rattle just as you reach speeds of over a hundred, most continental makes are still steady even when you hit up to 150km/h. Then you look down at the speedometer and realise you’re going that fast, then have to slow down, being the law-abiding citizen that you are. It is almost the same with the Ferrari, except, by the time I decide to look at the sleek dashboard display,
I was almost touching 200km/h!
Speeding down the highway, I was surprised at how efficiently other vehicles cleared the lane for me. From inside the cabin, it’s difficult to tell if the other road users heard or saw the handsome red sports coupe in their rear-view mirror first, as you’re well protected from outside noise.
I reach the bottom of the Bukit Tinggi foothill, and my guide directs me to a quiet corner before we start our ascent. Here’s where I entered spider mode, essentially retracting the hard top of the convertible, and switched from the automatic drive mode to use the F1 paddle shift gearbox—which further accentuates the soundtrack of the engine. And with the top down, you truly get to experience the thrill of the Portofino.
Alongside the extra horsepower that the Portofino delivers, compared to the California T, the new wind deflector
The moniker Portofino references one of Italy’s most beautiful towns
manages to cut air flow into the cabin by 30 per cent, thus reducing the aerodynamic noise, and letting you truly enjoy the sound of the additional horsepower.
Using the paddle shifters also brings a new, exhilarating element to the ride. Especially so when driving up curvy hills. Here’s where I got to see the extent of control and power the Portofino delivers. Oh, and the sounds of you shifting your gears, is also simply immaculate.
Upon reaching the designated location, I finally get to inspect the other aspects of the car more thoroughly, while the photography session is in progress.
The first thing I’m excited to check out is the entire mechanism of the retracting hard top. It takes a mere 14 seconds to either come up or go down, and can do so as the car is moving under 20km/h. As I watch the pieces fold neatly into its rear compartment, I become amazed also at the amount of boot space the convertible coupe offers. Definitely more than I imagined, in spider mode, you can easily store two cabin trolleys, which extends to three when in coupe configuration—a true definition of a grand tourer.
While the photo shoot was ongoing, the weather took a slight turn for the worst. The rain however added a nice element to the shots, but it also meant that I could no longer drive with the top down. That said, the wet roads allowed me to really test the handling and control of the Ferrari, which I’m glad to say, made me feel extremely safe and comfortable still, even while descending the steep and now slippery slopes.
The gloomy weather was probably a sign of my mood as my time with the Portofino was coming to an end. As I was driving it back to the showroom, which of course happened too fast, yet another thing left me in wonder. I realised that from the time I picked up the coupe in KL, to Bukit Tinggi and back, not once did I need to refuel; there was more than half the tank of petrol left. Therefore disproving my preconceived notion that supercars are fuel guzzlers.
One thing is sure: Ferrari has successfully combined sportiness, elegance and comfort with its Portofino—making it one of the most accessible models to date.