Ferrari Portofino M
Roma upgrades bring a welcome new verve to Ferrari’s entry-level drop-top
YOU’VE PROBABLY FORGOTTEN ABOUT the Portofino, what with the F8 arriving, the 296 GTB (see page 30) soon to join it, the Roma doing a strong impression of an Italian Aston Martin, and the launch of the 1000-horsepower SF90. But the Portofino is still integral to Ferrari, still a lynchpin in the journey for those who have promised themselves a car from Maranello one day. It remains the model that opens the door to a brand. Rival firms wish they could have a slither of its success. And now it’s gained the Modificata treatment in the form of a rather considerable Roma-inspired reworking.
With the Roma being based on the Portofino’s platform it was only a matter of time before the open-top car received the technical upgrades that the coupe has been equipped with since its launch last year. Chief amongst these are the adoption of the new eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox and the full suite of manettino settings (although these remain bespoke to the Portofino to take into account its additional 100kg of kerb weight and different weight distribution). Ferrari’s latest adaptive dampers are also fitted, while the 3.9-litre turbocharged V8 gains 19bhp for a Roma-matching 611bhp (the increase would be twice that were it not for the need to fit gas particulate filters).
Despite being an entry-level model, the Portofino M has true supercar levels of performance. There’s a sharp bark to the V8 when it catches, but once it’s through its warm-up cycle the tone settles with a heavier-than-expected beat, swapping the metallic-edged precision of the F8’s tone for a more traditional V8 burble. It’s enough to prickle your senses and wipe away a layer of cynicism that Ferrari’s 2+2 might lack the depth of talent we expect from Maranello. Five miles further on and another layer evaporates as you settle into the controls, learn their weights and begin to look a little deeper into the Portofino M’s talents.
Left in Comfort mode the ride is GT supple, and with the roof closed only a hint of wind noise at the C-pillar and the occasional squeak from the exquisite interior leather distracts from the engine’s soundtrack. If, after 300 miles behind the wheel, you were asked to immediately cover the same distance again, you’d happily slip into the cockpit and do so.
Peak torque is quoted as 560lb ft from 3000rpm, but as is the Ferrari way each of the eight gears has its own torque curve, with higher gears delivering their peak at higher engine speeds, so there’s a calm climb through the ratios rather than the sensation of a Herculean force shoving you at the horizon with every throttle application, regardless of the applied pressure. The new eight-speed gearbox, an adaptation of the unit also fitted to the SF90 hypercar and which took Ferrari four years to develop, is much better suited to the V8’s power and torque delivery than its seven-speed predecessor, which could be indecisive in auto mode when you wanted clarity and precision.
However, with the full range of five manettino settings available, it’s only a matter of time before you click the dial around to Sport, depress the button that knocks the dampers to ‘bumpy road’, and set the gearbox to manual to find out just how serious the updates are.
‘Very’ is the answer. There’s added tension to
the Portofino now. The throttle moves with more freedom, the revs zinging around the dial with an F8 level of ferocity as the V8 primes itself.
It may be an entry-point Ferrari, but let off its leash its 611bhp still makes light work of propelling over 1600kg across the surface at a mesmerising pace. Refreshingly the engine enjoys revs, so you’re not constantly crashing into the limiter or focusing on when to pull the right-hand paddle rather than enjoying the road. Shift lights on the top of the steering wheel fill your peripheral vision and the engine note switches tone just as quickly as they illuminate, preparing you for your obligations.
The suppleness of the ride that makes the Portofino M a relaxed GT in Comfort mode is traded for more body control in Sport, the car cornering with an unexpected flatness. But it’s not an easy machine to read the harder you push, something that’s not helped by Ferrari’s direct and quick steering, which suits the nature of the mid-engined and V12 models but feels at odds here. The initial turn-in is too quick, making it harder to place the car precisely in a turn than you want it to be, and on some surfaces there’s a glassy layer to the action that sows a further seed of doubt in your mind. For a car that isn’t all about performance, despite having it in abundance, you can’t help but think a slower steering ratio would be more appropriate.
You can learn to work with the directness of the steering though, and the immediacy with which the Portofino finds its line, and with less haste and a calm approach there’s a sweet spot to be found where the performance can be made to match the car’s more natural wish to flow with the road rather than slice it up like a salami.
As Adam Towler discusses later in this issue, the convertible supercar offers a strange paradox. They’re heavier and dynamically handicapped, and while their performance is rarely impacted over their coupe counterparts, fully exploiting it with the roof down can be a rather loud and uncomfortable experience (the Portofino suffers from poor wind deflection with the roof down). And yet in today’s world of ever more constraints and spying eyes they also offer a different take on the driver’s car, one that operates across a wider window, providing a more detailed exposure to what’s around you.
The Portofino M doesn’t offer the violent thrust of a 911 Turbo S Cabriolet or the razor-sharp precision of a Mclaren 720S Spider, but it also doesn’t trade driver satisfaction for ultimate indulgence as Bentley’s Conti GT Convertible does. It does, however, strike an appealing and compelling balance in the middle ground between both camps, which goes a very long way to explaining why it appeals to so many. On this showing, it’s hard to see this appeal waning anytime soon.
Engine V8, 3855cc, twin-turbo Power 611bhp @ 7500rpm Torque 560lb ft @ 3000-5750rpm
Weight 1664kg (373bhp/ton) 0-62mph 3.5sec
Top speed 199mph Basic price £175,345 + Bolder looks, useability matched to supercar performance - Lacks the passion of the best Ferraris evo rating ★★★★⯪