Ferrari’s new hardtop convertible, the Portofino, made its public debut at the ongoing 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is a fitting replacement to the ageing California.
Named after a beautiful port town in Italy, the Portofino has been built from the ground-up. It gets an all-new chassis with extensive weight saving measures. Styling cues are straight from the GTC4Lusso, which in turn is inspired by the design language set by the LaFerrari. So you get the classic coupe lines with a long hood, a raked windshield and a sloping roofline. The overhangs are minimal both fore and aft. The hardtop can be retracted into the tail at the flick of a switch which then reveals the gorgeous roadster lines.
On the inside, the Portofino is equally luxurious. There are exquisite leather trims wrapping the upholstery and dashboard. There is a 10.2-inch touchscreen display, 18-way adjustable front seats and a new climate control system. There are seats at the back as well, however, they are best reserved for toddlers or luggage.
Powering the baby Ferrari is the same 3.9-litre turbocharged V8 from the 488 GTB. It breathes out 600 bhp of max power at 7500rpm and a whopping 760Nm of torque from 3000rpm. All the madness is sent to the rear wheels channeled through an automatic gearbox. The sprint from 0-100 kmph is achieved in a mere 3.5 seconds. With the roof up, the Portofino is capable of clocking over 320kmph.
The all-new Portofino comes as a direct rival to the Jaguar F-Type, Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster, Mercedes-AMG GT Convertible and the Porsche 911 Convertible.
