The replacement to Ferrari’s first ever front-engine V8 convertible, the California, has arrived in Australia - its local reveal coinciding with the newest (9th) addition to the local dealer network, Ferrari Gold Coast. Carrying over the philosophies and a fair bit of its mechanical package from the California T, the Portofino will be reaching Australian buyers in September.
Taking its name from a picturesque seaside town in northern Italy instead of the American state, Ferrari’s latest 2+2 open top grand tourer will start at $398,888 (plus ORCs), undercutting its predecessor’s local proposition of $410k by over $10,000.
The marque is betting that the Portofino will find a place in the garages of first time Ferrari owners, particularly those who have previously held affinities for Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren, Aston Martin, and Jaguar due to its greater versatility.
Like the California, the Portofino is engineered to be more of a high speed cruiser than anything you should take to the track. While still very able to perform like any Ferrari should, this one is more comfortable and a little more forgiving under normal driving conditions.
Its construction uses an updated version of the California T’s platform, retaining the same wheelbase and rough dimensions. Under the bonnet we find the same 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged F154 V8 also shared with the 488 GTB, albeit detuned, producing 441kW and 760Nm, an improvement of 29kW and 10Nm over its immediate predecessor, and mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission made by Getrag.
According to Ferrari’s claimed figures, 3.5 seconds is all it would need to dispatch 100km/h from rest. Top speed, meanwhile, should you happen upon a deserted runway (and some) is pegged at 320km/h - with the metal folding roof up, of course.
Outside, the Portofino is a much more naturally handsome object than the model it replaces, adopting many of the same cues as the most recent front-engine Ferrari products, most of all the 812 Superfast and GTC4Lusso.
The interior, unsurprisingly, is something of a dead ringer with the GTC4Lusso while also not straying far from the layout established with the original Ferrari California. It employs two TFT displays within the instrument panel to display dynamic information while infotainment needs are controlled via the 10.25 inch touchscreen while the passenger side receives decimated ‘scare’ display, assuming you want to share the car’s exact speed, gear, and engine RPM with your willing captive.
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