Ferrari Portofino: Less Wind, More Noise

Photo Credit: Ferrari

Named after a picturesque village in Italy, the successor to California T is a fully grown up 2+2 convertible. Ample in room, ingenious in technological solutions, even practical with such a wind deflector that prevents a foray into your good hair day. Portofino is a rear wheeled sculpture owing it’s lines to manufacturing techniques such as hydroforming. It also feature a third generation electronic differential and an electric steering wheel.

Photo Credit: Ferrari

The less than four litre V8 under the frond hood is placed just above the front axels and delivers a round package of 600 bhp. Enough to propel the Portofino through air at almost 200 mph, a dual clutch transmission is set to function telepathically yet the exhaust has been forged and mastered to oust a distinct Ferrari symphony. In the era of forced turbo induction this is something few companies nowadays have mastered.

Photo Credit: Ferrari

The new one-piece-cast exhaust header reduces losses, an important factor in ensuring Ferrari’s characteristic throttle response with zero turbo lag. Suspension wise, an advanced magnetorheological damping system has been uprated with dual-coil technology which helps reduce roll while simultaneously improving absorption of road surface unevenness.

Photo Credit: Ferrari

The Ferrari Design Centre-penned Ferrari Portofino is an aggressively-styled car with a two-box fastback configuration – unprecedented in a coupé-convertible with a retractable hard top – that adds extra sleekness to its silhouette, lending it a sportier character without impinging on its elegance and dynamism. The folding mechanism works even with the car in motion which is important to know when sky above turns from blue to grey.