Autostrada Motore, Inc., the official distributor of
Ferrari in the Philippines, recently held a
two-prong celebration as it launched the
Ferrari Portofino and announced its
newest partner in its automotive endeavor.
The Ferrari Portofino is the Italian carmaker's
latest "entry-level" V8 twin-turbo grand tourer and is the successor to the Ferrari California. Named after an idyllic fishing village and famous resort town in the Liguria region on the Italian Riviera, the Ferrari Portofino is aptly-named as it combines both power and luxury underneath its beautiful exterior.
Like its predecessor, the Portofino has a
convertible hardtop, transforming from an authentic Berlinetta into an open-top Spider
in just 14 seconds, even while driving at a low speed. Traditionally, there's a compromise to be made with a folding hardtop; either the car looks like a notchback with the top up or the rear haunches look too broad as the roof is designed to be small to fit into the rear compartment. With the Portofino though, the car looks like a classic coupe or Berlinetta until you're surprised as the convertible hardtop does its mechanical ballet and the
two-piece top is
stored in the trunk. And when that happens, what will surprise you even more is that, even with the roof stowed at the back, there's still enough space to accommodate enough luggage and souvenirs from a weekend trip out of town.
The Portofino is powered by the
same direct-injection, twin-turbo V8 F154 engine family that was named as the
International Engine of the Year for three straight years from 2016 to 2016. With an output of
592 hp and 760 Nm of torque that lets it sprint from 0 to 100 kph in
just 3.5 seconds before it reaches its top speed
in excess of 320 kph, Ferrari calls the Portofino as "the most powerful convertible car that Ferrari has ever produced"--which is technically true if one only considers Ferrari models that were designed from the ground-up as convertibles and not coupe models that eventually had a convertible variant later on like the 488 and its many iterations.
The Portofino boasts of many new features that are offered for the first time in its class, like its
third-generation electronic rear differential (E-Diffs) that's been integrated with its
F1-Trac to improve both mechanical grip and the control of the car to the limit, and its
Electric Power Steering (EPS). Combined, the integration of the EPS and the E-Diff3 supposedly
reduces the steering ratio by seven percent "for even more responsive steering without a trade-off in stability at high-speed driving." The Portofino also has an
upgraded magnetorheological damping system (SCM-E) that, thanks to the adoption of
dual-coil technology, helps reduce roll while contributing to improving absorption of road surface unevenness.
Inside, the Portofino has a
10.2-inch touchscreen infortainment system, a
new air-conditioning system that improves passenger comfort either with the top up or down, a
new steering wheel,
18-way adjustable electric-powered seats with a new backrest design that boosts legroom for rear seat passengers, and the
passenger display. All passengers will also appreciate the
new wind deflector which can cut air flow inside the cabin
by 30 percent and reduces aerodynamic noise in open-top driving.
© Patrick Everett Tadeo for CARMUDI PHILIPPINES
Now, that's it for the Ferrari Portofino. As we previously reported
in our Facebook page assoonaswehearditstraightfromthesource, Autostrada Motore has taken in a new partner as it seeks to expand the Ferrari brand in the Philippines and that is with
Udenna Corporation. Headed by
Dennis Uy, Udenna Corportation is the holding company behind the
Phoenix brand of petroleum products. According to Autostrada Motore, the partnership between long-serving company chairman and president
Wellington Soong and Udenna's Uy "paves the way for the next generation in Autostrada to develop and grow the Ferrari brand in the Philippines."
Does this mean Autostrada Motore will finally expand its Ferrari dealership outside of Metro Manila to cities like Davao, where Uy hails from? That has certainly never looked more certain than it does now.
| Ferrari Portofino
|
| ENGINE |
| Type |
V8 – 90° twin-turbo |
| Overall displacement |
3855 cc |
| Max. power output |
592 hp (600 cv) at 7500 rpm |
| Max. torque |
760 Nm at 3000 to 5250 rpm |
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT |
| Length |
4586 mm |
| Width |
1938 mm |
| Height |
1318 mm |
| Weight Distribution |
46/54 percent front/rear |
| PERFORMANCE |
| 0-100 kph |
3.5 seconds |
| Max. Speed |
>320 kph |
| Fuel Consumption |
10.7 L/100 km or 8.35 km/L |
© Patrick Everett Tadeo for CARMUDI PHILIPPINES
