Driven to Extinction: Ferrari Portofino M

There’s something ineffably cool about comparatively unloved Ferraris. Whether it’s a 365 GTC4, most notable for not being a Daytona, the scallop-fuselaged 612 Scaglietti or the behemoth FF, these are Maranello’s chorus line cars, rarely enjoying much of a moment in the spotlight.

Much the same can be said of the Portofino. It only seems like yesterday that it was being introduced to replace the bulky California T, but we have word that the factory will build no more. That’s a shame because it had quietly evolved, via the later Portofino M model, into a hugely capable junior GT.

In latter years, much of its meagre limelight had been stolen by its mechanical sibling, the comely Roma coupe, but the Portofino’s legacy will be that it introduced so much new blood to the Ferrari stable.

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The Portofino launched here in 2018, powered by a 441kW/760Nm version of Ferrari’s 3855cc F154BE twin-turbocharged V8. Drive was sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch ’box, tweaked to deliver faster shift times than the old Cali T. The interior also featured 50mm more rear legroom than its predecessor, a slicker 10.2-inch infotainment system and far more powerful air conditioning than the somewhat asthmatic California’s.

The Portofino M landed here in May 2021, with power output tweaked to 456kW, while the old seven-speed transmission was upgraded to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission weighing a mere 96kg.

Ferrari promised zero turbo lag courtesy of its Variable Boost Management system, which ramps up boost as the car ascends the gears, reaching the full quota of 760Nm in 7th and 8th ratios. Thus equipped, the M knocked a second off the Portofino’s sprint to 200km/h.

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That’s not to say that it had lost its original focus.It remained a more relaxed thing to drive than the mid-engined models and could bring those who might otherwise have looked at a Mercedes-Benz SL, a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet or an Aston Martin DB11 Volante into the Ferrari fold. And boy, did it succeed in fulfilling that brief.

More than half of Portofino M buyers were first-time Ferrari customers and the original Portofino arrived at a crucial time, plumping up pre-pandemic cashflow just as the 488 model line orders tailed off, with the M manfully filling the void ahead of the arrival of the Purosangue.

What’s next? Well, Ferrari has coyly hinted that a replacement for the Portofino M is well advanced. Test mules of a Roma Spider have been spotted in Maranello and it already appears as an option on tuner Mansory’s website. A folding hard top roof is rumoured but we’ll find out for sure later this year.

The Portofino will never be a landmark Ferrari road car but, just quietly, it might have been one of the most important of recent years. Here’s to a job well done.

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A clean exit

The Portofino M is equipped with Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer. Activated in Race mode on the manettino, it tweaks brake pressure on each wheel, making “the car’s lateral dynamics more predictable through and exiting corners.”

Yep, it's a real ferrari

The Portofino M was a fearsomely rapid car if you committed to the loud pedal, fully half a second quicker to 200km/h than an Enzo hypercar, stopping the clock at 9.8sec. But despite the dynamic improvements, including a five-position manettino dial, it was never really the model of choice for gimlet-eyed corner-carvers who would doubtless prefer one of the mid-engined wedges.

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