Entry-level Ferrari Portofino revealed

The Prancing Horse’s newest addition to the line-up, the Ferrari Portofino, is the replacement for the outgoing Ferrari California T.

It’s named after an Italian town that’s particularly popular with tourists, and so its launch colour – that glorious red – is named ‘Rosso Portofino’.

Underneath the sleek red metal is Ferrari’s turbocharged V8, which is now putting out 441kW. That makes it 29kW more powerful than in the California T.

It even gets an extra 5Nm to bring the total up to 760.

Ferrari also says the Portofino scores a significant weight reduction from the California, which weighed 1730kg, though hasn’t given a figure for the new car’s weight. In addition, the Portofino is said to have increased torsional rigidity over its predecessor.

All of this means the Portofino has a claimed 0-100km/h sprint of 3.5 seconds, which is only one-tenth faster than the claim for the California.

It might be worth pointing out that peak torque is only available from 5250rpm in the Portofino, where it was available from 4750 in the California.

Still, new engine tech should make that V8 just a little sweeter, with new pistons and con-rods, a new intake design, and a re-worked exhaust that Ferrari says improves the V8’s soundtrack.

“The new one-piece-cast exhaust header reduces losses, an important factor in ensuring Ferrari’s characteristic throttle response with zero turbo lag.

“These improvements, combined with the Variable Boost Management which adjusts torque delivery to suit the gear selected, enable the Ferrari Portofino to offer even higher levels of acceleration in all gears and lower fuel consumption compared to the outgoing model.”

A mix of comfort and dynamic changes for the new Ferrari have also been added, with this model being the first grand tourer Ferrari to be given electric power steering.

Its damping system has also been improved to “help reduce roll while simultaneously improving absorption of road surface unevenness,” Ferrari says.

And on the topic of comfort, a four-seater would be useless if the rear passengers had no legroom. 18-way adjustable seat help make sure rear passengers won’t be sitting cross-legged.

Ferrari will debut the Portofino at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September.

Ferrari Portofino Specs:
Engine: 3855cc turbocharged V8
Power: 441kW @ 7500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 5250rpm
Weight: TBC (claimed less than 1730kg)
0-100km/h: 3.5s (claimed)