NEW Ferrari Portofino M Review: Rediscovering The Forgotten Ferrari

Rory hops on board the new Ferrari Portofino M for a road review. The ‘M’ suffix stands for ‘Modificata’, hinting this one has been modified with some goodies that make it better than ever. But is this somewhat overlooked Ferrari as desirable as it seems?

When the world closed oceans seemed to grow for most traveling to foreign lands became almost impossible visiting our favorite people and places was no longer something we could do on a whim experiences captured on devices kept the memories fresh and the hope of normality alive but with restrictions come opportunities to explore worlds closer to home opportunities

For journeys of rediscovery so if we can’t go anywhere exotic then i’m gonna bring exotic to the uk this is the ferrari portofino m the forgotten ferrari the promising horse’s entry-level supercar which has been upstaged by their new entry-level supercar the roma and by pretty much everything else in the family but ferrari have given this a new lease of life

And they’re calling it the portofino m so in case you’re not aware the portofino is a coupe convertible it has a retractable hard top that can go up or down at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour and in as little as 14 seconds so basically it’s actually more suitable for the uk than for italy this is the perfect car for people who feel like they’re trapped in a country

Where the weather can do pretty much anything and at any time the m stands for modificator and in true ferrari fashion it’s been tweaked for more aggression ordinarily to test that we’d need a european playground but today is the perfect opportunity to rediscover this baby ferrari while rediscovering forgotten joys that are a little closer to home this’ll do right

Is there anywhere better to spank a twin turbo charged 3.9 liter italian v8 than right here in britain the engine is very similar to the one they use in the standard portofino except it’s been modified slightly it has different cam profiles and a different speed sensor on the turbo so the turbos spin even faster now the engine makes a massive 620 horsepower

Torque is the same 760 newton meters but out here right now i don’t think i need any more than this they’ve gotten rid of the old seven speed dual clutch box and replaced it with a new eight-speed dual clutch box it’s whip fast these paddles feel super nice carbon fiber and it’s so responsive it just cracks up and down the box almost as fast as you can think

The lower ratios are closer together as well which really helps with acceleration so the car just takes off and in-gear acceleration is i mean it’s just lively naught to 62 is done in 3.45 seconds brought to 124 in 9.8 a second quicker than the previous portofino and if you keep your foot pinned it’ll keep going all the way up to 199 point something miles an

Hour i don’t know what the something is but i don’t think i want to find out today the steering is typical ferrari lively fast accurate it makes this car feel so responsive there are other cars in this class other gts that feel a little bit more leaden in their responses compared to the portofino m but this thing feels a lot closer to a supercar the balance on

This car is great it’s actually set up for a little bit of understeer so if you carry a tad too much speed into a corner it’ll wash wide in a safe fashion but go anywhere near the throttle and it will bring the back end around in a way that’s actually really controllable you can drive this car on the nose or on the tail whatever you like and it’s just a joy the

Portofino m comes with a new five mode manatina which lets you select from wet comfort sport race and esc off the new race mode includes a new software map called ferrari dynamic enhancer which the company says makes the car safer and more controllable at the limit but anyone brave enough to turn down their assistance will find a car that rewards your attempts to

Lean on your own skill there’s actually a lot of feedback from the steering as well i can feel when the front end is about to break traction and that gives you so much confidence to drive this car on your terms it’s a little bit of movement in the body as well it’s not super stiff it feels very fluid so it’s a nice car to thread along the road it feels organic

It feels alive more than anything else it also feels approachable so many supercars out there these days are so fast they feel almost terrifying to go anywhere near the limit but in the portofino m it’s quite cuddly the nicest thing i can say about it is that it feels a bit like a big plush mx-5 a big flash mx-5 with bags of power oh it’s still a ferrari though

It’s still a ferrari and in a ferrari after a morning of spirited driving typically you might want to visit somewhere fancy for an exotic lunch but with the portofino m being as approachable and as normal as the ferrari can be there’s every reason to rediscover something more down to earth more normal before drinking in the beauty of the portofino m and it is

Striking with a new front bumper helping it stand out from the original portofino an air vent that now runs from the bumper to behind the front wheels and a huge rear diffuser that’s been made possible thanks to the inclusion of petrol particulate filters which make the exhaust so quiet that ferrari’s been able to delete the rear silencer inside it’s arguably

More special than the roamer with a horizontally oriented dashboard plus a physical engine start button and rev counter options are never cheap on a ferrari and this example is no different the carbon fiber steering wheel with led lights cost 4 300 pounds carbon fiber center console 1 600 pounds neck warmer 2 000 pounds carbon cup holder 1400 pounds and the

Rosso portofino paintwork costs an extra 100 pounds but this is a ferrari and if you’re even considering buying one then those numbers shouldn’t be too difficult to digest it’s not always about going flat out in a ferrari sometimes you just want to chill take it easy and enjoy the road and actually that’s where the portofino m is best it’s ideal for people who

Just want to jump in and go for a drive not just by themselves but with their friends and you don’t have to think twice about driving this car because it is so simple the seats are comfortable you can go on a long journey on a short journey to the shops to sweeping mall and b road like this whenever you want the suspension is comfortable it has a bumpy road mode

So even if you go anywhere near potholes it’s not going to destroy your fillings the tech is usable it’s got apple carplay it’s got 360 degree cameras all around the car so it’s easy to park next to the roamer this is the easiest ferrari to daily and you will want to drive it daily gripes yeah i’ve got a few there’s a lot of wind buffeting as you might be able

To hear with or without the roof sometimes it’s hard to see what’s on the screen as it’s so reflective and also the exhaust noise is decent but it’s not amazing but these are all minor minor issues because honestly this thing is just a thrill a minute and the best part is those thrills are never too far away there’s no need to make a special trip to far-flung

Regions of the globe or to a racetrack to get the most from this car the north devon coast wild cliffs climbing from emerald waters rocky coves sand dunes and beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see accessible to all and yet overlooked by so many with the portofino modificator ferrari has polished an existing gem it’s reminded us that rediscovery is as

Important as discovery that there’s nothing wrong with making the most of what we already have and allowing those treasures to shine bright once more you

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NEW Ferrari Portofino M Review: Rediscovering The Forgotten Ferrari | 4K By AutoTrader