SimplyAbuDhabi XXXIII

2 2 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I V iewing a car with preconceptions can be risky because they condition you to accept something before you experience it and with the Ferrari Portofino there are two scenarios you must avoid before driving this car. First is that first-time Ferrari drivers probably suspect this will be awkward to steer with all the usual supercar inconveniences such as lack of visibility and being so low to the ground that you can neither get in or out properly and you have to message someone ahead to watch out for speed humps so you can raise the suspension in time. The second is at the other end of the scale, that this will be a softly sprung, boulevard cruiser that panders to the Hollywood housewife who wants the Ferrari badge but also a car that can cruise at 40kmh down rodeo drive without spilling their Starbucks mochaccino. yet after just a few days behind the wheel of the Portofino, i can say that you need to get both of those notions out of your head and just try it because it’s a car full of welcome surprises that fits in between both scenarios while managing to pick the best of both. As far as comfort and ease of access goes, the Portofino feels less like a Ferrari 488 and more like a Porsche 911 offering a practical, upright driving position and even a back seat for small children or soft luggage. The Portofino has managed to cross the divide of delivering genuine supercar performance wrapped in an everyday, useable package. both its practicality and versatility don’t stop there however as the Portofino also offers boot space for a few bags, though with the spare wheel in place, not many, and it has a folding metal roof which turns it into a full-size convertible at the touch of a button. With the roof up, the Portofino is a classic sports tourer but drop the electrically folding top and it turns into the most powerful open top 2+2 on the market with a twin-turbocharged, near 600bhp V8 that not only gets you to 100kmh in 3.5 seconds but does it with the distinctively sounding Ferrari V8 that’s as characteristic as the famous “Cavallino rampante” badge on the front guards. While the Portofino may resemble the California model it replaces, it’s completely new with Ferrari giving it a new aluminium chassis that saves 80kg yet adds an extra 35 per cent stiffness to it as well. despite the Ferrari badge and a lusty V8, the main job of the Portofino, like the California before it, is to attract new business to the brand. So instead of looking at the likes of Lamborghini as its competition, the Portofino is hunting GT buyers who are looking at the likes of the Mercedes-AMG SL range, bMW’s new 8-Series coupe, the bentley Continental GTC, Aston Martin db11 and even sister company, Maserati and its GranTurismo and GranCabrio duo. Ferrari claims that 70 per cent of its California buyers were new to the marque, a percentage it intends to continue with the Portofino and that 85 per cent use their car on a daily basis with just over 30 per