The Ferrari Portofino M Is Faster, Sharper And More Expensive

Just three years into its life, the Ferrari Portofino. It provided a sizeable leap from the so-so California T it replaced, but it seems Maranello thought there was room for improvement. The Italian firm has decided to tweak almost every aspect of the outgoing car to create this replacement: the Portofino M.

The M stands for ‘Modificata’, which is a nice change from the usual ‘S’ badge many manufacturers favour for cars like this. First up, we need to take a look under the bonnet. Here, you’ll still find a 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8, but this time it makes 612bhp, up from 592bhp.

More significantly, it’s now hooked up to a new eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, replacing the old seven-speed unit. 0-62mph drops from 3.5 seconds to… 3.45, which you’re unlikely to notice, although a whole second has been lopped off the 0-124mph sprint, which is now 9.8sec.

There’s a new exhaust system, too. It’s had the two rear silencers removed, which should nicely make up for the noise-sapping particulate filters Ferrari has needed to fit to help pass the latest EU emissions standards.

The old car’s three-position Manettino mode selector is gone, replaced with a fancier five-position switch. This gives Wet, Comfort, Sport, Race and ESC off modes to play with. In Race, the ‘Dynamic Enhancer’ system uses small brake applications at all four corners, making it easier to pull off heroic drifts without spinning. Huzzah.

On the outside, there’s a redesigned front bumper with new aluminium grille slats, plus a new rear bumper with a rejigged diffuser. The latter can be specced in carbon fibre, should you wish.

Inside, Ferrari has worked on the magnesium-structured seats, fiddling around with the density of the padding to give more space for anyone in the back.

The final change concerns the price - at €206,000, it’s €12,500 more expensive than before.