It’s official: The base model front-engined convertible from Ferrari is ceasing production. While bidding goodbye to any Ferrari is a melancholy moment, the Ferrari Portofino M has maintained a presence for quite a while in various iterations. And now, it’s time for the next chapter.
Ferrari has officially announced to Road & Track on Thursday that production of the Portofino M is coming to an end to welcome the newly unveiled Ferrari Roma Spider. It was the only Ferrari with a truly hardtop convertible, unlike others such as the 812 GTS and F8 Spider which feature a smaller retractable roof mechanism. The Roma will utilize a soft top instead of the Portofino’s hard top.
The Portofino M has had a 15-year journey since its initial version in the 2008 Ferrari California. The California had a lukewarm reception initially, despite possessing key elements for success such as a 4.3-liter naturally aspirated V8 with a flat-plane crankshaft and a rear-biased weight distribution. It wasn’t until the 2014 update with the California T that things started looking up for the model. The addition of turbocharging, the first Ferrari to do so since the F40, and significant revisions addressed earlier criticisms.
In 2017, the Portofino debuted featuring a 592 hp twin-turbo flat-plane V8, finally aligning with the performance of other Ferrari models. The perspective shifted from the sunny California coastline to the Italian Riviera, with the car receiving further structural and material updates. Despite its roots in the original California, it garnered a much warmer reception. The Portofino M, the final iteration introduced in 2021, boasted 612 horsepower.
Even though it may have been overshadowed among modern Ferraris, it evolved into something elegant and commendable. While a sleek mid-engined supercar focuses on precise handling, there’s undeniable appeal in a convertible. Farewell, Portofino.
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