Ferrari PH Brings in Ferrari Portofino, Reveals New Partner

Autostrada Motore, Inc., the official distributor of Ferrari in the Philippines, recently held a two-prong celebration as it launched the Ferrari Portofino and announced its newest partner in its automotive endeavor. The Ferrari Portofino is the Italian carmaker's latest "entry-level" V8 twin-turbo grand tourer and is the successor to the Ferrari California. Named after an idyllic fishing village and famous resort town in the Liguria region on the Italian Riviera, the Ferrari Portofino is aptly-named as it combines both power and luxury underneath its beautiful exterior. Like its predecessor, the Portofino has a convertible hardtop, transforming from an authentic Berlinetta into an open-top Spider in just 14 seconds, even while driving at a low speed. Traditionally, there's a compromise to be made with a folding hardtop; either the car looks like a notchback with the top up or the rear haunches look too broad as the roof is designed to be small to fit into the rear compartment. With the Portofino though, the car looks like a classic coupe or Berlinetta until you're surprised as the convertible hardtop does its mechanical ballet and the two-piece top is stored in the trunk. And when that happens, what will surprise you even more is that, even with the roof stowed at the back, there's still enough space to accommodate enough luggage and souvenirs from a weekend trip out of town. The Portofino is powered by the same direct-injection, twin-turbo V8 F154 engine family that was named as the International Engine of the Year for three straight years from 2016 to 2016. With an output of 592 hp and 760 Nm of torque that lets it sprint from 0 to 100 kph in just 3.5 seconds before it reaches its top speed in excess of 320 kph, Ferrari calls the Portofino as "the most powerful convertible car that Ferrari has ever produced"--which is technically true if one only considers Ferrari models that were designed from the ground-up as convertibles and not coupe models that eventually had a convertible variant later on like the 488 and its many iterations. The Portofino boasts of many new features that are offered for the first time in its class, like its third-generation electronic rear differential (E-Diffs) that's been integrated with its F1-Trac to improve both mechanical grip and the control of the car to the limit, and its Electric Power Steering (EPS). Combined, the integration of the EPS and the E-Diff3 supposedly reduces the steering ratio by seven percent "for even more responsive steering without a trade-off in stability at high-speed driving." The Portofino also has an upgraded magnetorheological damping system (SCM-E) that, thanks to the adoption of dual-coil technology, helps reduce roll while contributing to improving absorption of road surface unevenness. Inside, the Portofino has a 10.2-inch touchscreen infortainment system, a new air-conditioning system that improves passenger comfort either with the top up or down, a new steering wheel, 18-way adjustable electric-powered seats with a new backrest design that boosts legroom for rear seat passengers, and the passenger display. All passengers will also appreciate the new wind deflector which can cut air flow inside the cabin by 30 percent and reduces aerodynamic noise in open-top driving. Now, that's it for the Ferrari Portofino. As we previously reported in our Facebook page assoonaswehearditstraightfromthesource, Autostrada Motore has taken in a new partner as it seeks to expand the Ferrari brand in the Philippines and that is with Udenna Corporation. Headed by Dennis Uy, Udenna Corportation is the holding company behind the Phoenix brand of petroleum products. According to Autostrada Motore, the partnership between long-serving company chairman and president Wellington Soong and Udenna's Uy "paves the way for the next generation in Autostrada to develop and grow the Ferrari brand in the Philippines." Does this mean Autostrada Motore will finally expand its Ferrari dealership outside of Metro Manila to cities like Davao, where Uy hails from? That has certainly never looked more certain than it does now. [gallery size="vw_two_third_thumbnail_no_crop" ids="45293,45292,45291,45290,45286,45287,45289,45288,45294,45285">

Ferrari Portofino
ENGINE
Type	V8 – 90° twin-turbo
Overall displacement	3855 cc
Max. power output	592 hp (600 cv) at 7500 rpm
Max. torque	760 Nm at 3000 to 5250 rpm
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Length	4586 mm
Width	1938 mm
Height	1318 mm
Weight Distribution	46/54 percent  front/rear
PERFORMANCE
0-100 kph	3.5 seconds
Max. Speed	>320 kph
Fuel Consumption	10.7 L/100 km or 8.35 km/L