Used 2018 Ferrari Portofino

With a price tag starting around $215,000, the all-new 2018 Ferrari Portofino may be the most expensive entry-level car in the world. Designed as a replacement for the aging California, the least expensive Ferrari in the Italian automaker’s stable is also one of the most enjoyable, with a 591-horsepower turbocharged V8, a retractable hardtop and road manners worthy of any car wearing the Prancing Horse emblem. However, for the money, you can find similar or better performance convertibles with more safety features and a shorter waiting list, cars like the Jaguar F-Type SVR, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and the Porsche 911, two of which offer the option of a manual transmission unavailable on the Portofino.

The 2018 Ferrari Portofino uses a less-powerful version of the twin-turbocharged V8 found in the GTC4Lusso T. The flat-plane-crank V8 produces 591 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque, enough power to catapult the Portofino to 62 mph in just 3.5 seconds and achieve a top speed of 198 mph. The Portofino generates so much low-end torque that Ferrari had to limit the peak amount in each gear, a job masterfully handled by the brilliant 7-speed dual-clutch automatic and the engine’s computer brain. The Portofino’s low profile and sleek aerodynamics are lustful styling cues, but they’re actually contributing factors to the convertible’s impressive handling. An electronic rear differential is teamed with Ferrari’s F1-trac traction and stability-control system, while the available MagneRide magnetically adjustable-shock setup switches between Comfort and Sport mode to help keep the car flat during aggressive cornering. The Portofino uses Ferrari’s first-ever electric power steering, which ordinarily would scare us, but in this case the company got the dynamics just right. Because it’s a retractable hardtop convertible, one should expect a bit more flex in the body than with other Ferraris built as dedicated coupes.

The 2018 Ferrari Portofino’s interior is steeped in the same styling ethos found on more expensive Ferraris like the GTC4Lusso and 812 Superfast. Leather and carbon fiber mingle in perfect harmony, adorning the dash, doors and seats. Speaking of seats, the Portofino’s super-slim sport buckets have just the right amount of support without the aggressive side bolsters found in some rival cars. The F1-style steering wheel contains controls for the headlights, turn signals, audio controls, Bluetooth, starter and drive modes. The Portofino’s rear seats are little more than a leather-covered parcel shelf, but it’s nice to have them in a pinch.

Ferrari’s Portofino for 2018 is so much more defined than the California it replaces. The lines are sharp and the body covered in functional sculpting designed to help the wind hold the car to the road. Penned in-house, the Portofino proves Ferrari doesn’t always need Pininfarina to make a beautiful car. Every external scoop or vent is functional, routing air to the intercooler or cooling the brakes. Standard carbon-ceramic brakes provide superb stopping power and can be outfitted with calipers in silver, black, red, yellow or blue.

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING
We’re not usually fans of this type of system because all too often it results in numb steering and slow response. But the Ferrari Portofino’s electric-assist power steering feels exactly as it should. Nicely weighted with immediate response to inputs, this system passes with flying colors.

RETRACTABLE HARDTOP
When up, the Portofino’s lightweight retractable hardtop makes it look like any other sleek coupe, but when retracted, gives the Portofino one of the sexiest silhouettes on the planet. The clever folding mechanism tucks itself at the upper edge of the trunk’s lip, permitting a rather sizable luggage compartment even with the top down.

Plunk down $215,000 and you get leather seats, 20-inch wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes, 8-way-power front seats, power windows, power mirrors, a 10.2-inch touch-screen infotainment system with voice activation, keyless entry and start and a digital screen inside the instrument cluster. Also along for the ride are automatic climate control, an F1-style tilt steering wheel and a power retractable hardtop that can be lowered at speeds up to 25 mph. Regrettably, advanced safety features such lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking and rear cross-traffic alert are not offered.

Options are numerous, but familiar to Ferrari buyers. There are the MagneRide magnetic adaptive shocks with settings for Sport and Comfort, adaptive headlights, a passenger-side touch-screen display, a 12-speaker audio upgrade, heated front seats with 18-way adjustment including 4-way-power lumbar support and front and rear parking cameras. Unique options include a fire extinguisher ($1,097), various grilles, colored rev-counter face plate, folding rear seatback and, for a mere $4,219, Apple CarPlay, a feature that’s free on most cars.

Powering this all-new 2018 Ferrari Portofino is a 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 plucked from the now-discontinued California. Revisions to the pistons, rods, air intake and engine-management computer have made the engine smoother, more powerful and more responsive. Power is routed through a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic to an electronic rear differential where it is applied to whichever rear wheel needs it most.

3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8
591 horsepower @ 7,500 rpm
560 lb-ft of torque @ 3,000-5,250 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 16/22 mpg