I was privileged to be invited to this event by the President of Autostrada Motore Inc, Wellington Soong. Mr. Soong is passionate about cars and Ferrari in particular, arguably the worlds most recognized car brands has been in his and his family’s safe custody for more than 2 decades.
Matt Stuart and Wellington Soong
Ferrari is the oldest supercar maker in the world, head quartered in Maranello, Italy, celebrating 7 decades of production last year and of course founded by the legendary Enzo Ferrari. Ferrari has been both synonymous with both road cars and Formula 1, Scuderia Ferrari being the racing division, which they entered in 1950 at the iconic Monaco GP. Ferrari have won 16 constructors’ championships, which is more than any other constructor.
Most guests were excitedly waiting to see the new Portofino unveiled, but the evening started with a surprise announcement that Dennis Uy has invested into the Ferrari and Maserati operations in the Philippines. Mr. Uy is the founder of Phoenix Petroleum and hails from Davao.
The Portofino replaces the California in the Ferrari GT line up Named after one of the most beautiful towns located in Riviera in the Ligurai Region of Italy. Powered by the award winning 3.9L turbocharged Ferrari V8 with 591 hp and 560 Nm of torque, the Portofino can sprint from zero to 100 km/h in a matter of just 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 320 km/h. The Ferrari engineers have done a brilliant job to reduce the weight of the Portofino by 80kg, while making the Portofino 40% more rigid. A tweaked exhaust also lets the engine’s character come to life, offering a Ferrari soundtrack that can be enjoyed with the top up or down. I imagine the lucky owners will enjoy powering this beast up to Tagaytay on a sunny Sunday morning.
The Portofino is unique in Ferrari range in having a retractable hardtop which takes a mere 14 seconds to retract, with much theatre. The natural competitor to the Portofino is the Mercedes SL63 AMG, also with a rigid retractable hardtop, which offers a completely different driving experience to the Portofino, being much heavier. The technical specs for the Portofino are below:
- 3.9L V8 Engine twin turbocharged and intercooled, DOHC 32 valve, direct fuel injection
- 591HP @ 7500rpm
- 561NM of torque @ 3000rpm
- 0-100km/h 3.5 seconds
- Top Speed 320km/h
- Weight 3900lb
- Price approx. P24M – depending on options and not finalized at the time of writing
Lucky owners of the Portofino will enjoy an enhanced driving experience with electronic limited slip differential and adaptive suspension. In common with all Ferrari models the Portofino uses a 7 speed dual clutch automatic gearbox with a manual shifting mode, for those in a real hurry. The electronic suspension has the ability for the driver to flick between comfort and sport. The steering is also reportedly 7% quicker than the California. In terms of handling I’m sure the Portofino will be excellent drive as it benefits from rear based mass of 54% and when you need to stop it will be able to do so very quickly with Carmon ceramic brakes.
Turning to the interior the Portofino is actually a 2+2, however the rear seats are for small children only I would think. The interior is beautifully styled and finished and the seats are extremely comfortable and it’s much easier to enter and exit than many other supercars I have stepped into. Ferrari’s latest touch screen infotainment system was present in the model on display, this cleverly allows both the driver and the passenger view speed, gear selection and other performance dynamics. The boot was far larger than you would expect, you would struggle to get a set of full size golf clubs, but it would accommodate 2-3 carry on flight bags.
The evening was very pleasant with pleasant music, great food and drinks, the staff at the Okada Resort were extremely helpful and the event was fantastically organized. A massive thank you to Mr. Soong and the team at Autostrada Motors Inc for their wonderful hospitality.
Autostrada Motore Inc
32nd & 4th Crescent Park West
Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City
1634
Philippines
+63 2 856 2277
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