Co congratulations! Mine arrived a week ago but I won’t be home to pick it up til next week. Have you owned a Cali T? Curious to know if people think the Portofino is a good improvement over the Cali T? I had a Cali T and wasn’t impressed with the sound.
I have driven the Cali T several times. It is a lovely car, but the Portofino is in another class altogether. The sound is improved, but don’t expect TDF or 599GTO sounds from this car! The biggest improvement is how the car wraps around you when you drive it. It feels much more nimble, responsive and smaller than a Cali T...The handling is a big step forward...And I can now confirm that it drives very well on winter tyres in near freezing temperatures! Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
Brilliant write up George as usual , we are indebited to your knowledge & experience, just out of interest what doesn't inspire you as much with the Bentley Conti GT, too big, heavy, V12 etc as the interior at least must be amazing no ?
Nothing like that...Both cars were bought as daily drivers and I wasn’t sure which one I would prefer. The Portofino was a Ferrari recommendation and the Conti GT was my idea. The Bentley is an incredible car. The interior is a work of art, the exterior design is a huge improvement and the performance is on a different planet compared to the old car. However it is a little bigger, a little heavier, a little less nimble and far flashier (yes it is hard to believe something could be flashier than a Ferrari) than the Portofino and I had to accept that this time Ferrari had a much better idea than me. Maybe I will regret it in a years’ time but right now it is no contest. Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
Surprisingly I felt more comfortable in the Lusso...It is still OK, but somehow I don’t really like the shape of the seat Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat
Interesting factoid, which my dealer told me and i haven't checked. The Lusso with the rear seats down has more cargo space that the Conti GT with its rear seats down. Apologies for tangent, the OP's Portofino looks great.
Start/stop button. Didn’t have it on my Cali T, was on the Portofino Ferrari of Atlanta let me borrow for a few days. Hate the damn thing... I always turned it off. It was horrible in city (stop and go) traffic. Portofino is an awesome car! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Welp, the mystery of why you can't turn it off completely has been solved... https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a19561461/automakers-increasingly-offer-ways-to-deactivate-stopstart-systems-temporarily/
In a few other posts I have said that I expect this to keep creeping out and eventually become standard on everything. There is just too much pressure from environmental groups. Also expect to see a lot more hybrid vehicles as well. I honestly couldnt believe when my wife wanted to look at a hybrid mini van recently. And I recently checked out a BMW I8 which did impress me, or I may have had low expectations going in. As much as I may not like it this, hybrid and all electric cars are going to become the norm. I guess it depends on your point of view how well this will be for you. There are days I’m ok with it and others I’m glad I’m not young anymore.
My other car is a new Mercedes AMG CLS53. It has (in addition to the standard 12V battery system) a 48V system with a small (1KWh) battery that provides (for short bursts) an additional 21hp but more importantly an additional 120 or so lb/ft of torque, completely eliminating any turbo lag from the inline 6. But another benefit is that the 48V system charges the 12V system directly (there is no alternator), and runs the start/stop system, which is virtually undetectable as a result. If all start/stop systems were as smooth as this one, it wouldn't be so bad. But of course, most are not...