Saar: It is powered by a 3.9-litre turbo-petrol V8 engine with 600PS/760Nm on tap.

Ferrari is all set to introduce its least expensive, entry-level offering in India – the Portofino. Launching on September 28, 2018, it is essentially a replacement for the Ferrari California. Like the California, the Portofino will only be sold in the convertible form. But unlike the old model, which was named after the famous state in the USA, the Portofino gets its name from one of the villages in the Italian Rivera.

The Ferrari Portofino is powered by the same 3.9-litre turbocharged engine that does duty in the GTC4 Lusso. It puts out 600PS of power and 760Nm of torque. The engine comes coupled to a 7-speed automatic transmission, which routes the power to the rear wheels only. The setup is enough for the two-seater sports car to hit 100kmph from a standstill in 3.5 seconds, reach 200kmph in 10.8 seconds and clock over 320kmph flat-out. The rate of deceleration is just as impressive as the acceleration. Ferrari claims that the Portofino will travel just 34 metres to completely stop when braking from 100kmph. This phenomenal figure comes courtesy of the ceramic brakes on all four wheels.

The Portofino isn’t just about outright oomph. Compared to the California T, it has 40PS more power and is considerably lighter in weight as well. That means the Portofino will not only outgun its predecessor in terms of acceleration and top speed but also outshine it with a drop in overall emissions. It is the first time that Ferrari has put an electric power steering in the mix. Apart from that, the Portofino also gets the third-gen electronic differential and an evolved iteration of the electronic suspension control system. And yes, that hard-top takes just 14 seconds to take its place.

Ferrari claims that the Portofino has been designed to be an everyday car. For that, the car gets a host of creature comforts inside the cabin. The list includes a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a stronger air conditioning system that’s also less noisy, optional 18-way powered electric seats, 292 litres of boot space and a fuel tank capacity of 80 litres. That said, peculiar Ferrari design cues still remain such as the big rev counter in the instrument cluster flanked by two TFT screens, a multi-function flat-bottomed steering wheel, bucket seats and the use of exotic materials to drape the cabin space.

In India, the Ferrari Portofino will compete with the likes of the Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet and the Lamborghini Huracan RWD Spyder. As far as price is concerned, the new Ferrari model is expected to cost around Rs 3.5 crore (ex-showroom).