Saar: It is lighter and more powerful than the model it replaces – the Ferrari California.

A prancing horse has landed on our shores and it is the replacement to the model – California. It is called the Ferrari Portofino and is priced at Rs 3.5 crore (ex-showroom India). For a change, our price expectation was bang on! Just like its predecessor, the Ferrari Portofino will only be sold as a convertible. And in case you are wondering what Portofino means, it is actually taken from one of the villages located in the Italian Rivera.

Powering the Ferrari Portofino is an engine that has been voted the best for three years in succession. It is a 3.9-litre turbocharged mill that also does duty in the GTC4 Lusso. In the Portofino, it is tuned to produce 600PS of power and 760Nm of torque. Mated to it is a 7-speed automatic transmission that feeds the oomph to the rear wheels only. Ferrari claims that the Portofino can hit 100kmph from nought in 3.5 seconds, reach 200kmph in 10.8 seconds and go past 320kmph at full stretch. Thanks to the gigantic ceramic brakes on all four wheels, the deceleration performance is quite impressive too. The Portofino can come to a complete halt from 100kmph in just 34 metres.

Compared to the California T, the Ferrari Portofino has 40PS more power. What’s more, Ferrari claims that its new entry-level model is lighter than its predecessor as well. The weight shedding also helps the Portofino produce comparatively lesser emissions. The company has also fitted the Portofino with an evolved iteration of its electronic suspension control system as well as its third-gen electronic differential. In case you are wondering, the hard-top roof takes 14 seconds to take its place.

Ferrari claims that the Portofino is designed to be an everyday car. Hence, it is handsomely equipped with several creature comforts and has some practical touches such as a four-seat layout and 292 litres of boot space. The feature list includes a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, optional 18-way powered electric seats and an 80-litre fuel tank.

In India, the Ferrari Portofino competes with the likes of the Audi R8 Spyder, Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet and Lamborghini Huracan RWD Spyder. Out of the lot, which one do you fancy?