Novitec Ferrari Portofino gets 684hp
Portofino not a proper Ferrari? Novitec might have a solution...
While opening up the brand to a new audience, it's probably fair to say that various California and Portofino models haven't appealed as much to the traditional Ferrari fans. Still, more power and more aggressive dynamics can surely only help that image, so that's exactly what Novitec has done.
Described as a "refinement range for the Ferrari Portofino", the Novitec power upgrades come in three different levels. The most powerful of those - because that's the one that's most important - boosts the 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 to 684hp to 642lb ft, meaning 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds and a top speed nudged just beyond 200mph from the standard 199. Given this was a 600hp Ferrari before, expect performance to be suitably naughty - Novitec modestly describes the improvement as "not only evident in the further improved acceleration and increased top speed, but also in an even more instantaneous throttle response and even more powerful in-gear acceleration."
There are additional tweaks to help the Portofino to keep tabs on those vastly increased outputs. So a few carbon aero bits are there to improve the downforce, but also a 35mm suspension drop and a new range of forged wheels. Novitec reckons that the changes have made "the car's agile handling even more instantaneous and give(n) it an even more thrilling appearance"; while we can't vouch for the former, the latter we'd certainly agree with. Is that something that shouldn't be admitted to? But with more purpose and aggression to the stance, this is perhaps the best-looking Portofino yet. And they will put a nose lift in for you too, to protect that carbon splitter.
This being a tuner special, Novitec will also tailor the Portofino interior any way that takes your fancy. Again, without making it sound like a Novitec promotion, this spec looks pretty spot on - showy, yes, but with the attitude to back it up. There are no prices for the upgrades yet, though we'd set aside a good few thousands on top of the £166,180 base price. Still, looks like it might be worth the investment...
Ferrari spend quite a lot of money building their cars to a respectable level, and then a much smaller company comes along and... does it better?
I do get the idea behind global markets, manufacturer tuning for a cross section of fuels / environments, etc, keeping tolerances with respect to warranty, and so on.
But I personally wouldn't go down this path myself.
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