NNAQOURA, Lebanon: I have a policy – since I usually stay up writing till 6 in the morning, anyone who wakes me up before 2 p.m. invites my wrath, with prejudice. There are certain – and few – exceptions to that rule, and they include instances when my mother or sisters need me, when I need to take care of paperwork, or if my cars need to be serviced. And then there’s the rare pleasure of getting invited to take part in a cross-country drive with Ferrari Lebanon.
It was the latter that actually had me in Dora early Saturday morning, and though it was 6:35 a.m. when I pulled into Scuderia, I was elated despite the fact that I hadn’t slept at all. It might have had something to do with the fact that there was a red Ferrari Portofino waiting for me, alongside a white GTC4 Lusso, and my beloved red 812 Superfast, which gives new meaning to the famous quote: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”
Also waiting with a broad smile was the awesome Abir Haidar, Ferrari Lebanon’s unstoppable marketing manager who can organize the complex logistics of such events more easily and quickly than most people can tie their shoes.
I parked my car and stepped out, to find a fellow journalist aligning the cars symmetrically for a perfect photo before heading out, so naturally I decided to help. Soon after, the rest of the small group started trickling in, including my friend Bassel Barakat who handles PR for Ferrari from the UAE, an assortment of other car journalists, and of course the big guy himself, Hassan Haidar, Lebanon’s Ferrari importer.
“Naturally I dropped the top because, you know, why the hell not?”
After a brief spell where introductions were made all around, we all hopped in our Maranello stallions, with Bassel riding shotgun with me and Hassan leading the stampede in his 458 Speciale, and we headed out toward Downtown Beirut, from where we would continue toward Sidon, Tyre and finally Naqoura, before a breakfast at Turquoise Beach Resort.
And naturally I dropped the top because, you know, why the hell not? Besides, with the weather sunny and amazing, to ride in the convertible Portofino with the top up would have been a complete waste of an extraordinary opportunity.
In the Portofino, Ferrari’s engineers retained all that was exemplary in the now-retired California, while the stylists went to great lengths to avoid the over-the-top design of its predecessor, particularly the bulbous trunk.
The difference in terms of measurements is minimal – the Portofino is just a quarter centimeter lower, wider by less than 3 cm, and longer by less than 2 cm – but its styling is leagues beyond the California. Of note are a pair of fairings that flow from the back of each rear-seat headrest into the trunk lid, breaking up the panel’s visual bulk and carrying the greenhouse’s profile to the tail of the Portofino when the roof is raised.
The grille’s upturned edges present a smug smirk, as if to say this car knows it’s got you hooked from the second you lay eyes on it. No wonder, as the front fenders flare back and sensually taper in along the lower half of the doors, suggesting a sinewy physique that eluded the California. Add to that the narrow slats on the outer edge of each headlight that allow air to enter the front wheel wells to force pressure out and reduce drag, hood vents that expel engine heat, and two front outboard intakes that feed air into two intercoolers, and the Portofino’s sublime styling signals cues of its potency.
And that potency comes in the form of a 591-horsepower V-8, with 39 ponies more than the California, and which hits the redline at 7,500 rpm.
Like all Ferraris nowadays, everything you need to operate this roadster is located on and around the steering wheel, including the start button, the paddle shifters, the Manettino button, lights, and the turn signal controls. The only thing you could need that’s on the center console is the reverse button. But hey, who needs that? The only direction you want to go in a Ferrari is forward!
Unlike the all-wheel-drive GTC4 Lusso, only the rear wheels drive the Portofino with the engine in front, my preferred setup. The ride is also slightly more relaxed than the more powerful 812, but don’t make the mistake of thinking this car is anything less than stellar because any miscalculation, even when slow, and the tail of this sleek masterpiece will swing out to express its displeasure at your lack of respect.
We’re talking about 591 ponies and 560 N-m of torque, which sound glorious as the revs climb to the redline at 7,500 rpm and reverberate through the streets of Beirut. And to that point we were being relatively conservative in the city streets, and warming up the tires, but once we swung around and descended on the highway to Sidon all restraint went out the window and the four stallions pounced.
With a long stretch of highway up ahead, the Portofino was in its element and picking up velocity so quickly that it was all I could do to grip the steering wheel tightly as I tried to keep pace with the 800 horsepower Superfast and the ridiculous Speciale, not always successfully. Thankfully, I was doing a lot better than the GTC4 Lusso T which, though it had under its hood a more potent version of the same 3.85-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine as the Portofino, should have managed better than me with its all-wheel-drive and 600 plus ponies, but it was being handled by a driver who was even more conservative than I was.
Then we started passing through tunnels, and the sound emanating from the exhaust grew more prominent – The exhaust system has been tweaked to give the car a proper engine note while maintaining its grand touring nature, and features an adjustable electric bypass valve that monitors the engine’s sound according to driving conditions.
I’m pretty sure that Bassel, sitting beside me, was lamenting about not seeing enough of his family, or maybe he was talking about Brexit. I’m not sure. I was immersed in the very loud auditory nirvana and couldn’t really hear what he was saying. Sorry buddy, you know I love you but it’s a Ferrari so I’m sure you can understand!
But soon we left the tunnels behind and hit the wider highway. The Portofino handled beautifully, its 46/54 front/rear weight distribution affording a near-ideal balance while it’s chunky – and now warmed up – 245/35 ZR20s in the front and 285/35 ZR20s in the rear gripped the asphalt like a bobcat.
It felt composed at speed, taking bends in the highway at high velocities without so much as batting an eye. Initially I was driving all over the place, coming in on the outside then cutting across lanes to take the bend on the inside to widen the arc, but I soon realized that wasn’t necessary because, as I said before, the Portofino was made for these roads.
The Portofino can hit 100 km/h from a standstill in 3.5 seconds, and reach the two-century mark in under 11 seconds, with a cited top speed of 320 km/h. Obviously we never went anywhere close to the top speed – cause we’re not crazy – but that acceleration came in handy as the cars devoured the tarmac.
The dual-clutch, seven-speed automatic transaxle at the rear of the Portofino was flipping through gears so fast that I was starting to feel inadequate every time I reverted to the paddle shifters. After a while I’d just set the transmission back in auto and let the car’s sophisticated algorithms do the thinking. Besides, on the highway stretches there was no need to drop below seventh because all the cars seemed to be moving aside as we approached – yes, Ferraris are afforded respect on the road!
Over the course of the journey, Hassan stopped at several points, both to give us a break from the intense driving and to take some highly coveted pictures and videos. We passed through Sidon, then Tyre and eventually made it to a lovely stretch along the coast of Naqoura, even zipping past UNIFIL and Army patrols at breakneck speeds in our shiny and sensuous prancing horses. I had always wanted to visit that part of our country, but I never imagined I’d be doing it in a Ferrari of all things!
Eventually we made it to the resort, parked the cars in front and sat down for a late breakfast a little after 11 p.m. Naturally, the discussions revolved around Ferraris and work before, as usually happens in Lebanon, we went off on a tangent and started talking about Lebanese politics, which quickly left everyone depressed at the state of affairs in our country.
Fortunately, the Ferraris were still waiting outside and we would be making the same drive back as the one that got us here, so within moments our elation returned. Later, after a bunch more photos, we hopped back in the cars and sped to Beirut, with me already planning to film the Portofino and working out a storyboard in my head. Ideas for a video are welcome, just email me and we’ll see what FastMates can do about it in collaboration with Scuderia Lebanon!
Finally, I’d like to offer my special thanks to Hassan, Abir and Bassel for an extraordinary day. You guys really know how to plan a memorable experience!
