Naza Italia has officially launched the Ferrari Portofino M in Malaysia, exactly a year after the car made its official debut. The F164 BCB, which takes over from the Portofino as the brand’s starting point model, goes on sale here priced from RM 998,000 (before duties, customisation options, taxes and insurance.
Revisions at the front are made up of a new bumper, which has redesigned side intakes and adds on a new air vent at the wheel arch height to improve aerodynamic efficiency. Elsewhere, there are new aluminium slats on the outer edges of the grille. The rear end has also been re-sculptured, with the removal of the silencer assembly as a result of a new exhaust system allowing for a more streamlined bumper assembly, lending to a more visually integrated tail end. There’s a new diffuser as well, and the strikingly pronounced unit can be dressed in carbon-fibre as an option.
Rounding off the exterior revisions is a new, specific diamond-finish, five-spoke 20-inch wheel design, and these are dressed with 245/35 front and 285/30 rear rubbers. As for the car’s powertrain and drivetrain, the combination from the automaker’s Roma finds its way on to the M. The 3.9 litre F154 BB twin-turbo V8 has been reworked to a BE specification, with power going up by 20 PS to 620 PS at 5,750 to 7,500 rpm. Maximum torque continues on at 760 Nm from 3,000 to 5,750 rpm.
The car also gets a new gearbox, with the previous seven-speed F1 dual-clutch transmission being replaced by an eight-speed F1 dual-clutch unit, as seen on the Roma. The transmission is derived from the SF90 Stradale and Spider’s eight-speeder, but incorporates a mechanical reverse gear and longer gear ratios. Performance numbers for the 2+ GT spider include a 0-100 km/h time of 3.45 seconds and a 0-200 km/h time of 9.8 seconds, with top speed rated at 320 km/h. The improvement in 0-100 km/h time from the Portofino is marginal (the previous car managed it in 3.5 seconds), but the M is a full second faster than the old car in hitting the 200 km/h mark.
Inside the cabin – the Portofino’s interior has essentially been carried over to the M. The instrument cluster with dual TFT displays arranged around the analogue rev counter, the 10.25-inch central touchscreen, the central console configuration, it’s all as it was. Even the retractable hard top is familiar ground, still opening and closing in 14 seconds.
New features come in the form of a Race setting on the manettino switch, giving the car a fifth drive mode, as well as ventilation and heating for the seats. The biggest inclusion, however, is tucked away from sight – an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) suite can now be specified for the car. This adds an array of safety and driver assist components that were previously unavailable. Items in the pack include adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go function, predictive emergency brake system (AEB), blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, automatic high beam and a 3D surround view camera.
