In the battle of the “affordable” Ferraris, which wins - Roma or Portofino M? Gulf Insider seeks to find out. By Charlie Cooksey Which is the best “affordable” Ferrari, the Roma or the Portofino M? I had the opportunity last month to drive and spend time with both. Let’s be honest, neither of these entry-level Ferraris can really be called “affordable”, with starting prices of around BHD 95,000. But, in the world of luxury supercars, they qualify. Both are stunning, immensely powerful, and in the very top echelon of sports cars. I contacted my friend Nadia Sultan (@Nadiasultanx), and asked if she’d like to collaborate with us to create some glamorous Ferrari content - turns out she’s always loved the Ferrari brand and jumped at the chance. I mean, who doesn’t love Ferraris? Nadia, who I’d been following for a while, is a growing Dubai-based influencer and TikToker who creates fun, authentic yet glamorous content... A great fit for the task at hand. I checked into the Caesars Palace Hotel, and bright and early next morning, the Ferrari Roma was delivered to me, loaded onto a flatbed truck. I signed the relevant paperwork accepting responsibility for it, and the car was mine for the day to take wherever I wanted to go with a full tank of gas. The car was in a striking gray color which Ferrari call “Grigio Ferro”. On checking the milage with one of Ferrari’s PR team, I realized it was virtually brand new, having less than 100km on the clock. The Roma could be described as being Ferrari’s “compact GT”. It’s powered by a 3.9-litre twin turbo V8 that knocks out 612bhp enabling zero to 100 kph in 3.4 seconds – so lots of power! Ferrari describe it as one of the world’s cleverest engines that has zero turbo lag and Variable Boost Management software which adjusts torque delivery to suit whichever gear you’re in. 70% of the components are totally new, and include the latest weight reduction and production techniques. I found it a highly enjoyable car to drive with pinpoint steering, a solid feel, and superb brakes. The sound of the engine was better than playing music! Any criticism? I found the instrumentation a little confusing. Ferrari have replaced traditional switchgear with latest technology multi-touch controls. Maybe I’m a traditionalist, but I prefer proper buttons and switches, but that’s just my personal opinion so each to their own. The next day, Nadia and I took the Portofino M out for a spin. Since the Portofino M is a convertible, we were able to get some wind-swept shots with the roof retracted. I must say – we went on quite an adventure. We set off with a crew of content creators and headed for the ‘Half Desert Road’ about 45 minutes outside of town. The ‘half desert road’ is a long, straight, and mostly empty highway with nothing or nobody around, and is probably the best place to have some serious fun (other than a track of course). It’s even more enjoyable when you take the roof down to feel the wind and speed, however, whenever I did so, I was quickly asked to put the roof back up by Nadia as she had made great efforts with her hair for the photoshoot and didn’t want it messed up. There were hardly any other cars around, other than the occasional car being pushed to its limits (or rather the limits of its driver). This included a Lamborghini driver who challenged me to a drag race, which I wisely declined. The Portofino M is everything a Ferrari should be: sexy, powerful, and fast. Its twin-turbo V-8 churns out 612 horsepower and hit’s 100 kph in the low-three-second range. The small back seat and trunk won’t fit much, but practicality has never been a Ferrari selling point. It’s an authentic coupé with its top closed and a genuine spider when it is open, thanks to its Retractable Hard Top (RHT). In case you’re wondering, the ‘M’ stands for ‘Modificata’, which in Ferrari nomenclature refers to cars that have undergone an evolution that has boosted their performance. So which car do I like best? For me it’s the Portofino M. I have driven both the Portofino M and Roma each perhaps half a dozen times and they both impress me equally with how they perform, drive and handle but what makes the Portofino M win for me is the exterior and interior design of the car and of course that it is convertible. Both are aimed to appeal to those looking for a Ferrari that can be a daily drive so are prepared to trade some of the brand’s legendary hyper performance for a bit of extra comfort and practicality. That said, and regardless how comfortable these cars are to drive as dailys, I don’t think I could ever drive a Ferrari as a daily because I feel they are too special for that! Both offer beautiful design and stunning performance. They share the same drivetrain and transmission. The Roma has the same 2+2 configuration as the Portofino, but it is almost three inches longer and about two inches wider. The Roma is also 200 pounds lighter. The base price of the Roma is slightly less expensive than the comparable Portofino M, although the Roma’s available functional and visual options can launch the price up considerably. I personally prefer the wheel and cockpit set up to that of the Portofino M, but they both enable the most exhilarating drives in even the most mundane of environments. Starting prices: Ferrari Roma BHD 94,779 Portofino M BHD 96,999 For more information, and to arrange a test drive of the Roma or Portofino M in Bahrain, contact Euromotors on +973 17 734 734.
