What's in a name? Names are important in the automotive world. After all, they can be crucial in gaining customer recognition and telling the story of a product. At Ferrari, the privilege of naming sports cars is afforded to the carmaker's product marketing department. Marco Bai, product marketing manager at Ferrari, explained in a short video on how they came up with the name of one of their latest offerings – the Portofino M.
Named After Italian Resort Town
Portofino M is Ferrari's newest entry-level offering. It is a convertible grand tourer that is a modified version of the Ferrari Portofino that was released to the market around three years ago. Portofino is named after one of most beautiful towns in Italy. The town is known for its charming tourist port and is now synonymous with elegance, sportiness, exclusivity and luxury.
To note, Portofino is the fourth Italian location to be associated with Ferrari's sports car, after Maranello, Modena, and Fiorano. However, unlike the other locations, Portofino has no links to Ferrari's origins. Though, because of the town's iconic character fits with the positioning of the sports car, the name was adopted.
Portofino M: Similar Yet Different
According to Bai, Portofino and its predecessors -- the California and California T -- share a common element: versatility. This versatility is made possible by the retractable hard top, the possibility to accommodate two children in the rear seats, and its compact dimensions. All of these elements are also found in Ferrari's newest convertible GT.
Because of the similarities in the new convertible GT and its immediate predecessor, Ferrari eventually decided to christen it as "Portofino". However, the new convertible GT has a different feeling and soul. To differentiate and mark the evolution in performance, the letter M – which stands for Modificata – was added.
Revised Exterior, Increased Power
As per Ferrari, Portofino M is a technical modification. Changes include a number of exterior revisions, although most of them aren't drastic. Power output has surged from 591 hp to 611 hp. The interior didn’t evolve much though; it's the almost same with some M badging inside.
Source: Ferrari