2019-09-01 Vanity Fair UK

Everything you’ve ever heard about

Ferraris is true. They’re beautiful, lyrical,

crazy; they make no sense, they make

total sense... in short, they’re moving

masterclasses in Italian culture. When

you buy a Ferrari, you buy the engine. So,

the crux of the Portofino’s appeal is that it

has a V8 under that gliding bonnet. 

Ferrari V8s are the best engines in the

world: they are fast (600 horsepower) but

feel faster, they sound nice but that noise

is more than sound. It’s the soundtrack of

opera, good wine, fresh pasta... Thumb

the red starter button on the steering

wheel, and the engine muscles its way

into life. Pistons and valves open, suck,

push and pull, the revs rise and hot air

blows through the valves, echoing in the

exhausts before exploding in song. Take

a test drive. It will be good for your soul.

All you need to know is that this is the

world’s fastest convertible. It goes from

0-60mph in 2.8 seconds. Don’t bother

trying to imagine what that feels like,

because you can’t, although a theme-

park rollercoaster gets you halfway there. 

Power is everything. McLaren is an

intriguing brand, unequivocally

driver-focused and overtly masculine:

comfort and appointment go by the

wayside in favour of light weight and

extreme acceleration. But more women

are being drawn to these beasts by the

very loud message of power and

success the cars promote, plus the fact

they are built in Woking, England, and

it’s good to wave the flag on occasion. 

The 720S Spider will take all the

Other things? Oh, we had lovely

champagne paintwork which managed

to be both matt and sparkly, and the

hardtop retracts into the boot in 14

seconds. It’s sharper and better all-round

than the California it replaces. Apple

CarPlay (free in a Hyundai) will cost you

£2,400, but you won’t care because you

just bought that engine. Price: £166,551.

balls you can muster. The number

denotes horsepower which, when

combined with the light but strong

carbon-fibre body, equals truly

saliva-sapping acceleration (though

there are no public roads in the UK

which will allow you to explore the

upper echelons of the car’s capabilities).

The outrageous styling will do more

than enough to herald your arrival

anywhere, as will the bellowing,

cracking exhaust if you keep the revs

above 4,000rpm. McLaren is fond of

curlicues, vents, grills, slats and any

other metalwork which acts as

downforce and draws the eye of

envious onlookers.

Inside, there isn’t much to play with:

one clever option is an “electrochromic

roof ”—press a button and it will darken

from clear to a 95 per cent blue tint to

stop people looking inside, and shield

you from the sun. Tellingly, there’s also

the graphic of a race helmet instead of a

human head for the air-con body

positioning. As for cubby holes, cup

holders or deep carpets, they’re for

wimps. Your choice. Price: £237,000.

As for cubby holes, cup

holders or deep carpets,

they are for wimps

TOUR DE FORCE

Unleash your inner speed demon in the latest

road-surfing missile from McLaren

VA-V8-VOOM

The Scuderia's latest

model boasts the

legendary sonic

signature

SEPTEMBER 2019 VANITY FAIR EN ROUTE

McLaren

720 S SPIDER

Ferrari

PORTOFINO

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