Ferrari Portofino vs Aston Martin DB12 Volante: Buyer Guide
The short answer on ferrari portofino vs aston martin db12 volante: buy the DB12 Volante if you want the newer car, the bigger engine and the far better interior, and buy the Portofino M if you want a front-engine Ferrari convertible that works as a coupe when the roof is up. The Aston runs a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 developed with Mercedes-AMG, making about 671 horsepower and 590 lb-ft through an 8-speed torque converter automatic, with a top speed near 202 mph. The Portofino M uses Ferrari's 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 at roughly 612 horsepower, paired to an 8-speed dual-clutch and a folding metal roof. The Aston is the more complete modern car. The Ferrari is the more versatile one, and it is out of production, so it is the value play.
DRIP JOURNAL · UPDATED AUGUST 2026
Performance: Ferrari's Dual-Clutch Against Aston's Bigger V8
The horsepower gap favors the Aston. The gearbox gap favors the Ferrari. Those two facts cancel out more than the spec sheet suggests.
The DB12 Volante takes the AMG-derived 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and runs it at about 671 horsepower and 590 lb-ft, sent rearward through an 8-speed ZF torque converter automatic mounted as a transaxle. Aston tuned this generation harder than the DB11 it replaced, with a stiffer structure, a wider rear track and an electronic limited-slip differential. It is quick in the way a big grand tourer should be quick, which is to say it builds and keeps building rather than punching.
The Portofino M answers with Ferrari's 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8, roughly 612 horsepower, and an 8-speed dual-clutch that swaps ratios faster than any torque converter can. That is the whole character difference in one component. The Ferrari snaps between gears and revs with more urgency at the top of the range. The M revision also added a Race position to the manettino, which sharpens the responses further and is worth having.
The honest read: the Aston is the stronger straight-line car and the calmer high-speed cruiser. The Ferrari feels sharper and more mechanical every time you ask it for something. Compare live examples of both on the DRIP inventory page.
Folding Hardtop Versus Fabric, And Why It Decides This Comparison
Most convertible comparisons treat the roof as a footnote. Here it is the main event, because the two cars solve the same problem in opposite ways.
The Portofino M carries a retractable hardtop. Roof up, it is genuinely a coupe: quieter at highway speed, more secure when parked, and unbothered by weather that would make a fabric-roof owner think twice. For a car that will actually be driven year round, that is a real functional advantage rather than a preference.
The DB12 Volante uses a multi-layer fabric roof that stows quickly and, crucially, stows low. That keeps the car's proportions intact with the roof down, which matters on a design this good, and it leaves more usable trunk space than a folding hardtop can once the metal is packed away. Aston also invested heavily in acoustic insulation, so the noise penalty is smaller than the old assumptions suggest.
The decision rule is simple. If the car will see rain, cold mornings, and street parking, the hardtop earns its complexity. If it is a fair-weather car that spends most of its life open, the fabric roof is the better engineering answer and the better-looking one.
Cabin Quality And What Each One Is Like To Live With
Picture the same Florida week in each car: a run down to Sarasota, a client dinner in Tampa, then a long open stretch on the way back. The DB12 wins the parts of that week that involve sitting still.
Aston Martin's biggest change for the DB12 was throwing out the borrowed cabin electronics and building its own. The result is a modern touchscreen system with real physical controls left in place for climate and drive modes, wrapped in materials that finally match the price. It is a comfortable place to spend three hours.
The Portofino M's interior is the older design of the two, and it shows in the infotainment more than in the materials. Ferrari's steering-wheel-mounted control layout is polarizing and takes acclimatization. What the Ferrari does better is the driving position and the sense of occasion at the moment you start it.
Both are 2+2, which in this class means the rear seats are for bags and short trips rather than adults. Whichever one you land on, nationwide enclosed delivery puts the car in your driveway without a road trip attached.
Running Costs, Service And What Actually Costs Money
Budget for the ownership before you budget for the purchase. On both of these the running costs are the part that surprises people.
The Ferrari is the more expensive car to service, which is a straightforward reality of the brand rather than a mark against the Portofino M specifically. In fact the Portofino M is one of the more sensible Ferraris to own, with a front-engine layout that makes access less punishing than a mid-engine car. Ferrari's included maintenance program covers scheduled servicing on newer examples, and whether it transferred is one of the first things to check on a pre-owned car.
The DB12 Volante's V8 shares its architecture with a widely produced AMG engine, so parts and technician familiarity are both better and the routine costs are lower. That does not make it cheap. Carbon ceramic brakes, if fitted, are a five-figure replacement on either car.
For both, tires are the recurring bill nobody plans for. Florida heat and hot pavement wear performance rubber faster than the mileage suggests. Structured financing handles the purchase cleanly, but the running budget is your problem.
Depreciation And Where The Money Actually Is
This is where the comparison stops being close, because the two cars are at completely different points on their curves.
The Portofino M is out of production. Ferrari replaced it in the lineup with the Roma Spider, which means the supply of Portofino Ms is fixed and the steepest part of the depreciation has already been absorbed by earlier owners. A well-documented example bought today is unlikely to fall much further. That is the strongest financial argument in this comparison, and it is the same logic that applies to the coupe, covered in our DB12 versus Ferrari Roma breakdown.
The DB12 Volante is current production and depreciates accordingly. Buying new means absorbing that first drop yourself. Aston Martin's low production volume keeps clean cars from flooding the market, but it does not prevent the normal early loss.
The practical takeaway: if you want the Aston, wait and buy a lightly used one. If you want the Ferrari, the discount has already happened and the job now is finding the right car rather than timing the market.
How To Choose Between Them Without Overthinking It
Three questions settle it.
Will this car be driven year round? If yes, the Portofino M's folding hardtop is worth more to you than any spec-sheet advantage the Aston holds.
Does the interior matter as much as the drive? If yes, buy the DB12 Volante. Its cabin is a generation ahead and no amount of Ferrari charisma closes that gap on a long drive.
Are you buying with your head or your heart? The head answer is a clean, documented Portofino M that has already depreciated. The heart answer is the DB12 Volante with the roof down, and there is nothing wrong with that as long as you know what the first two years cost.
The DB12 Volante is the better car. The Portofino M is the better buy. Anyone who tells you those are the same question has not looked at what each one has already lost.DRIP Exotics · Tampa
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