THE FERRARI PORTOFINO WINS THE ALTAIR ENLIGHTEN AWARD FOR LIGHTWEIGHT CHASSIS TECHNOLOGY
Maranello, 5 August 2019.– The Altair judging panel has selected the Ferrari Portofino’s Body in White as a winner of the 2019 Enlighten Award in the Full Vehicle category held today at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, MI, USA.
The Award honours the greatest achievements in vehicle weight savings each year and the Ferrari Portofino was selected for its all-new aluminium chassis and body-in-white which is significantly lighter than that of the model it replaced, the California T. Ferrari’s engineers set themselves a very ambitious target for the global weight saving combined with higher structural rigidity, a fundamental aspect for a an open car.
All the body-in-white and chassis components were redesigned and integrated to an even greater extent. The A-pillar, for example, now consists of just 2 pieces compared to 21 different components in previous models. Modern production technologies, most notably sand-casting which allows the creation of hollow components, allowed designers to create innovative forms that are lighter.
These technologies also improved body stiffness by 35% while weld lengths on the body-in-white and chassis are 30% shorter than in the previous model, enhancing assembly quality still further.
The winning innovations will be showcased at the Nasdaq Opening Bell Ceremony in New York, on Tuesday, August 27th.
Source: Ferrari
Photograph: Ferrari
