After the Coupé, Ferrari lifts the veil on the soft-canvas convertible version of its Roma. A conquest vehicle that does not compromise between style, versatility and performance. We met him in preview.
If convertibles are no longer popular with general manufacturers, they still have happy days in the ranges of luxury brands. Thus, Ferrari renews its offer of versatile convertibles by removing the roof of its Roma. The Portofino, the hardtop convertible it replaces, will meet its last customers by the end of next year before disappearing for good. At Ferrari, however, we assure you, this Roma Spider plays in another register. More elegant and less “visually sporty” than its predecessor, it should be a product of conquest since around 55% of future Roma could be sold in this previously unseen configuration. Emanuele Carando, Marketing Director of the prancing horse firm, believes that the post-Covid era will have made customers want to enjoy life and therefore, for those who can afford it, to afford a model to both sporty, usable on a daily basis and convertible. A sort of return to the “Dolce Vita” period of the 50s and 60s, embodied in the eponymous film by Fellini.
The new “dolce vita”
Precisely, this Roma Spider draws its inspiration from this prosperous period for the Italian manufacturer. Its lines are pure, with the possible exception of its very aggressive mesh grille, and the proportions more balanced than on the Portofino which logically suffered from a more massive rear because of its hard roof. Nevertheless, the style will have been right here on the practice since with 255 liters of transport the trunk is reduced to the bare minimum and will probably only accommodate a golf bag (against two bags in the Portofino). The fault with the location allocated to the storage of the soft top which folds in Z. The latter performs the convertible in 14 seconds and up to 60 km/h. Composed of a new generation textile, it is waterproof and allows, according to Ferrari, to perfectly filter air noise even at high speed. We can’t wait to check it out. In addition, this flexible and technical soft top allows the customer to widen the range of possible customizations. On the model that we discover today, it is adorned with an elegant purplish red which contrasts with the gray and sober color of the bodywork. Stunning.
€30,000 additional cost
Of course, the mechanical part of this Ferrari remains its greatest asset since it carries, under its front hood, the famous V8 bi-turbo, several times crowned “best engine in the world”, delivering 620 horsepower here. The Roma Spider thus completes the 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds and cruises up to 320 km/h. Performances similar to those of the coupe because, thanks to work done on the aero, this convertible manages to erase the additional 84 kg that it accuses on the scale (for a total of 1,554 kg). The Spider thus displays a very good ratio of 2.5 hp/kg. The flow of air flows has also benefited from all the attention to guarantee occupants optimal acoustic comfort. Thus, a new windscreen housed between the two rear seats can be deployed to reduce turbulence at high speed and allow the two passengers (who will therefore have to give up taking their children with them) to chat without having to strain their voices.
This new model will go into production after the summer but it is already possible to place an order. Count, in France, 296,000 euros all taxes included (including the ecological penalty), or an additional 30,000 euros compared to the Roma coupe.
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