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Ferrari on Thursday revealed the Roma Spider as the newest convertible in its lineup.
The car takes over from the Portofino M as the Prancing Horse’s entry-level drop-top, and sees the return of the soft-top roof.
Such a solution hasn’t been used in a front-engined Ferrari since the 365 GTS/4 Daytona for more than half a century, the car that is arguably the inspiration behind the Roma Spider’s design.
The five-ply fabric roof takes 13.5 seconds to install and can be engaged at speeds of up to 37 mph. By eschewing the large retractable hard-top used on the Portofino M, Ferrari says it can provide more trunk space with the roof folded down. When raised, there is roughly nine cubic feet of storage. A hatch between the rear seats allows longer items to be stored.
To accommodate the new roof, the designers modified the design of the Roma coupe by adding a body-colour-matched band along the base of the rear section of the roof and leading up to an active carbon fiber spoiler. Mountable wind deflectors are also installed behind the rear seats. Without this, wind would normally be sucked into the cabin.
Some chassis modifications were also required to compensate for the lack of a fixed roof. The main change is the addition of reinforced sills similar to those used on the Portofino M. Overall weight is up by around 185 pounds on the Roma coupe, bringing the car’s dry weight to 3,430 pounds.
That weight isn’t particularly light for a sports convertible, and the figures quoted are with the lighter options available in the car, but Ferrari makes up for it with a powerful twin-turbo 3.9-liter V-8 under the hood. The engine is the same as the Rome coupe, producing a peak power of 612 hp and 561 lb-ft of torque. Drive is channeled to the rear wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and Ferrari estimates 0-62 mph acceleration can be achieved in 3.4 seconds. Its claimed top speed is above 199 mph.
Standard features include 18-way adjustable heated seats up front, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as digital displays for the instrument cluster and infotainment system. A third screen in front of the passenger can be added. Ferrari’s Manettino-controlled drive mode selector is standard and has five settings including Race mode.
Ferrari Roma Spider
Ferrari hasn’t named a price yet, but the Rome coupe starts at around $250,000 and the convertible will almost certainly sell at a premium.
The timing for a market launch in the US has also not been announced.
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