New Roma Spider is Ferrari's first soft-top since the F430 | GRR
Ferrari has revealed the drop-top version of its Roma. One might imagine the Roma Spider would clash in the lineup with the marque’s other V8 open-top, the Portofino but there’s a very important distinction: the Roma Spider has a fabric roof.
That makes this the first fabric-roofed open-top Ferrari since the F430 Spider of 2005. It’s also the first front-engined soft-top since the 1969 Ferrari 365 GTS/4.
Apart from the chopped top the Roma Spider shares much with the coupe. That includes the 620PS twin-turbo 3.9-litre V8, 8-speed DCT gearbox and aluminium chassis. There aren’t any performance figures just yet but as is often the case – with chassis strengthening – it does take a weight penalty, adding 85kg over the Coupe, meaning the Spider tops 1,650kg.
Happily, what it also gets is the Coupe’s ‘La Dolce Vita’-inspired minimalist styling. It’s very pretty, if a little rear-heavy with the roof down. That roof is good to drop un 13.5 seconds at up to 37mph and being a soft top, incurs less of a penalty on boot space than the folding hard top of the Portofino.
In terms of refinement, Ferrari has come up with a number of small aerodynamic solutions that cabin occupants find themselves in a bubble of sorts at speed with the roof down. These include additions to the windscreen header rail and an automatic wind deflector.
The interior itself is a carryover too from the Coupe, which isn’t such a great thing given Ferrari’s frustrating haptic controls. A nice enough place to spend time all the same, though we do wonder how the screens will cope in bright sunlight.
As for price? Don’t expect to pay much less than £200,000, at minimum. Much more if you want to make it yours and add some options. So what are your thoughts on the Ferrari Roma Spider? Given the Portofino exists, did we actually need it, or does the new car’s arrival mean it’s time for the folding hard top car to bow out? Let us know your thoughts.