Just like the Colosseum, the Ferrari Roma is now open to the elements.
Launched overnight, the new Roma Spider features a fabric soft-top that can be lowered in 13.5 seconds, and at speeds up to 60km/h. Ferrari claims the Roma’s five-layer fabric top “boasts acoustic comfort on a par with retractable hardtops”.
To improve passenger comfort when the top is down, a wind deflector can be deployed at speeds up to 170km/h, but once in place can be used at any velocity.
The very snug rear seats now feature headrests that are visually integrated with the Spider’s tonneau cover.
As with the coupe, the Spider features a high resolution instrumentation screen, and a steering wheel with a Manettino switch that can be used to select between five drive modes.
The centre tunnel once again features a metal plate, designed to resemble a classic gated manual shifter, with a series of switches to operate the dual-clutch transmission.
In addition to the touchscreen infotainment system in the middle of the dash, which supports wireless Android Auto and Apply CarPlay, there’s a separate touchscreen ahead of the front passenger.
When the roof is up, the Roma Spider has 255L of boot space. Ferrari doesn’t specify how much capacity is left when the roof is stored there in alfresco mode, although the company does state it folds up to be just 220mm tall when stowed.
A pass through port in the rear pew allows the Roma Spider to carry longer items, presumably skis rather than planks of wood from Bunnings.
There’s an active spoiler integrated into the boot lid that can automatically deploy into three different positions to provide an appropriate amount of drag for the current driving situation.
Under the bonnet, the Roma Spider features the coupe’s 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8, which produces 456kW between 5750 and 7500rpm, and 760Nm between 3000 and 5750rpm.
It drives the rear wheels via an eight-speed automated dual-clutch transmission. Ferrari claims the Roma Spider can complete the 0-100km/h dash in 3.4 seconds, just like the coupe. Both Roma variants have a top speed of over 320km/h.
Thanks to extra structural bracing and folding roof mechanism, the Spider has a dry weight of 1556kg or 84kg more than coupe. This means it takes 9.7 seconds to hit the double tonne, or 0.4 seconds more than the fixed-roof coupe.
The Roma Spider rides on 20-inch alloy wheels with 245/35 tyres up front, and 285/35 rubber at the rear.
MORE: Everything Ferrari Roma
