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 a soft-top roof.
Such a solution hasn’t been used on a front-engined Ferrari since the 365 GTS/4 Daytona dating back more than half a century, a car that arguably was the inspiration behind the Roma Spider’s design.
The five-layer fabric roof takes 13.5 seconds to deploy and can be activated at speeds of up to 37 mph. By eschewing the bulkier retractable hard-top used on the Portofino M, Ferrari said it was able to deliver more trunk space with the roof folded. When raised, there’s roughly nine cubic feet of storage. A hatch between the rear seats allows for longer items to be stored.
To accommodate the new roof, the designers modified the design of the Roma coupe by adding a band matching the body color along the base of the roof’s rear section and leading back to the carbon-fiber active spoiler. A deployable wind deflector was also installed behind the rear seats. Without this, wind would normally be drawn into the cabin.
Some chassis modifications were also required to compensate for the lack of a fixed roof. The key change is the addition of reinforced sills similar to those used on the Portofino M. Overall weight is up by about 185 pounds on the Roma coupe, bringing the car’s dry weight to 3,430 pounds.
Ferrari Roma Spider
That weight isn’t exactly light for a convertible sports car, and the quoted figure is with the car’s available lightweight options, 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 Roma coupe, delivering a peak 612 hp and 561 lb-ft of torque. Drive is routed 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. The top speed is claimed to be above 199 mph.
Standard features include 18-way-adjustable heated seats up front, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and digital screens 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 features five settings including a Race mode.
Ferrari Roma Spider
Ferrari hasn’t mentioned pricing, but the Roma coupe starts at about $250,000 and the convertible will almost certainly sell at a premium.
Timing for the market launch in the U.S. also hasn’t been announced.
