Ferrari Roma Spider, l'ultimo modello di Maranello

A timelessly elegant high-performance car

The Ferrari Roma Spider is a contemporary take on the chic, pleasure-seeking Italian lifestyle of the 1950s and 60s, a time when Italy was flourishing with joy, happiness, and a pure desire of living life to its fullest. It was an era when Ferrari unveiled some of the most iconic cars in history, many that have become true icons, each a fusion of beauty and exhilarating performance. The Roma Spider aims to move the La Nuova Dolce Vita concept beyond city limits for elegant, carefree driving en plein air. This spider carries over the proportions, volumes, and specifications of the Ferrari Roma’s hugely successful V8 2+ concept, but what makes it so striking is the adoption of a soft top, a solution making a long-awaited return to the Prancing Horse range on a front-engined car. There’s a novel and modern take on the soft-top design that underlines the Ferrari Roma Spider’s exuberant character, with extensive personalisation options that include bespoke fabrics and contrasting stitching. This timelessly elegant, high-performance car retains the Ferrari Roma’s excellent dynamic characteristics, it boasts a best-in-class weight/power ratio thanks not only to its soft top, but also to its all-aluminium chassis and a 620 cv V8. The engine is coupled with Ferrari’s universally-acclaimed 8-speed DCT known for its incredibly fast shift times as well as excellent standards of comfort and mechanical efficiency.

The stylistic approach taken for the latest model from the Maranello marque’s exterior centres around a clean design and absolute symbiosis between its various elements. Its harmonious proportions and pure, elegant volumes are very much in line with Ferrari’s front-engined GT tradition. That said, the designers have created a modern take on those classic proportions, giving the car a sophisticated, contemporary stylishness. The long front bonnet underscores the spare silhouette of the flanks, lending a sense of sleekness to the entire body and a dynamic look. The sober, spare front of the car looks as if it were sculpted from a single block of metal, creating an overhanging, sharknose effect. The bonnet and sinuous wings flow into one another yet also effortlessly harmonise with Ferrari’s traditional styling cues. The designers sought to preserve the minimalist elegance of the car’s forms by removing any vents or superfluous decorative features while the edges of the front grille flow into two linear, full-LED headlights which lend the front of the car a distinctive character all of its own. The Ferrari Roma Spider’s long rear overhang, which is a characteristic of Ferraris from the 1950s and 60s, has been re-proportioned, resulting in a low, compact volume that hugs the rear axle. The wraparound tail of the car is characterised by the purity and modernity of the transom styling while the rear is completed by a compact aerodynamic diffuser that incorporates the fence and exhaust tailpipes.

Inside the Ferrari Roma Spider, the dual cockpit concept is rooted in the marque’s history from the 1970s, it divides the cabin into two separate spaces for the driver and passenger. This design fosters an immersive driving experience, even allowing passengers to feel intimately connected to the road, almost like a co-driver. The passenger also has an optional display that allows them to share the driving information from an 8.4” central display set between the two cockpits. The modifications to the Ferrari Roma Spider’s bodywork also required new mobile spoiler geometry. In fact, the design of the latter has been meticulously honed to reflect the car’s styling and new roof line. Similar to the Ferrari Roma, this element is designed to extend and retract in a calibrated way specific to the spider as a function of the car’s speed, and the acceleration acting on the body. This guarantees three different spoiler positions, specifically calibrated for top-down driving. The steering wheel’s interface is a further honed and is a refined version of that seen on the Ferrari Roma with touch controls on its spokes. The left-hand spoke has indents corresponding to the touch controls to ensure the driver can decide which one to use. The track pad on the right-hand spoke has been updated with an indent that makes it easier to swipe and use. These solutions help the driver know where the controls are, in line with the “Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel” philosophy Ferrari has been adopting for quite some time. The Ferrari Roma Spider’s chassis is derived from the Ferrari Roma, but features new components, with the rear section inspired by the Ferrari Portofino M. The sill, a fundamentally important structural element, was developed specifically for the Ferrari Roma Spider, as were some elements required to install the soft top. The Ferrari Roma Spider is not just rewardingly easy to drive; it’s dynamic and responsive, making it the ideal companion for weekend getaways and extended journeys alike. It invites drivers to capture the essence of La Nuova Dolce Vita with every twist of the wheel, embodying the spirit of an era that continues to inspire automotive enthusiasts worldwide.