A new chapter of la nuova dolce vita

 

Ferrari developed the Roma Spider as the open air evolution of the Roma coupé, keeping the same pure proportions and long bonnet, but introducing a refined soft top instead of a metal roof. The soft top gave the designers a new canvas. It flows into a subtle rear deck, preserving the clean shoulder line and the minimalist tail that defines the Roma family.

The Roma Spider design deliberately avoids retro pastiche. Instead, Ferrari pays a quiet tribute to the brand’s early GT spiders through details and stance. The slim grille, the sculpted flanks and the compact rear lamps give the Roma Spider a timeless calm, even when the car is standing still. On the road, the Roma Spider looks like it belongs in a black and white film on the Amalfi Coast, yet it is fully digital, fully connected and completely current.

Aerodynamics were developed from the start around the soft top. Ferrari used intensive CFD work to preserve the low drag of the Roma while adding the ability to generate efficient downforce when required. The active rear spoiler is integrated into the rear screen area, rising with different angles depending on speed, load and manettino setting.

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The award winning V8 at the heart of the Roma Spider

 

At the core of the Roma Spider experience is Ferrari’s celebrated 3.9 litre twin turbo V8, part of the engine family that has been named International Engine of the Year several times and even voted Best Engine of the Last 20 Years.

In the Roma Spider this engine develops:

• 620 cv at 5750 to 7500 rpm

• 760 Nm of torque from 3000 to 5750 rpm

 

This gives the Roma Spider a specific output of 161 cv per litre, yet the character of the engine is as important as the numbers. Eighty percent of the torque is available from very low revs, which means the Roma Spider does not need to be driven aggressively to feel strong.

Power is sent to the rear wheels through the latest eight speed dual clutch F1 gearbox, a lighter and more compact transmission that shifts faster than the previous seven speed unit while improving efficiency.

Performance figures underline what the Roma Spider can do when you ask for everything:

• 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds

• 0 to 200 km/h in 9.7 seconds

• Top speed over 320 km/h

 

In other words, the Roma Spider has the pace of a thoroughbred supercar but packages it in a relaxed GT silhouette.

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Roma Spider dynamics and everyday usability

 

Ferrari developed the Roma Spider with a clear objective. The car had to deliver driving precision and feedback on the same level as the Roma coupé, even with a soft top. Vehicle dynamics are managed by the latest Side Slip Control system, which constantly estimates the car’s slip angle and coordinates the traction, differential and stability systems. The Roma Spider therefore feels natural and transparent behind the wheel.

The manettino on the steering wheel lets the driver choose how playful the Roma Spider should be, from a comfortable GT setting to more focused modes for mountain passes or track sessions. Together with the adaptive suspension and carbon ceramic braking system, the Roma Spider is capable of covering serious ground at high speed while remaining composed and refined.

The soft top itself is a key part of the Roma Spider personality. It opens in just 13.5 seconds and can be operated at typical city speeds, which turns every tunnel exit or coastline into an excuse to enjoy the V8 soundtrack. When closed, acoustic comfort is close to the coupé thanks to layered fabric construction and a carefully shaped rear screen.

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Interior, technology and open air comfort

 

Inside, the Roma Spider keeps the dual cockpit layout introduced on the Roma, with separate spaces for driver and passenger and a central spine that houses the main controls. The Roma Spider integrates a digital instrument cluster, a central display and an optional passenger screen, allowing the co driver to follow speed, navigation and media.

The Roma Spider cabin feels intimate and contemporary, with flowing lines, metal accents and a level of craftsmanship that rewards a closer look. Clients can choose from a very wide palette of leathers, stitching, carpets and carbon trims, plus a range of tailor made options from Ferrari’s personalization program.

A Roma Spider is still a grand tourer, so Ferrari made sure practicality is not an afterthought. There is a usable boot of around 255 litres with the roof up and a clever wind deflector system that folds out from behind the rear seats, turning the Roma Spider into a genuinely comfortable open GT at motorway speeds. Independent road tests have highlighted that the rear seats remain best used for bags rather than people, which suits the Roma Spider role as a two plus luggage companion for weekends away.

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Roma Spider in the Drive Vintage universe

 

At Drive Vintage we tend to think in terms of stories and lineages, not only in terms of model years. The Roma Spider is part of a long Ferrari story that includes the 250 GT Cabriolet, the 275 GTS and the various California spiders that made open air grand touring an aspirational lifestyle.

The Roma Spider brings that tradition into a world of digital maps, low emission zones and long distance high speed infrastructure. It is powerful enough to satisfy experienced Ferrari owners, yet accessible and intuitive enough to be a first Ferrari. It is also a model that speaks fluently to a younger audience who might be discovering the brand through contemporary design, rather than pure nostalgia.

For a curated collection the Roma Spider can play several roles. It can be the modern daily Ferrari alongside a set of significant classic V12 spiders. It can be a future classic kept in a carefully specified configuration, perhaps in understated colours with a contrasting soft top, echoing the elegant GTs of the Sixties. Or it can be a single, perfectly chosen open Ferrari for an enthusiast who wants one car that does almost everything.

From a market perspective the Roma Spider sits in a strong position. It offers a front mid mounted V8 with clear lineage to award winning engines, a design that is likely to age very gracefully and the rarity that comes from a Ferrari built in relatively limited numbers. While Ferrari does not publish an official production cap for the Roma Spider, the brand’s general strategy and demand levels strongly suggest that well specified examples will remain highly desirable among collectors.

For Drive Vintage, the Roma Spider is exactly the sort of modern GT we like to position alongside carefully selected icons from earlier decades, creating a dialogue between heritage and contemporary engineering. This is a Ferrari that feels as comfortable leaving a five star hotel on the Riviera as it does arriving at a Concours weekend in the Alps.