First drive in open space Roma Spider: La Dolce Vita via Ferrari

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When we arrive on the holiday island of Sardinia, we understand why Italy is a destination that millions of tourists long for every year: the autumn sun shines on the Mediterranean, sandy and rocky beaches stretch for miles along the picturesque coast. And as icing on the cake, today we can have a real dream car among the hand-forged 20-inch models. Ferrari invites you on a journey with the new Roma Spider, the open-top version of the sports coupe launched last year.

Unlike its predecessor, the Portofino M, Ferrari does not put a heavy roof on the Roma Spider, but instead a much lighter fabric roof. Ferraristi is particularly proud of this: The sunroof made of innovative fabric with 3D effect can be opened electrically in 13.5 seconds and at speeds of up to 60 km/h. If you want your hairstyle to withstand the oncoming strong wind, you can turn on the wind deflector built into the rear seats by pressing a button. But then you still have to fold it manually; but this does not diminish the feeling of dolce vita.

V8 sits up front

We also take a calm approach to the fact that when the wind deflector was extended before the trip, the two rear seats became unusable. After all, the rear racks are designed as emergency seats at best – it’s not for nothing that Ferrari calls the Roma Spider “2+ seats” and not “2+2 seats”.

Taking the legendary models of the 1960s as an example, Ferrari is again launching a front-engine convertible after a long time: Roma Spider. The shark-design front end and taillights split by a bend do justice to its closed-top sibling. The “Celeste Trevi” model color of the Spider version is said to be inspired by the light reflecting on the water from the Trevi Fountain in Rome; why not?

great chassis

Primarily to please new customers (about 40 percent of the Roma Spider, according to Ferrari), the Italians made the luxury Convertible much more comfortable than its predecessor, the Portofino M. The new chassis was particularly striking in our test drive: bumps on the picturesque country roads winding along the coast only quietly penetrate the interior, even with the so-called Manettino driving mode switch on the steering wheel turned to Sport.

However, if you want to travel fast, the Roman Spider is the perfect choice. One reason for this is the transaxle design, with the engine at the front and the gearbox at the rear axle, ensuring ideal weight distribution between the axles. Grip in corners is impressive: at higher speeds the tires literally sink into the asphalt.

Real Ferrari sound

The 8-speed dual-clutch transmission the Roma shares with Ferrari’s SF90 hybrid normally shifts gears early to meet increasingly stringent emissions and noise regulations. But in sport mode, the efforts put in by the engineers at Maranello (I) to improve engine and transmission control pay off. The engine’s torque is always adapted to the selected gear, ensuring linear power development in all gears.

If you want to enjoy the unique sound of the 3.9-litre V8 biturbo all the way up to the rev limiter, you can change gears manually using the shift paddles behind the sports steering wheel. Acceleration is tremendous: maximum 620 hp (456 kW) and 760 Nm accelerate the open-top super sports car to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds. The real Bella takes just 9.7 seconds (one) to reach 200 km/h. Macchina!

The sweet life on four wheels

Inside, the Ferrari Roma Spider looks largely unchanged compared to the Coupé, which is 84 kilograms lighter. We look at the digital instruments and central touch screen from the elegant leather seats; There is another screen for the co-pilot. Similar to Ferrari, it takes time to get used to: In the Roma Spider too, the turn signal is adjusted using buttons on the steering wheel.

Ferrari aims to convey the Italians’ taste for “la nuova dolce vita” (German: the new sweet life) with its new convertible sports car dream. After an extensive testing tour with the wind in your face and a lot of power underneath, we see that the Italian automaker has done quite well. But the sweet and fast appeal also comes with a price: The price of the Roma Spider, which can be ordered now, starts at 273,064 francs. For comparison: the price of its closed brother starts from 231,000 francs.

Source: Blick