A Ferrari Roma Spider will be launched in 2023 as the marque’s entry-level convertible.
Spotted on the road for the first time in new images, the heavily camouflaged Roma Spider appears to be largely unchanged from the coupé, save for the new roofline and more pronounced rear deck.
Little is expected to change under the skin, meaning the Roma Spider will get the same 612bhp 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 driving through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
However, the Spider’s performance and dynamics are likely to suffer compared with the coupé because of the weight introduced by the folding roof mechanism and additional chassis bracing. This is required to offset the loss of rigidity inherent in convertibles.
The weight penalty may be especially pronounced if Maranello opts for a tin-top (rather than relatively lightweight cloth), as with the Portofino and the California before it. Indeed, the Portofino was one of the less dynamically sophisticated Ferraris in recent memory, although the revised Portofino M was a significant improvement.
The Roma is one of the best grand tourers currently on sale thanks to its well-roundedness. But at more than £170,000, the presumably more expensive drop-top version may cannibalise sales of the more costly Portofino M.
The appearance of the Roma Spider prototype comes just days before Ferrari is set to reveal its long-awaited SUV, the Purosangue.
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Ferrari also said the 296 wasn't a replacement for the F8 Tributo, though of course in every meaningful respect it is. Expect the Portofino to be quietly dropped once this arrives in showrooms.
While it's not unheard of for companies to produce more than one model in a class of car, this is normally done by mass market manufacturers, not low volume ones like Ferrari. The Roma and Portofino are both GTs, albeit one is a coupe the other a convertible. A drop-top Roma is just an odd decision if the Portofino remains.