New Ferrari Roma – Bringing Back “The Good Life” of the 1950’s and 60’s

Ferrari Roma is designed to be a contemporary representation of the carefree, pleasurable way of life that characterised Rome in the 1950s and ‘60s.

• Influenced by the Ferrari’s of the 50’s & 60’s
• Based on the same chassis and engine as the Portofino
• There’s a new design to the key
• Roma has hidden active aero

The Ferrari Roma, the new mid-front engined 2+ coupé (because the rear seat space is very small it’s not classed as a 2 + 2), features refined proportions and timeless design combined with unparalleled performance and handling. With its distinctive flair and style, Roma is a contemporary representation of the carefree, pleasurable way of life that characterised Italy’s capital Rome in the 1950s and ‘60s. This is also why Ferrari chose to adopt the tagline “La Nuova Dolce Vita”, the new good/sweet life.

The Ferrari Roma uses the same chassis as the coupé-convertible Portofino and also shares its 3.9-litre twin turbo V8. But its power output has been increased to 611bhp and it benefits from the new eight speed dual shift gearbox that the SF90 hybrid uses. All of this makes the Roma marginally faster than the Portofino.

The cars that inspired Roma

There is definitely a strong essence of Ferrari design language on display. The headlights and nose are very similar to the topless Ferrari Monza, which hearkens to Ferrari’s of the ’60s, and the big back end with quad tail lights and exhaust resemble other GT models like the 612 and 456.

But what were the cars of the dolce vita? Which Gran Turismo and “custom-built” cars have inspired the style and technique of Ferrari Rome?

Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta luxury

The true ancestor of the Ferrari Roma is a coupe from 1962, but with two seats. It is the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta luxury that in the period 1962-1964 embodies the spirit of sleek lines combined with true sportiness and fine finishes. There are 351 “luxury” products in four years with Pininfarina style and Scaglietti bodywork characterized by a very long 250 GTO style bonnet and tail end.

Ferrari 250 GT 2 + 2

An inspirer of the Ferrari Roma is the Ferrari 250 GT 2 + 2 (also known as 250 GTE, 250 GT / E) the first car of Maranello able to accommodate four people, a prestigious protagonist of the sweet Roman life. It was produced between 1960 and 1963 in 957 examples. The Ferrari 250 GT 2 + 2 is a coupe with a 3-liter V12 engine and 240 hp that touches the 212 km/h and has also become famous for being the first Ferrari of the Italian Police.

The 2 + 2 grows and becomes 330 GT

The Ferrari 330 GT 2 + 2, produced from 1964 to 1967 in 1,099 units, when by now the good life had vanished, but remains famous for the front with four round headlights of the first series. The V12 engine went up to four liters and the power reached 300 HP for a maximum speed of 245 km/h.

Roma’s New Key

Jack Rix, Deputy Editor of Top Gear shared photos of the Roma’s key on Twitter. They show a leather-backed metallic fob adorned only with the prancing horse logo on the front and “Roma” on the back. The locking and trunk controls are marked by embossing on the leather.

You can delete the front quater panel badges

Hidden Active Spoiler

The pleasure of the Ferrari Roma’s design is like a sculpture, is there to please your eye. It doesn’t rely on scoops and vents and slashes to create the drama. However, aero hasn’t been ignored entirely. The lower section of the rear screen, is actually a moveable spoiler that sits flush with the surrounding bodywork. The spoiler raises up and deploys to three different heights depending on your speed and driving mode. It will also act as an air brake when you really hit the brakes.

Dual Cockpit Concept

The new formal approach to the interior led to the creation of two driver and passenger safety cells, an evolution of the Dual Cockpit concept. Unlike Ferrari sports cars, typically built around the figure of the driver, the cockpit of the Ferrari Roma has an almost symmetrical structure. This makes for a more organic distribution of space and functions, so that the passenger feels extremely involved in the driving.

Roma’s Power

The Ferrari Roma represents the pinnacle of performance in this category, thanks to its turbo-charged V8 from the family of engines that has won the overall International Engine of the Year award four years running. In this version, the engine reaches 620 cv at 7500 rpm and is coupled with the new 8-speed DCT gearbox that was introduced on the SF90 Stradale.

Chassis

The Ferrari Roma chassis benefits from the modular technology developed by Ferrari for its new generation models. Both bodyshell and chassis have been redesigned to incorporate the latest weight reduction and advanced production technologies. In fact, 70% of its components are entirely new. The mid-front-engined 2+ Ferrari Roma has the best weight/power ratio in its segment (2.37 kg/cv) which enhances handling dynamics and responsiveness.