The Ferrari Roma

2021

FERRARI ROMA

To many admirers, the Ferrari Roma is a modern day equivalent of the legendary Daytona that was built between 1968 and 1973. Configured in the classic 2+2 front, engine/rear drive fashion, a well-restored Daytona can now cost a great deal of money, even by today’s inflated auction records. An example once owned by pop megastar Sir Elton John was on the block recently and was expected to easily top the half million-euro mark.

WORDS TONY WHITNEY PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FERRARI SPONSORED BY C. DE SALAMANCA

The current Ferrari Roma is the perfect way to experience a modern Daytona without breaking the bank. It even looks like a Daytona with its long bonnet, stubby tail and 2+2 seating. Of course, given modern performance and safety technology, it’s a far better car in every respect, but don’t tell that to the Ferrari faithful!

According to Ferrari, the car does indeed echo a bygone automotive era and departs from the styling themes of most current Ferrari road cars. It was introduced under the slogan La Nuova Dolce Vita to signify this design approach. Knowledgeable enthusiasts could easily point to several Ferraris of the past from which inspiration for the Roma was gleaned. While it could theoretically take four passengers, rear seat occupants had better be either very young or very tolerant. Few 2+2 designs by any maker offer more than a place to throw a coat or a soft piece of luggage. ›

The svelte bodywork of the Roma is fairly conventional as far as fabrication goes and as with its other models, Ferrari sticks with aluminium rather than more exotic materials. The Roma bodywork is thus fairly light and accident damage is simple to repair. Carbon fibre is used here and there, but not extensively. A three-position rear wing activates at 100 km/h and positions itself to provide maximum downforce for optimal stability. To bring the car’s raw power under control, Ferrari uses carbonceramic vented disc brakes. To justify its ‘grand touring’ role, the Roma offers 345-litres of cargo space with the rear seats folded flat.

The Roma’s not-inconsiderable power comes from a 3.9-litre twin-turbo V-8 developing 620-horsepower. It’s mated to an 8-speed dualclutch automatic with manual override. Ferrari’s design team created a suspension to handle a wide variety of road conditions. Regardless of the car’s front-engine layout, it’s very well balanced and for most drivers, it’ll feel as nimble as one of Ferrari’s mid-engine models. The cockpit is expectedly a great place to enjoy and every detail is taken care of with minute precision and excellent good taste. It is an alldigital layout, which some Ferrari fans won’t like, but it is superbly functional. Interestingly, the passenger gets a touch screen with which to tackle navigation and other infotainment tasks.

Few carmakers recognise that it’s the front seat passenger who often looks after programming the Satnav. The owner will need to spend a little time with the operator’s manual to figure out the rather complex instrumentation, but that’s a chore that’s part of the joy of Ferrari ownership. Despite the breathtaking looks of other Ferrari products, the Roma remains a sports car of outstanding engineering innovation cleverly combined with traditional styling. This is a restrained and elegant expression of Ferrari design work with few equals and brings back memories of another styling masterpiece that no maker ever successfully imitated – the E-Type Jaguar. >

g This article is sponsored by C. De Salamanca, official dealers for Bentley, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Jaguar & Land Rover. Tel: (+34) 952 785 250. www.cdesalamanca.com

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www.cdesalamanca.com Z ENGINE: Twin-turbo, 3.9-litre V-8, 620-horsepower. Z TRANSMISSION: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic. Z ACCELERATION: Zero to 100 km/h in 3.4-seconds. Z TOP SPEED: 320 km/h. Z I LIKED: Great styling effort combining retro themes with contemporary engineering and electronics. Good to see that Ferrari hasn’t entirely abandoned classic front engine/rear drive layouts in favour of mid engine designs. Z I DIDN’T LIKE: Instrumentation and controls can involve a learning experience but most owners will quickly find the layout reasonably intuitive. All-wheel drive would have been a plus, but the car is very well balanced. Z MARKET ALTERNATIVES: Bentley Continental GT, Aston Martin DB11, Mercedes AMG 4-door, Porsche Taycan and 911, Lexus LC. Z WHO DRIVES ONE? Ferrari enthusiasts who always regretted not snaring a Daytona when they were widely available years ago. Supercar owners tired of the limitations of mid-engine cars not that suitable for road trips of any distance. Z PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: Available now starting at €186.750.