The Ferrari Roma is meant to evoke the La Nuova Dolce Vita, and with stunning modern looks, a powerful turbocharged V-8 engine, and clever performance and design tricks, a bit of the sweet life can be yours, too, with Maranello’s latest.
The exterior is exceptionally sleek, defined by clean lines, the most modern front end we’ve seen on a Ferrari, including sharp full-LED adaptive headlights with a horizontal light strip. The rear evokes muscle with haunched shoulders wrapped over 20-inch wheels—245/35 ZR20s in front, 285/35 ZR20s in rear. The taillights are the thinnest we’ve seen on a Ferrari, and create an especially sharp graphic in tandem with the two sets of dual exhaust pipes, set to the outer corners hinting at the Roma’s performance prowess.
The mid-front engine proportions are backed up by Ferrari’s award-winning turbo V-8, good for 611 horsepower at 7500 rpm and 561 lb-ft of torque.
The Roma also boasts cutting-edge dynamic systems like its Side Slip Control 6.0, with a five-position manettino (steering-wheel-mounted switch), and the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer, which controls yaw angle by hydraulically adjusting brake pressure at the calipers. This is a first on a Ferrari GT model.
Ferrari also used new, lighter components—70 percent of the parts are new—in tandem with new production techniques to reduce weight wherever possible. The result is a claimed best-in-class power-to-weight ratio.
Once you step inside, you realize that this is a thoroughly new Ferrari, too. The interior reflects an evolution of the dual cockpit, featuring separate driver and passenger cells; it looks more like what we’ve seen on concept cars. The HMI has been completely redesigned, the steering wheel is new, and all of the Roma’s main commands can be accessed via haptic controls on the wheel, to allow the driver to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.
The Ferrari Roma looks like a thoroughly modern Ferrari, and a proper GT. With its turbo V-8, slick features, and alluring design, this is one we’re eager to get our hands on.
