2,000, 3,000, 3,500, revs go up so fast that the satisfied expression of a moment ago must necessarily become serious, leaving room for the maximum focus required when you have 620 horses grounded by a rear-wheel drive that knows exactly how to accommodate your reckless desire for speed.

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos Gian Romero

 

 

 

It is night in Rome and the statuary Anita Ekberg calls Marcello Mastroianni to her for a scene that assumes a cult status and that indelibly paints the dolce vita in the world. Everything takes place at the Trevi fountain and from here the eternal city opens its gates to a lifestyle that will never be matched as far as charm concerns, its glorious history and the nature enclosed in that fascinating charisma that nowadays seems only science fiction. Ferrari, as the ultimate symbol of Italian automotive in the world, intends to guide us into the future by taking us back in time, to borrow that elegance, that passion and that love for the simple things and make us travel beyond the borders of the big city, towards roads that can enhance driving pleasure inherent in a journey that requires nothing more than a grand tourer that does not intend showing off, but rather to make available to both the driver and passengers, a dream that must not slip from the fingers at the break of dawn.

 

 

 

It is called Roma and it is the Ferrari 2+, a GT with the layout so dear to Commendator Enzo Ferrari and therefore with the engine at the front, under a long and curved bonnet that points downwards, so as to outline shapes that harmoniously drag the eye towards the tapered tail. A completely new design presented by Maranello and which follows that of the legendary 275 GTB and 365 Daytona, embracing the contemporaneity of thin headlights and a front grille in the same color as the body, yet maintaining that image that has always identified an elegant and comfortable car devoted for cross country trips, in this very case extremely fast.

 

 

 

The goal is to make the Cavallino enter the hearts and garages of about 70% of new customers, with only 30% of components kept from the excellent Portofino, more typically Ferrari, at least when looking for a high-performance convertible. The Roma is different, it is something on its own and not just because it introduces a new niche in its catalogue, going to settle next to Aston Martin DB11 (with V8 engine) and Bentley Continental GT (V8 again), but because it intends to do so with a ‘ inspiration that comes from the prancing horse’s past and from that of our beautiful Country, transmitting to those who sit behind the wheel an incessant desire to travel kilometers and reach the holiday resort, or more simply a road that demonstrates how much nothing has been left to chance, dynamics included of course.

 

 

 

This is why while the first rays of the sun try to find a way through the thick blanket of clouds above our heads, I approach with the emotion that one feels when faced with something completely new, but that at the same time does not hide its strong link with the past. Tradition, beauty and performance, we could define these as the three cornerstones of the Roma project, but just like for the majestic city of a thousand faces, the new Cavallino’s coupe has so much to offer and a simple journey will not be enough to discover its grande bellezza. From an aesthetic point of view, it has a clean – but not at all obvious – design and it is in fact important to understand that a grand tourer – by definition – must have these precise shapes: long bonnet, driver’s seat positioned way back and a compact tail. This is the line dictated by that image that transports you immersed in the Alps, the Tuscan countryside, or heading for some renowned seaside resort.

 

 

 

But it is the passenger compartment that contributes to further turning on your radar here, with an intimate and completely new environment, in which the enormous configurable display placed in front of the driver’s eyes, the central 8.4″ tilted monitor positioned vertically and the screen available to the passenger, through which to monitor media, sat navigation and the main driving information dictate their terms. Then there are the new touch buttons, with the ignition button that leaves room for a futuristic one located in the lower portion of the steering wheel, not to mention the new 5-mode manettino, with the introduction of the Race one, absent on the Portofino. I mentioned the Portofino because it is the car that lent the award-winning 3.9-liter V8, in this case almost completely transformed thanks to a careful work on valves, electronics, turbos and exhaust, not only coming to gain a final output of 620 horses and a torque of 760 Nm, but an even more immediate delivery, which in the most devoted to performance driving modes shortens the distances from points on the map in an unequivocal manner.

 

 

 

Dolce Vita or not, all I want once accommodated in the fantastic cockpit is to leave the inhabited centers, which, not attracted by the sober color and the lack (optional) of badges on the wheel arches, are awakened by the constant roar of the V8 and by the generous 20-inch wheels that house a carbon ceramic braking system with 360 mm discs and 4 pistons with fixed calipers at the front and 390 mm and 6 pistons at the rear. After a few kilometers and after having appreciated the new interface that provides an improved satellite navigator, we finally reach some proper curves. It’s time to get serious, we are on a Ferrari after all and comfort and luxury aside, performance is still the reason that contributes to the increase in my heartbeat.

I press the throttle hard and after the rear seems to slide not even for a millisecond, the huge tires bite the wet asphalt and launch me towards the corner in front of me. From the first 1,500 revs you get a mighty delivery and the two turbos make the digital speedometer needle to climb with such speed that I immediately have to loosen my grip on the steering wheel in order to call into the game the second of the 8 gears of the new dry sump sequential gearbox. It is impossible to follow the increase in engine revs, but the soundtrack emitted by the two couples at the back make clear how much even a latest generation turbocharged engine can provide the ideal music for a day of this kind. I can’t pinch the red line because the bends in front of me require a shred of self-preservation instinct, I set the ideal line taking advantage of the fact that the first stretch of a dozen kilometers is providentially off-limits to traffic and, taking advantage of the entire road, I throw down my right foot noticing how the center of gravity is so low as to make the Roma come out of the curve as if it were on a track.

 

 

 

In second gear and with a torque of 760 Nm it is easy to imagine that a violent pressure on the gas translates into a lightning thrust forward and while I am comfortably embraced by the seats, my hands return to grip the steering wheel setting the left-right turns that anticipate another hairpin. I lunge on the brakes and, even if not necessary, I engage first gear, allowing the rear to widen and play with some oversteer, out of this tight one. 2,000, 3,000, 3,500, revs go up so fast that the satisfied expression of a moment ago must necessarily become serious, leaving room for the maximum focus required when you have 620 horses grounded by a rear-wheel drive that knows exactly how to accommodate your reckless desire for speed. The sky continues to grumble, almost launching a challenge to the Roma V8 and becoming darker and more intense as we go up in altitude.

In this context it is not just about the spoiler raising at the base of the rear glass that brings into play its qualities, identified in 95 kg of downforce at 250 per hour, but rather the faired underbody and the slits hidden at the rear that without distorting the elegant evening dress of the Roma, press the car body to the ground when the pace becomes intense and direction changes are more sudden. It is almost certain that the infamous “typical customer” looking for a Ferrari Roma is not driving his new purchase as if he were fleeing after the heist of the century, but pulling gear after gear now that the road opens up and the curves give way to those presumed boring stretches called straights (come on, that’s not always true!) allows me to realize what this car is really capable of. They should have called it Ferrari Chameleon, because without even realizing it, it transforms itself from a sly coupe suitable for a home-work commute and grinder of kilometers on the motorway towards luxury resorts, into a sports car that sets afire a winding road by unloading all of its power and signing the asphalt at every bend. And then, in the tight bits, where the speed begins to tickle your legs and make you feel incredibly light, you realize that you haven’t dared enough. Not yet.

 

 

 

With the Roma it is easy to go fast, it is really easy to reach speeds that would end your license in very small pieces, but it is how you reach certain speeds that distorts the concept of grand tourer. In fact, if Ferrari defines it as a 2+ due to the presence of 2 pseudo-seats obtained between the main ones and the luggage compartment, I would define this as a Super Grand Tourer, a coupe that can take you on holiday in full relax, but still able to unleash the Mister Hyde in you, immediately after checking in at the hotel. It is a dual nature that coexists in an extreme way precisely because of a sharp dynamic and logically borrowed from the world of racing, with avant-garde solutions that do not compromise to transfigure aerodynamic purity, dressing the Roma in a suit apt for a gala dinner, but surprisingly comfortable even for a brawl in the street to the sound of horsepower.

Just when things are starting to get serious – perhaps too much – a torrential rain suggests it is appropriate to pull over and take advantage of the break for having lunch, waiting for the storm to pass or at least decrease in intensity. Just half an hour later and a completely wet Roma comes back to life, advancing with caution until the asphalt is almost completely dry again and showing the practical side of a model that completes the line-up of the prancing horse, but that also represents a focal point for any driving enthusiast, combining the points of on-board comfort with those of performance, with a coat of arms and an engineering background that only Ferrari can boast.

 

 

 

La Dolce Vita has never been this fast, but it’s not so much because of a 0-100 kph in just 3.4 seconds or a top speed of 320 per hour, but because of how you can devour hundreds of kilometers, play with destiny by sliding the rear at every bend, crossing countries and bringing the Italian spirit to the world without having to move the Trevi fountain. All feeling the absolute protagonist of your art film, of a love story with a horse that shows that reinventing oneself while respecting heritage is possible, giving us a model that identifies an aesthetic goal of rare purity and even more performance triumph. The Ferrari Roma is not just a desire to travel or a lust for speed, it is everything about a car able to embellish a driving experience as thrilling as your first kiss, the one you will be able to relive again once at the wheel.

 

FERRARI ROMA

Engine V8 cylinder, 3.855 cc Power 620 hp @ 5.750 rpm Torque 760 Nm @ 3.000 rpm

Traction Rear-Wheel-Drive Transmission 8-Speed Automatic Gearbox Weight 1.655 kg

0-100 kph 3,4 sec Top Speed 320 kph Price from €200.936