FERRARI ROMA SPIDER: LA NUOVA DOLCE VITA – A NEW STORY BEGINS
• Unveiled today: the Ferrari Roma Spider, a 2+ spider equipped with an innovative soft top
• Featuring special bespoke fabric in numerous tailored options, the soft top boasts acoustic comfort on a par with retractable hard tops and can be opened in just 13.5 seconds at speeds up to 60 km/h
• Top-down driving comfort is ensured by a patented wind deflector that is integrated into the rear seat backrest
• With its 620cv, twin-turbo V8 and vehicles dynamics systems from the Ferrari Roma, the new Ferrari Roma Spider offers an unmatched combination of timeless elegance, driving thrills, performance and on-board comfort
Marrakesh (Morocco), 16th March 2023 – The Ferrari Roma Spider, the latest model from the Maranello marque, was presented to clients today at an exclusive event at the El Badi Palace in Marrakesh. This timelessly elegant, high-performance car is a contemporary take on the chic, pleasure-seeking Italian lifestyle of the 1950s and 60s. This spider carries over the proportions, volumes and specifications of the Ferrari Roma’s hugely successful V8 2+ concept, but what makes it so striking is the adoption of a soft top, a solution making a welcome return to the Prancing Horse range on a front-engined car 54 years after the 1969 365 GTS4.
STYLE
Designed by the Ferrari Styling Centre headed by Flavio Manzoni, the Ferrari Roma Spider aims to move the “La Nuova Dolce Vita” concept beyond city limits for elegant, carefree driving ‘en plein air’. This 2+ spider boasts a sophisticated fabric soft top, which is designed not just to maintain, but to enhance the flawless proportions of the coupé on which it is based without modifying that car’s elegantly flowing silhouette.
Unlike the more usual basic fabrics seen on most convertibles, a new material has been used for the Ferrari Roma Spider’s soft-top, giving it a sophisticated air. Special fabric weaves were selected and developed in colour combinations that highlight the car’s twin souls, one more elegant and the other sportier. The bespoke finish with two-tone weave draws on a palette of four colours highlighting the refined, haute couture nature of the fabric. The optional technical fabric developed specifically for this car gives it a sporty yet very sophisticated allure with an innovative weave creating an extremely striking iridescent red finish that further enhances the roof’s 3D surface.
POWERTRAIN
The Ferrari Roma Spider is powered by an engine belonging to the V8 turbo family named “International Engine of the Year” for four consecutive years and also voted “Best Engine of the Last 20 Years” in 2018. The 3,855 cc power unit can punch out 620 cv at 7,500 rpm, the equivalent of 161 cv/l, which it combines with the flexibility of low-end pick-up, thanks to 80% of the torque being available at just 1900 rpm.
The Ferrari Roma Spider also sees the introduction of an important evolution of the oil pump which reduces time-to-pressure in cold starts by 70%, as well as increasing the flow rate at medium revs. The same modification has also been introduced on the Ferrari Roma, demonstrating the company’s commitment to continual research and development.
The Ferrari Roma Spider boasts Variable Boost Management, a control software developed by Ferrari that adjusts torque delivery to suit the gear selected, delivering increasingly powerful pick-up as revs rise, whilst optimising fuel consumption. As the car goes up through the gears, the amount of torque delivered by the engine increases, continuing all the way up to 760 Nm in 7th and 8th gear. This allowed the use of longer gear ratios in the higher gears, which helps keep fuel consumption and emissions down, while adopting a steeper torque curve through the rev range in the lower gears for a feeling of smooth, consistent pick-up.
The gearbox is based on a dual-clutch oil bath architecture and is derived from the 8-speed gearbox first introduced on the SF90 Stradale. The main modifications made with respect to the latter are longer gear ratios and the introduction of a reverse gear. The new layout and component integration thus optimised the gearbox’s size and its installation in the car.
With eight gears and optimum transmission efficiency, fuel consumption in urban and motorway contexts has been reduced without compromising on performance. In fact, there is a noticeable improvement even in sporty driving. The main technical features that have guaranteed this result are the use of low-viscosity oil and a dry sump configuration to minimise fluid-dynamic efficiency losses (oil splashing) in addition to the use of a specially-designed differential (with the input pinion axis not offset to reduce slip speed.
The clutch module is 20% smaller than the previous 7-speed, but delivers 35% more torque, with up to a maximum 1,200 Nm of dynamic torque transmitted when gear shifting. The transmission software strategy has been evolved thanks to a more powerful ECU and better integration with the engine management software. Particular attention was also lavished on the strategies designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, particularly when the Start&Stop function is in use.
VEHICLE DYNAMICS
The goal of the Ferrari Roma Spider’s vehicle dynamics development was to deliver superior driving thrills and handling precision on a par with the Ferrari Roma, thanks to the Side Slip Control concept which uses an algorithm developed by Ferrari that provides an instantaneous estimate of side slip to all the various on-board control systems. This data is then used to coordinate and implement interventions in a rapid, timely and accurate manner.
The Side Slip Control System (SSC), version 6.0 of which is used here, integrates all the car’s vehicle dynamics systems, most notably the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer, active solely in the Manettino’s ‘Race’ position. The FDE is a lateral dynamics control system that rapidly adjusts the hydraulic brake pressure at the callipers on all four wheels consistent with the dynamic situation requiring control. It is designed to make the evolution of the car’s lateral dynamics more predictable through and exiting corners, ensuring the driver’s control of the steering wheel and throttle are simpler and more intuitive. The system flanks the traditional Electronic Stability Control system.
Like the Ferrari Roma, the Ferrari Roma Spider’s Manettino has five positions to make its handling and traction performance even more accessible with the introduction of the Race position. Supported by the introduction of the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer, this position is designed to boost fun behind the wheel.
CHASSIS AND BODYWORK
The Ferrari Roma Spider’s chassis is derived from the Ferrari Roma, but features new components, with the rear section inspired by the solution used on the Ferrari Portofino M. The sill, a fundamentally important structural element, was developed specifically for the Ferrari Roma Spider, as were some elements required to install the soft top, and the A-pillar/windscreen surround.
The bodyshell retains the fundamental elements of the Ferrari Roma’s design: the modifications made focused mainly on the rear and on harmonising the Ferrari Roma Spider’s lines so that they retain their elegance with the top down. Exceptional torsional rigidity and beam stiffness figures for the bodyshell and chassis have been achieved despite an increase in weight of just 84 kg for a weight/power ratio of 2.5 kg/cv, which remains at the very top of the high-performance 2+ spider category. This impressive result also ensures that the Ferrari Roma Spider benefits from the same excellent handling and performance as the Ferrari Roma.
This increase was due in part to two factors. Firstly, the addition of the unique integrated wind deflector, which significantly improves occupant comfort. Secondly, the addition of headrests for the rear seats that visually integrate into the tonneau cover design.
The automatic fabric soft top guarantees occupant comfort on a par with the retractable hard top system equipping the other spider models in the range. The large rear glass screen is fully integrated into the soft-top geometry. The five-layer fabric dampens wind and road noise, making it quiet even at high speeds. During development, special attention was also paid to reducing the ballooning effect typical of soft tops. The technical solutions adopted by Ferrari’s engineers have thus guaranteed class-leading performance in these areas.
The soft-top mechanism was designed to be light yet resilient: it pushes technical performance limits to new heights thanks to a Z-shaped movement that folds the soft top away in a mere 13.5 seconds and up to a maximum speed of 60 km/h. When stowed, the roof occupies a height of just 220mm, which is the lowest in the category, and that, in turn, ensures a roomy boot (a class-leading 255 litres with the top up).
The gas springs used to extend the wind deflector were meticulously designed and developed to deliver controlled, smooth action at all stages of movement and in all conditions. The wind deflector can be opened at up to 170 km/h. The chance of opening the mechanism is automatically speed-limited to ensure that it can be deployed in safety. Once in place, the wind deflector can be used at any speed in open configuration.
The wind deflector retains all the features unique to a real backrest: the surface the rear occupants rest on is padded for comfort, while it is shaped to open even when the front seats are pushed back. The central duct compensates for the air pressure acting either side, improving the efficiency of its movement. The system’s kinematic points are the result of an in-depth study of the entire back seat and boot area, optimising their position in relation to movement and weight.
7 YEARS MAINTENANCE
Ferrari’s unparalleled quality standards and intense focus on client service underpin the extended seven-year maintenance programme offered with the Ferrari Roma Spider. Available across the entire range, it covers all regular maintenance for the first seven years of the car’s life. This scheduled maintenance programme for Ferraris is an exclusive service that gives clients the certainty that their car is being kept at peak performance and safety over the years. This very special service is also available to owners of pre-owned Ferraris.
Regular maintenance (at intervals of either 20,000 km, or once a year with no mileage restrictions), original spares and meticulous checks by staff trained directly at the Ferrari Training Centre in Maranello using the most modern diagnostic tools are just some of the advantages of the Genuine Maintenance Programme. The service is available on all markets worldwide and from all Dealerships on the Official Dealership Network.
The Genuine Maintenance programme further extends the vast range of after-sales services offered by Ferrari to meet the needs of clients wishing to preserve the performance and excellence that are the signatures of all cars built in Maranello.
FERRARI ROMA SPIDER – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Type V8 – 90° – twin turbo
Total displacement 3855 cc
Bore and stroke 86.5 mm x 82 mm
Max. power output* 456 kW (620 cv) at 5750–7500 rpm
Max. torque 760 Nm at 3000-5750 rpm
Max. revs 7500 rpm
Compression ratio 9.45:1
Specific power output 161 cv/l
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Length 4656 mm
Width 1974 mm
Height 1306 mm
Wheelbase 2670 mm
Front track 1652 mm
Rear track 1679 mm
Dry weight** 1556 kg
Dry/power ratio 2.5 kg/cv
Weight distribution 48% ant. / 52% post.
Fuel tank capacity 80 litres
Boot capacity 255 l
TYRES AND WHEELS
Front 245/35 ZR 20 J8.0
Rear 285/35 ZR 20 J10.0
BRAKES
Front 390 x 34 mm
Rear 360 x 32 mm
TRANSMISSION AND GEARBOX
8-speed F1 DCT
ELECTRONIC CONTROLS
EPS, VDC, ABS with EBD, F1-TCS, E-Diff3, SSC 6.0, FDE, SCM-E Frs
PERFORMANCE
Max. speed > 320 km/h
0-100 km/h 3.4 s
0-200 km/h 9.7 s
100-0 km/h 32 m
200-0 km/h 130 m
FUEL CONSUMPTION
Under homologation
CO2 EMISSIONS
Under homologation
* With 98 RON fuel
** With optional lightweight content
TAGS