The Ferrari Roma Arrives
Ferrari Roma Interior (Image: Ferrari)
Ferrari has now introduced their latest car, the Roma. As you have undoubtably read elsewhere, it can be described as a refinement of the Portofino but with a fixed roof, extensively revised interior design, and unique (to modern Ferrari) exterior styling.
Ferrari has been very strong in sports cars in recent years but is working on expanding their Gran Turismo (GT) product line, of which the Roma is now a member. The motivation for this was spelled out over a year ago by Enrico Galliera, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, at Ferrari’s Open Market Day presentation. Quoting Mr. Galliera:
This is part of our heritage. In our history, in our classic car offer, the gran tourismo is having a great importance. So what we plan to do as far as the gran turismo is concerned is to work in order to bring the concept back to its origins, delivering in the market a product with an even higher style, elegance, and, of course, driving emotion.
This is done with a clear object in mind, which is to expand the Ferrari family. Exactly as it happened some years ago with the California that was able to attract 70% of new to Ferrari clients in the family, which now became clients of the whole range of our products. Now, the car we are planning to introduce is given exactly this objective, having a design, performance, and comfort on board that is able to achieve this important objective. And, of course, this is going to be achieved also working on creating even higher versatility, comfort on board, thanks also to the introduction of hybridization on our future product line.
[ Galliera discusses GT and SUV market growth ]
We will come with two new products that we believe will help us achieve the objectives that we just mentioned. The first one is something that goes back again in the work we did with this car, with the Icona, but with a different object which is to inspire ourselves from the most classic and refined gran turismo of the past. There is a big history in the company of this kind of car. We think we can take inspiration, bring in a new and more elegant addition to the Ferrari product range which is the perfect combination of comfort on board and Ferrari driving emotion. This is going to be one of the chapters that is going to bring new Ferrari family members on board.
In short, like the California and now Portofino, the Roma exists to bring new customers into Ferrari showrooms. By definition, this has to be done by having a product that is different in some way from your existing offerings. Here, the emphasis is on having an elegant, usable car with modern technology that provokes an emotional response from the driver with performance, handling, and sound. The car is extremely fast, of course, just like any modern Ferrari. But the emphasis is, as Ferrari would likely put it, on being fun to drive rather than lap times.
It cannot be emphasized too much that the Roma is not specifically designed to be appealing to Ferrari’s existing customer base. It is aimed at customers who might otherwise buy an Aston-Martin Vantage, or DB11, or an Mercedes-AMG GT, or perhaps a BMW 8-Series Coupe, Bentley Continental GT, or maybe even a Rolls-Royce Wraith. That an existing customer finds the Roma uninteresting in comparison to her F8 Tributo is probably not of particular concern to Ferrari. (Neither is, it probably goes without saying, the purely theoretical customer who insists he will buy if only Ferrari will give up on all this foolishness and build a proper naturally aspirated V12 with manual gearbox and none of this computerized crap.)
Ferrari Roma in White (Image: Chris Rees)
And so, the Roma is here and we’re now in a position to begin considering how well Ferrari has achieved their objective. First, it has to be said that while the car has classic long hood, aft cockpit proportions it is very much not a “retro” design. A major tell here, and one apparently distressing the traditionalists, is the body colored grill for cooling air. A retro design would absolutely use chrome here, harkening back to the very early days of motoring with exposed brass radiators. The design is generally free of obvious airflow management devices, giving it a very clean look, save for the deployable wing. The wing probably has to exist to make the car stable at 200 mph, a top speed essentially required by cars in this class nowadays.
The interior is bang up to date with a dual cockpit design, full software instrument cluster, central display in portrait orientation, and (probably an optional extra) passenger display. The mechanical tachometer is gone, another sign that this car is not for the traditionalists.
The car essentially comes across in the manner of an expertly tailored, very high end suit done in a traditional color and material but with an absolutely modern cut. At first it doesn’t appear very different from other offerings but then, upon examination, you notice the details and craftsmanship. Ferrari is helping with this impression by showing the car in its official press photos in a very understated bluish grey instead of the usual Ferrari red. The message seems to be that you can drive this car every day, enjoying the craftsmanship and tremendous performance, but it’s subtle enough that you won’t be constantly gawked at and asked “Wanna trade?”
Pricing is rumored to be in the US$220,000 range to start, placing it midway between the Aston-Martin DB11 V8 and V12 models. The Vantage is a full $70,000 cheaper, starting at just (!!) $150,000, making the DB11 probably the closest competitor. My guess is that the Roma will appeal to an older, more conservative client, or somebody who values handling and high RPM performance in the Ferrari way. The DB11 will probably appeal to the younger customer with a slightly more flamboyant sense of design, more willing to choose brightly colored paint and upholstery. The DB11 also has a very slightly more usable rear seat, which may be important to some customers.
As for the Portofino, it remains and is slightly less expensive than the Roma but not hugely so. Its primary draw has now been reduced to the open top capability but the interior suddenly appears to be a bit dated. If a Roma cabriolet appears the Portofino probably has little reason to exist and I would expect that to happen within a year or two.
Ferrari Roma Exterior (Image: Ferrari)
In summary, the Roma appears to be what Ferrari said they wanted. It has a modern look inspired but not restricted by classic gran turismo cars of the 1960s. The car appears viable for every day use with an understated appearance and up to date technology but also has modern Ferrari performance. It is expensive in the mass market sense but affordable for a new Ferrari and in-line with the cars it is most likely to be shopped against. It probably will, as they stated as a goal, bring many new customers into the Ferrari family.
