Meet the Ferrari Roma, an all-new 620hp V8 front-engined coupé that arrives with bold styling created to attract a new audience. The GT was unveiled in the capital of Italy and is the 5th new model introduced by Ferrari this year. Although the new Ferrari Roma shares some underpinnings with the Portofino drop-top sports car, the styling is completely new including active aerodynamics integrated into the rear screen that deploys automatically at high speeds for optimal downforce and features three different settings. The sculpted hood, the grille, and the overall silhouette of the Ferrari Roma clearly have a retro-touch to it. Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni says the Roma was inspired by classic front-engined Ferraris from the 1960s such as the 250 GT Berlinetta. Ferrari also says the Roma features a ‘completely redesigned’ the exhaust system to incorporate petrol particulate filter technology to make sure it meets the latest emissions requirements. The Ferrari engineers have also removed silencers from the quad-pipe set-up and introduced new bypass valves to help magnify naturally produced notes.
On the inside, the cabin gets an evolution of the dual-cockpit layout, featuring separate driver and passenger cells. Ferrari has introduced the Roma as a 2+ which denotes a space for a small rear seat or storage behind the front seats. The traditional analog dials have been replaced by a 16in curved screen mounted behind the steering wheel which also gets an all-new design. The infotainment system gets a vertically oriented 8.4-inch display in the center console. The Roma has been launched as a more practical alternative to more performance-focused offerings in Ferrari’s line-up. It has a boot capacity of 345 liters, which is roughly equal to that of the Roma’s AMG GT and Vantage rivals.
Under the hood is a revamped version of the 3.9-liter turbocharged V8 engine used in the Portofino drop-top and elsewhere in Ferrari’s line-up. The engine in the Roma is tuned to produce 611 horsepower and 561 lb-ft of torque, which is sent to the rear wheels via the eight-speed DCT gearbox that was introduced on the SF90 Stradale. Ferrari claims the Roma can hit 62 mph in 3.4 seconds, 124 mph in 9.3 seconds, and top out at 199 mph. The Ferrari Roma is set to go on sale next summer with a starting price of around $220,000.
[Via:TopGear]
