Ferrari Roma Spider caught in spy photos

A couple of years after its debut, Ferrari’s latest front-engine GT is finally getting a convertible. These spy photos show a prototype of the Ferrari Roma Spider. It’s difficult to tell how far along the car may be based on the comprehensive camouflage, but there are some minor things we can glean.

The front and sides are heavily covered, but it’s a safe bet that they’ll be virtually unchanged from the Roma coupe. The roof area and the rear are the parts we’re most interested in, since they all need to change for a folding top. The rear trunk/top cover seems to have a rising section that could go into some flying buttress-style cowls similar to the 812 GTS. This might suggest the Roma convertible will also have a foldaway hardtop like the 812 and Ferrari’s other mid-engine sports cars. This will all help the Roma have a more consistent appearance that would be difficult with more folding sections or even a soft roof.

When it reaches production, the Roma should get the same twin-turbo 3.9-liter V8 making 611 horsepower and 561 pound-feet of torque and eight-speed dual-clutch transmission as the coupe. It will likely be a bit heavier. It will also likely put the future of the Portofino M in question. The Portofino was sort of the entry point for the Ferrari line, but it’s extremely old, having been based on the California, and it won’t have the unique sales point of being a convertible to the Roma’s coupe.