Ferrari’s Big Breakthrough on the Roma Spider Is a Canvas Folding Roof
On most occasions, a new Ferrari launching is a pretty big deal. Think back to the premiere of the groundbreaking LaFerrari, the hybrid SF90 Stradale and last year’s Purosangue SUV — all important moments in their time. Now, the Italian outfit has unveiled another new model, but the biggest talking point is some fairly retro tech. Witness the Ferrari Roma Spider, with the first folding canvas convertible roof on a front-engine Ferrari since 1969.
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Ferrari premiered the brand new Roma Spider last night, and it looks neat. I like the Roma, which was unveiled in 2019 as the brand’s newest front-engine grand tourer and packs a 3.9 liter V8 and rear wheel drive, all ensconced in a pretty sleek design. But one important thing it lacked was a removable roof.
Thankfully, Ferrari has fixed that shortcoming with the new Roma Spider, which keeps the original car’s good looks and adds an all-new canvas roof. This roof, Ferrari says, marks the first time the Italian outfit has fitted a car with a fabric roof since the 365 GTS4 from 1969.
It seems strange for Ferrari to be shouting about some, let’s be honest, fairly ancient tech. But here we are.
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Roof up to roof down in just 13.5 seconds. Image: Ferrari
According to Ferrari, the fabric roof was chosen as it’s a much more compact design than the hard-top folding roof that you’ll find on the SF90 and F8 Spiders. This, the company says, means the Roma keeps its practical trunk space and “boosts the car’s versatility.”
What’s nice about the new roof, as well, is that it comes with “numerous tailored options,” according to Ferrari. This means that anyone in the market for a Roma Spider will be able to choose from various bespoke fabrics, colors, and even contrast stitching on their soft top, which could look very cool.
To prove that it’s not just style over substance, Ferrari also reports that the top can deploy in just 13.5 seconds, and can open and close while driving at speeds up to 37 mph. It also comes with a new wind deflector, which should stop the breeze from messing up your hair too much.
Space for you and all your hopes and dreams. Image: Ferrari
Away from the jazzy roof, most of the Roma remains familiar. That long hood houses a twin-turbo V8 that kicks out 611 hp, paired with Ferrari’s eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. All this means that the Roma Spider can manage a top speed of 198 mph and speed from zero to 62 mph in a manufacturer-claimed 3.4 seconds.
To bring all that power to a stop, the Roma Spider has 15.4-inch disc brakes at the front and 14-inch rotors at the rear. Ferrari says this means the car will come to a complete stop from 62 mph in just 32 meters, which is about 105 feet.
If all that sounds good to you, Ferrari has a pretty in-depth configurator on its website, which allows you to visualize your dream Roma Spider spec.
Look! A spider! Image: Ferrari
And while there’s no word on pricing for the Spider just yet, as the coupe starts at $247,310, it’s safe to say the configurator is as close as most of us will get to seeing this car in our driveways.
