Velocita Motors, the official distributor of Ferrari in the Philippines, has officially launched the 2024 Ferrari Roma Spider. The Roma is the entry point into the world of the Prancing Horse, but one could also argue that it’s also one of the most beautiful models to ever wear the Prancing Horse logo.
Take the top away, however, and what you’re left with is a gorgeous open-top Ferrari that’s gorgeous in every angle. The 2024 Ferrari Roma Spider is the first front-engined soft-top Ferrari in 54 years. You have to remember that the Portofino and California were hard-top convertibles.
As specced with this immaculate Grigio Titanio paint and silver 20-inch wheels matched with black brake calipers for the carbon ceramic brakes, this Roma Spider is valued at P34,740,000. For perspective, the Roma Spider starts at P29,500,000, so this is fitted with options that are almost worth a brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser 300. Then again, a Land Cruiser 300–as handsome as it is, isn’t as timelessly beautiful as the Roma Spider, which, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful Ferraris since the 458 Italia back in 2009.
That curvaceous exterior is matched with an interior that follows a similar stylistic flow and is matched with one of the finest leather hides I’ve ever felt. The beige leather interior complements the dark brown soft top really well, while every panel is either covered in leather or Alcantara. This is an interior that’s definitely worth its more than P34 million as-tested price.
As exquisitely crafted as the interior is, the tech that’s scattered around the interior is a mixed bag. The German brands like BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche have far more sophisticated and well-designed interior tech features. The driver is greeted to a large, 16-inch curved digital gauge cluster, which presents information well. The 8.4-inch infotainment system, which comes optionally with Apple CarPlay, doesn’t offer the best touch responses or the most logical menu structure. The front passenger’s side can also be equipped with an optional 8.8-inch screen that allows for a degree of infotaiment control as well as letting them see the speed, engine RPM, and gear that the car is in. On the upside, the JBL Professional surround sound system is immaculate, but the aural pleasure it offers is nothing when you fire up its 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8.
With 611 horsepower and 761 Nm of torque, this “entry-level” Ferrari is not what you’d call underpowered. Besides, no one ever said that 600 horses was too little. That twin-turbo V8 has been tuned to deliver power in a linear fashion, something you don’t usually expect in such an engine. Ferrari’s engineers deliberately tuned the turbos to not offer full boost at low RPMs so that you’ll be encouraged to rev the engine to the higher RPMs. As a result, 611 horses never felt this controllable and easy to modulate.
The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) it’s mated to is also sublime. Whether it’s in pure automatic or in manual mode, the shifts are smooth, and precise, and responds in milliseconds to your flick of the paddle. It doesn’t have the crawl function that most DCTs tend to have these days, so it feels like a true semi-automatic transmission in that regard.
Driving a P30 million supercar is intimidating to the uninitiated, but the thing is, the 2024 Ferrari Roma Spider was far easier to manage than I expected. With 113 mm of ground clearance, it’s about as low as a BMW Z4, while its dimensions, such as the long hood and wide hips aren’t as daunting as the ones in a Lamborghini Huracan. More importantly, its refined, docile behavior makes it a Ferrari that wouldn’t be stressful to drive on a daily basis. The adaptive suspension has such a strong difference between Comfort, Sport, and Race, and when left in Comfort, the Roma Spider glides over bumps really well–despite the low-profile tires of the 20-inch wheels.
Turn the Manettino Dial to Sport or Race, and the Roma Spider puts out quite a show with an exhaust that now emits a louder bark. The steering stiffens up and the suspension becomes stiffer to mitigate body roll. The steering in this Roma is beautifully tactile and connected. There’s a minute granularity with how precise and extremely accurate the steering feels, despite being an electric power steering like all cars these days. At these civilized speeds, I’ll never reach the limits of its carbon ceramic brakes, but whatever the case, the brakes feel good and firm–making it easy to modulate whether in traffic or on track.
Finally, the 2024 Ferrari Roma Spider is an excellent long-distance cruiser since this is mostly a sports car with a grand tourer (GT) orientation. From the elegant looks alone, you’re probably thinking if Ferrari is targeting Aston Martin directly with this car. And you know what, I’d be happy to drive the Roma Spider from Ilocos to Manila. The soft top, which deploys in just 13.5 seconds at speeds of up to 60 kph,D does a good job of insulating the cabin from wind noise, while road and tire noise is well suppressed by the body structure. Speaking of the structure, despite being a convertible, the Roma Spider feels rock solid and rigid. Loss of rigidity is why I’m normally not a fan of convertibles, but the Roma Spider feels nearly as stiff as other coupes.
And that’s the beauty of the 2024 Ferrari Roma Spider. Sure, the Roma model range is currently the entry point for most people into the world of the Prancing Horse, but there’s nothing entry-level about the Roma in any shape or form. I’d even argue that it’s the Ferrari I love the most at the moment. At a time when we’ve been stressed out by how chaotic and hectic our lives have been, a beautiful machine like the Ferrari Roma Spider brings back la dolce vita–the romance of being behind the wheel of a vehicle that puts driving pleasure and emotions at the forefront. It’s a vehicle that keeps our imagination alive and our lives motivated.
Indeed, driving a Ferrari is a dream come true–especially for those who’ll have the means to shell out that P29 million base price. For the rest of us, however, there’s another reason for us to work hard and be motivated to be better and surpass our selves every day.
0 comments on “2024 Ferrari Roma Spider Now In PH: Bringing Back La Dolce Vita”