2024 Ferrari Roma Spider Channels the Brand’s Golden Age

From the November 2023 issue of Car and Driver.

If you have a quarter-mil burning a hole in your Balmains, your automotive choices have never been wider. From fortress-like super-SUVs to road-scraping supercars, there are more $200K-plus vehicles available now than at any time in history. Astonishingly, there are now twice as many Ferrari models as Buicks.

But none of these prancing horses are as pretty or as purely intentioned as the new Ferrari Roma Spider. None capture the romance and myth of the front-engine V-12 cars of the ’60s like this louche convertible 2+2. In the Roma Spider, you are Marcello Mastroianni rolling up to Cinecittà, Anita Ekberg in the passenger’s seat. You’ll get no such dolce vita energy from an F8.

Sure, the Roma has four fewer cylinders than the legendary 250s and 275s, but eights are the new 12s, and this twin-turbo 3.9-liter produces a whopping 612 horsepower.

It’s obviously the same V-8 found in the Roma coupe, linked to the same dual-clutch eight-speed transaxle from the SF90 Stradale. But in the droptop Roma, you can really hear it in all its glory. One-third intake noise, one-third reciprocating engine parts, and one-third unmuffled exhaust, the V-8 snorts and belches right into your ear canal.

And my God, look at the thing. It is one glorious cursive swoop, perfectly beautiful with the top down or up. The rear hips rise to the decklid, which integrates a discreet three-position spoiler, and the shark-nosed front grins like it just found Nemo. The Spider accrues another 185 pounds, much of it due to reinforcements in the side sills and rear bulkhead.

Here’s what you need to know about the interior: One can spec leather and faux-suede floormats laid over an entirely faux-suede floor. Talk about knowing your customer—these are people whose feet do not touch the ground. Also, the rear seatback hinges near the top edge to double as a wind buffer. It is surprisingly effective.

We drove the Roma Spider on the scarped mountain roads of Sardinia, past ancient olive groves and aqueducts, and alongside lagoons full of shrimp-starved white flamingos. The car felt half its size and two-thirds its 3800 or so pounds. Ferrari is obsessed with managing inertia and loads, which is why even its biggest cars feel light.

So, by some sorcery of physics, the Roma Spider darts into corners without feeling darty. It stops hard without being harsh. It floats without the slightest hint of floatiness. It masks its mass.

The gearbox and chassis are always set up for the coming corner, and front-end grip is authoritative. The car’s dynamics are as crisp and fluid as its bodywork. This is a joy-delivery system. Even dogs yelped with glee as we roared past.

One criticism is that the carbon-ceramic brakes squeak at low speed. The solution? Drive faster.

Some might also carp that the Roma Spider is too expensive, but they’re missing the point. You give a dealer a piece of paper and then get this quicksilver convertible in return? Seems like you should go to jail for that.

Chief Brand Officer

Eddie Alterman is Hearst Autos chief brand officer, having served as Car and Driver’s Editor-in-Chief from 2009 to 2019. He enjoys decrepit old German cars, high-output American V-8s, and long walks on the beach.