Gorgeous new Ferrari Roma Spider is here to ruffle your hair

Ferrari has lifted the lid on its new Roma Spider: a Grand Tourer that merges consummate luxury and continent-crossing performance with wind-in-your-hair driving dynamics.  

Based on its popular coupé sibling that was first unveiled to the public in 2019, the headlining act of the sleek new Roma Spider is its sophisticated fabric soft top that can be opened or closed in just 13.5 seconds and at speeds of up to 60km/h. It's an impressive piece of folding automotive origami all right and one that, even after factoring in the extra rear chassis reinforcement, only adds 84kg of extra ballast. 

In addition to the roof, Ferrari redesigned the active rear spoiler, which is specifically calibrated for top-down driving and features no less than three different positions: Low Drag (LD), Medium Downforce (MD) and High Downforce (HD). When set to the latter, it produces 95kg of downforce at 250km/h.

Other exclusive aerodynamic tweaks include a 5mm nolder on the windscreen header rail as well as a pop-up wind deflector that can be deployed by the driver without having to stop. With a push of a button the backrest of the rear seats will rotate into position behind the front occupants’ heads creating a less turbulent cabin environment. The only fly in the ointment is that this can't be done with rear passengers in place. 

As with the Roma GT coupé, the Spider is powered by a 3.9l twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing 465kW and 760Nm of torque. This is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed F1 dual-clutch transmission that Ferrari says offers improved fuel efficiency thanks to the use of lengthier ratios in the higher gears. Keeping this power in check is the Italian firm's latest Side Slip Control System (version 6.0). Though the prancing horse is yet to release any performance figures for the Roma Spider, we can't imagine them being too far off from what the coupé manages: 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds and a VO2 Max of 320km/h.

Interior highlights include a capacious boot that (with the roof up) offers a class-leading 255l of stowage space. You also get heated 18-way adjustable front seats with optional neck warmers for colder days, a slick digital instrument cluster and an 8.4-inch portrait format touchscreen infotainment system that offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The engine start-stop button is illuminated while the ergonomics of the steering wheel touch controls have been improved thanks to new finger indentations.

While official pricing hasn't been announced we expect the new Ferrari Roma Spider to sit well over the R5m mark. At the time of writing local availability is still to be confirmed.