10 Things You Don't Know About The Ferrari Roma

The Prancing Horse is deservedly one of the leading luxury brands globally, revered for the instantly recognizable innovation, performance, design, and exclusivity in its performance sports cars. In 2019, Ferrari flipped the script by introducing Ferrari Roma, a unique sports car unlike anything else in its recent history. The nomenclature inspiration stems from the famous Italian capital of Rome, a city loved by the majority for its free-spirited lifestyle.

The Roma sports coupe evokes the La Nuova Dolce Vita (the new good life), indicative of Ferrari's focus on a more relaxed and carefree approach akin to the sensational lifestyle in mid-20th century Rome. Interestingly, the Ferrari Roma is the purest evolution of a grand touring sports car in the modern context, finessed with best-in-class performance and power-to-weight ratio. There's more to this sports car than the iconic badge, so here's an informative list of things you don't know about the Ferrari Roma.

10 The Styling Cues Echo Ferrari's GT Heritage

The most recurrent first impression about the Roma is that it doesn't look like a Ferrari, but Prancing Horse loyalists will notice the distinctive styling nod to iconic Ferrari GTs. The grille is undoubtedly an immediate attention grabber, aping the controversial 612 Scaglietti's grille design to stand out from others in the current lineup. Additionally, the horizontal light strips highlighting the linear full-LED headlights echo the iconic Monza SPs.

The Roma's sculpted hood, timeless silhouette, and refined proportions are reminiscent of arguably one of the most stunning Ferrari's ever produced, the 275 GTB. Ferrari also borrowed inspiration for the Roma's wraparound rear screen design, twin taillight assembly, and dual exhaust arrangement from the legendary 365 GTB/4 Daytona.

9 The Rear Spoiler Is Integrated Into The Rear Screen

Ferrari engineers pulled a design masterpiece with the Roma's mobile rear spoiler, cleverly integrating it into the rear screen to maintain stylistic purity. When retracted, the rear spoiler allows the Ferrari Roma to achieve low drag when driving at slower speeds of 0-62 mph.

On the other hand, the mobile spoiler is automatically deployed at high speeds to guarantee the downforce essential for class-leading performance. Mid-height deployment generates medium downforce at 60-186 mph, while full-height deployment provides high downforce for cornering and braking at 60-186 mph.

8 The Interior Embodies The Dual Cockpit Concept

Stepping inside the Ferrari Roma reveals a formal evolution of the dual cockpit configuration, featuring notably separate driver and passenger safety cells. Unlike other Ferrari sports cars configured around the driver, the Roma's cockpit offers an almost symmetrical structure for impressive interior space and function distribution.

Ferrari engineers created the two cockpits by slimming down the volume and blowing up the straps to distinguish the perimeters. The safety cells are enveloped in a volume extending from the dashboard to the rear seats, naturally integrating the dashboard, doors, tunnel, and rear bench into a continuous architecture.

7 Ferrari Upgraded The Human-Machine Interface

Crafting the Roma's interior entailed completely redefining and redesigning the Human-Machine Interface to exude a sense of cohesiveness. The major leap forward starts with the new steering wheel, loaded with actionable haptic controls and a manettino dial to ensure the driver keeps their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

The 16-inch digital instrument cluster features an elegant anti-glare binnacle that extends naturally from the Roma's dashboard. Between the cockpits sits an exceptionally user-friendly and intuitive 8.4-inch vertical central display equipped with infotainment and climate control functions.

6 An Overabundance Of Touch-Sensitive Controls

A definite opinion-splitter is Ferrari's decision to forego physical buttons, except for door opening and manual switch transmission buttons. Almost everything else in the Roma's cabin is controlled through visible touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel, digital instrument cluster, or central screen.

In addition to the central display, the passenger's experience is enhanced with an 8.8-inch dedicated color full-HD screen with full touch capabilities. The passenger is converted into a co-driver, with access to the car's onboard system for music selection, satnav controls, and management of cabin air conditioning functions.

5 The Roma Ushers A Front-Engine Renaissance

ferrari-roma-red-dynamics — via: Ferrari

Historically, Ferrari reserved the front-engined, long hood treatment for its exquisite V12 grand tourers. However, the Ferrari Roma ushers a renaissance of the front-engine V8 first equipped in the open-top California.

Under the Roma's hood sits an upgraded version of Ferrari's award-winning V8 turbo engine, a 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 that makes 612hp and 561lb-ft of torque. The main innovations in this V8 version include a Gasoline Particulate Filter to achieve anti-pollution standards, new cam profiles, and a speed sensor to measure turbine revolutions and allow maximum revs per minute.

4 The Gearbox Is Derived From The SF90 Stradale

The Ferrari Roma's gearbox is derived from the eight-speed system introduced in the top-ranging SF90 Stradale, configured to function on a dual-clutch oil bath architecture. Introducing the eighth gear in the SF90 Stradale reduced fuel consumption without performance compromise, making this gearbox the perfect candidate for the laid-back Roma.

Although the Roma's clutch module is 20 percent smaller than the SF90 Stradale, it delivers 35 percent more torque. Ferrari engineers also upgraded the transmission software with a more powerful ECU and better integration with the engine management software for more consistent, smoother, and quicker shifts.

3 The Roma Embraces Several Control Systems

The dynamic development of the Ferrari Roma focused on delivering superior comfort and driving pleasure thanks to the remarkable mass reduction strategy and the introduction of the latest control systems. The Side Slip Control 6.0 concept incorporates an intelligent algorithm that delivers precise estimates of sideslip to the onboard control systems.

These onboard systems include F1-Trax, E-Diff3, EPS, VDC, and SCM-E Frs, actively configured by the drive modes available on the five-position manettino mounted on the steering wheel. The Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer gently adjusts brake pressure on one or more wheels to make the sideslip dynamics smoother, more controllable, and predictable.

2 The Roma Boasts Surprising Practicality

Ferrari was keen to market the Roma as a 2+ coupe instead of a 2+2 coupe since the rear seats are too small to comfortably fit an adult for relatively long journeys. Nonetheless, the minuscule rear seats are pivotal to the Ferrari Roma's practicality, offering extra space for smaller items that the front passengers might require easy access to at any time.

The Roma offers 272 liters of trunk space, which translates to 345 liters of space with the back seats folded down. These reasonable volumes ensure the Roma provides cargo space closer to the Aston Martin Vantage and Mercedes-AMG GT and significantly more than the Porsche 911 Turbo.

1 The Lowest Priced Ferrari Money Can Buy

Considering that 70 percent of the bodyshell and chassis are new, the Ferrari Roma embodies a purely modern grand touring coupe that effortlessly fulfills the La Nuova Dolce Vita mantra. Despite its significant contribution to Ferrari's GT history, the Roma supplants the Portofino to become the most affordable model in the current Prancing Horse lineup.

The 2022 Ferrari Roma coupe starts at $226,570, a price tag that is admittedly still beyond reach for the regular consumer. Regardless, it would be interesting to see whether Ferrari opts to work on a convertible model down the line.