2024 Ferrari Roma Spider makes Aussie debut

The 2023 Ferrari Roma Spider has made its Australian debut ahead of first local deliveries in the second quarter of next year, and will be priced at $520,300 plus on-road costs.

That positions Ferrari’s first front-engined soft-top in more than 50 years about $111,000 above the Roma coupe ($409,888) on which it’s based, as well as $116,000 above the Portofino M ($403,888), but about $16,500 less than the F8 Spider ($536,888) in the Italian supercar brand’s convertible range.

However, the Roma Spider will take over from the discontinued Portofino as the Prancing Horse brand’s most affordable convertible and it will feature all the mechanical hardware and luxury of the corresponding coupe.

That means you’ll find the same 456kW/760kW biturbo 3.9-litre V8 as the hard-top Roma, as well as the same eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, high-tech multifunction steering wheel, digital instrument cluster, vertically oriented 8.4-inch infotainment system and retro-inspired gear selector.

The only real difference between the coupe and Spider is the latter’s fabric folding roof, which can be raised or lowered in 13.5 seconds and adds 84kg to the kerb weight by the time the myriad chassis reinforcements are taken into account.

You’d think the extra mass would impact the performance, but Ferrari is still quoting an identical 3.4-second 0-100km/h time for both the coupe and convertible, while the top speed also remains north of 320km/h.

“We’re thrilled to be sharing the Ferrari Roma Spider with our clients here in Australia,” Ferrari Australasia president Jan Hendrik Voss said.

“This timeless soft-top is attracting attention from those who already love the open-top experience of our cars, and from clients who are now looking forward to their first open-air Ferrari.”

The last front-engine Ferrari to be offered with a fabric roof was the1969 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 ‘Daytona’ Spider and the Italian brand claims the Roma Spider’s soft-top “guarantees occupant comfort on a par with the retractable hard-top system equipping the other spider models in the range”.

Could this mean future Ferrari Spiders will revert back to a fabric roof? The last mid-ship Ferrari to wear a cloth lid was the F430 Spider, which was discontinued in 2009.

How much does the 2023 Ferrari Roma cost?
Coupe – $409,888
Spider – 520,300
* Prices exclude on-road costs

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