Intended as a contemporary take on the chic, pleasure-seeking Italian lifestyle of the 1950s and 60s, Ferrari’s 2025 Roma Spider is also at home in an American environment that harks back to a previous model name, the California.
Ferrari retired the California in 2017, when the convertible two-door four-seater that wore its name exited production. The Portofino followed that same year, its title chosen to conjure images of the Italian Riviera. It introduced significant structural and mechanical improvements, eventually doubling as the foundation upon which Ferrari built the gorgeous Roma Coupe. However, after driving the Portofino’s successor, the Roma Spider, through Los Angeles, it’s clear that its Californian spirit transcends the name.
You’d be shocked at how little of an effect chopping the roof off a car can have on its personality. Take an Aston Martin DB12 or a Porsche 911 Turbo S, morph them into Volante and Cabriolet form, and the use case stays the same. Just stash some sunscreen in the glove box, and you’re good to go. This isn’t the case when it comes to the Roma Spider. Its transition from hard top to convertible completely changes how you drive it and, more importantly, where.
Take the Roma Coupe, marketed heavily by Ferrari after the spirit of La Dolce Vita. Its low, sloping roofline and 1960s-inspired curves conjure images of pulling up to red-carpet premieres or extravagant parties hidden deep within the city. It captures the essence of the Bond effect that’s driven Aston sales for decades. By owning one, you might inherit some of the traits of the brooding, mysterious character that would drive one on the big screen.
In contrast, although similarly positioned as La Nuova Dolce Vita, the Roma Spider trades late-night escapades for sunny days on the West Coast. It’s mechanically identical to the Coupe, drawing power from the same 612-horsepower, 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8. Still, it encourages a far more relaxed attitude behind the wheel. Where the Coupe is an athletic GT, encouraging you to dance up a canyon road with easily manageable slides, the Spider wants you to take things down a notch.
Its dry weight figure rises from 3,245 pounds for the Coupe to the 3,430-lb Spider. An extra 185 lb is not an inconsiderable sum, but it hardly matters in this car’s case. If performance is what you’re after, its 3.4-second sprint to 62 mph should still be plenty, as will its 199 mph top speed. This is still a front-engine, rear-drive Ferrari, and its dual-clutch automatic moves through gears rapidly. You can even light the rears if you want.
Instead, you’ll want to put the top down, engage the integrated automatic wind deflector, and enjoy its comfortable magnetic ride suspension on a cruise up the coast. As far as grand touring goes, it has the Coupe beat in terms of versatility. Its roof stows in 13.5 seconds at up to 37 mph, bringing you closer to the note emanating from its quad exhaust tips. Its interior is the best of any current production Prancing Horse, sporting a separate central infotainment screen that significantly increases its usability. The cabin isolation is excellent despite, in my tester’s case, trading its predecessor’s metal folding roof for a denim one.
Ferrari went to great lengths to ensure that the rear headrests flow seamlessly into the redesigned rear deck and its attention to detail pays dividends. The Roma Spider is gorgeous in its own right. However, this tester’s Verde Masoni Opaco exterior, black wheels, and massive fender shields lean more into sporty territory than an elegant cruiser. Still, the Spider retains the same sloping roofline that makes the Coupe a stunner.
This tester starts at $272,970 but, thanks to a hefty options list, reaches an as-tested price of $435,809. The Ferrari Roma Spider’s persona breaks away from the Coupe in welcomed ways. It’s still a gorgeous two-seater that makes fantastic V8 noises and is as quick as you’d want from a Ferrari. While its weight gains affect its handling, it doesn’t stop it from being an excellent grand tourer, the ideal car to enjoy the West Coast sunshine. After all, its influence over the Prancing Horse dates back to the sensational 250 GT California Spyder of the 1950s.
Stats:
- Engine: 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8
- HP 612
- Torque 562
- Drive Rear-Wheel
- Transmission 8-Speed Dual-Clutch Auto
- 0-62: 3.4
- Top Speed: 199 MPH
- Base Price: $272,970
- As-Tested Price: $435,809
This article appeared in our March 2025 Issue.
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