Ferrari unveils softtop version of its Roma

MILAN -- Ferrari has unveiled the Roma Spider, the first of four new models to be launched this year.

The 2+2 car is Ferrari's first softtop front-engine roadster since the 1969 365 GTS4.

It is powered by a 3.9-liter turbocharged V-8 engine with 612-hp (620 cv) derived from the Roma coupe.

Top speed is more than 320 kph (200 mph) and it can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph) in 3.4 seconds.

The engine is coupled with the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox also used on the Purosangue four-door crossover.

The Roma Spider weighs 1,556 kg, 84 kg more than the coupe.

Deliveries are expected to start before the end of the year.

The base price will be around 250,000 euros in Italy. The Roma coupe, which costs 209,705 euros, is Ferrari's least expensive model.

The main design change from the coupe is the cabin shape and the retractable fabric roof.

The softtop retracts in 13.5 seconds at speeds of up to 60 kph (37 mph).

The Roma Spider's bodywork modifications also required a new mobile spoiler geometry at the rear of the car's upper body.

Its smaller dimensions enable to minimize the loss of trunk space from the coupe version.

The Roma Spider has a 255-liter trunk, down from 272 liters in the coupe

It also has a new wind deflector integrated into the backrest of the rear bench, which can be deployed by a button on the central tunnel.

Ferrari has a long-standing tradition of roadsters, either as standalone models or as derivatives of its sport coupes.

Its current range includes the V-8-powered Portofino M and F8 Spider (both in the runout phase), the hybrid V-6 296GTS, the hybrid V-8 SF90 Spider and the V-12-powered 812GTS. Unlike the Roma Spider, they all have hardtops.

The Roma coupe was unveiled in 2019.

Ferrari does not disclose sales by model. According to Dataforce, 981 units of the Roma were sold in Europe in 2022, down from 1,057 in 2021.

The Roma was the automaker's second most popular model in Europe after the V-8-powered F8 sport coupe.