Gladstone:Whoopsy:No matter which angle I look, the car just does not look like a Ferrari.
How about in a historical color ?
it's not about the color.
To me it's more about the harmony of the design and how every part of the car fit with other parts. How every surface flow into the one next to it gracefully, how a Ferrari should look like. Ferrari never had a 'heritage' shape to go with, but all Ferraris have a Ferrari 'look'.
Even the much maligned FF, Enzo or even the La Ferrari have that 'flow', the Roma doesn't. The headlights are at adds wit the hood and the hood are at odds with the grill/bumper. The only graceful bit on the Roma is the green house but the rear end treatment is in sharp contrast to the roof line.
Hard to describe as its' a 'feel' thing. Take away the badge and a Roma can easily be a Maserati, an Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Corvette, Mercedes, anything but a Ferrari.
The Roma actually aspires to be Ferrari's 911.
An effort by Ferrari to make a daily or almost daily performance car, fit for traveling longer distances swiftly and in relative comfort. This new car really has a wider appeal compared to the "racy" Ferraris and it was conceived in order to bring a sizable increase to sales and consequently add value to their equity.
It is more powerful than a Carrera S but OTOH it costs 60% above the Porsche which is not cheap anyway.
On the plus side the Ferrari is presented in an opulent, very good looking design and the Italian brand is definitely not as ubiquitous as a Porsche. The latter is considered by many as the most important drawback in the case of Porsche.
Real world traveling performance won't be much different in spite of the Ferrari's power advantage, given the known constraints of traffic, policing and non-perfect roads.Besides Porsche is available with AWD for little extra that helps in many climates.
The Porsche is a proven robust daily car and on balance of probabilities mechanically and otherwise immune to high mileage and rough use (even for the occasional track outing) whereas the Ferraris produced so far have been greatly protected for the fear of depreciation. We rarely see a 100.000 mile Ferrari to evaluate its condition and endurance.
In an ideal world where money is no object, the Roma is a very nice luxury item to have in a larger garage. However, for most of us that own one normal car and a cherished one, the Carrera S is the King IMO.
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"Porsche....and Nothing else matters"
The styling of the Roma only breaks with Ferrari styling if you think that styling began in the late 80's with the Testarossa and the mid engined cars that followed. Centro Stile have been very clear that they took inspiration for this model from the Ferraris of the 50's and 60's. They have visually decluttered the car of all the aero on the bodywork that was compromising their recent offerings on the front engined models. The FF ushered in an era of the front engined cars trying to mimic the styling cues of the mid engined models in an attempt to give them a more aggressive appearance and create a family resemblance to the more instantly recognisable "Ferrari" look for younger buyers in new markets. That brutalist version of styling has become increasingly harsher with the profusion of gaping vents, air bridges, front wing wheel well air outlets etc making it difficult to design a "beautiful" and clean shape. The Portofino is probably the pinnacle of the hole they had found themselves in where they had turned what was supposed to be an elegant GT convertible into an aero influenced conflagration of slashes, vents, splitters, rear diffusers etc that rob the car of any subtle styling but make it look more closely related to the 488/F8. These have all been swept away on the Roma in the same way they were on the SP Monza models.
There are numerous identifiable styling features that have been incorporated onto this car from the back catalogue of front engined GT models. Take a look at the front wings, centre power bulge on the hood, the shape of the leading edge of the hood and the corresponding reverse "falling away" ange of the front grille. It is instantly recognizable from the 250 Lusso.
The shape of the glass house takes inspiration from the 250 GT SWB, the 250 Lusso and the 275 GTB but adds a modern twist with a much more aggressive rake of the front windscreen and the kick upwards of lower line of the rear quarterlight windows. There is a hint of the 612 Scaglietti in the scallop along the flanks running from the rear of the front wheel arch and along the doors. The line that flows from the top of the front wing along the side and up over the rear wheel is classic Ferrari and has appeared on countless models from the 166 MM Barchetta onwards.
It seems that people who have not seen the car in person are comparing it to a variety of other cars based upon 2D photo images. The Roma needs to be seen in person before making a definitive judgement as there are a lot of subtle surface details going on that photo's don't always convey. It has a taught, muscular yet tailored look that the Italians seem to do so well. It won't appeal to everyone but then very few designs do.
When you see the Roma beside an SF 90 it is clear the two designs are related yet sufficiently different that they do not fall into the Audi/BMW trap of same sausage, different lengths approach. The GT cars are hopefully once again going down the route of elegant styling leaving the mid engined cars to be the more visually flamboyant choice for buyers.
This is a nice looking car.
But the styling is contemporary like many of the newer cars. Porsche and Ferrari have always had their unique styling immediately recognizable on the road. If I saw the Roma on the road, I wouldn't know it was a Ferrari but for the badge. I'm not sure Ferrari intended that.
A good memory is fine but the ability to forget is the one true test of greatness.
watt:Iain, I wouldn't say hint, it's glaringly clear and lovely
Watt, I agree. I can see the references they've used on this car. The basic silhouette, if you draw a simple curved line, is also evident from the 612 to the Roma. The V8 car is a shorter and sportier version of this curve.
I did a very quick overlay of the upper silhouette of the 612 onto the Roma to illustrate this curved line they share. The hood of the Roma is obviously shorter.
ISUK:watt:Iain, I wouldn't say hint, it's glaringly clear and lovely
Watt, I agree. I can see the references they've used on this car. The basic silhouette, if you draw a simple curved line, is also evident from the 612 to the Roma. The V8 car is a shorter and sportier version of this curve.
I did a very quick overlay of the upper silhouette of the 612 onto the Roma to illustrate this curved line they share. The hood of the Roma is obviously shorter.
Ian, as Watt quoted: " There is a hint of the 612 Scaglietti in the scallop along the flanks running from the rear of the front wheel arch and along the doors". This description is exquisite English. And as you wrote, to me the Roma, among other visual impressions, looks like a better-balanced 612. Indeed the 612 Scaglietti started the brand's trend of long wheelbase on the 2+2 front-engined GTs to accomodate more space in the rear, which compromises the design imho. One just has to compare the 456 GT (which I was enamored with back then) with the 612. On the other hand, the latter's design has aged very well and better than the former's imho, which might be due to specific components (wheels size and design, lights) as opposed to the general proportions and lines though, and looks lovely on the picture above.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/reviews/2021-ferrari-roma-preview/
A good memory is fine but the ability to forget is the one true test of greatness.
So we went to this Roma test drive event and wife loved it.
Ordered a low optioned Rosso Corsa Roma with expected delivery in July 2021. Our first Ferrari purchase. Looking forward to it.
Tim
2010 997.2 GT3RS; 2008 Cayenne Turbo; 2006 911 Club Coupe; 2016 911 GTS Club Coupe; 2015 Macan S; 2019 Speedster
Targa Tim:So we went to this Roma test drive event and wife loved it.
Ordered a low optioned Rosso Corsa Roma with expected delivery in July 2021. Our first Ferrari purchase. Looking forward to it.
Congratulations. This Roma seems to meet the targets !
964 Carrera 4 -- 997.2 C2S , -20mm -- 991.2 GT3 RS
Oct 26, 2020 10:06:07 AM
Targa Tim:So we went to this Roma test drive event and wife loved it.
Ordered a low optioned Rosso Corsa Roma with expected delivery in July 2021. Our first Ferrari purchase. Looking forward to it.
Tim, for the wife or you?
A good memory is fine but the ability to forget is the one true test of greatness.
Targa Tim:So we went to this Roma test drive event and wife loved it.
Ordered a low optioned Rosso Corsa Roma with expected delivery in July 2021. Our first Ferrari purchase. Looking forward to it.
Wow - well done Tim! I guess there might be something to the ability of this Roma to appeal to people who otherwise were not really considering any Ferrari, even Porsche devotees....!
2017 Range Rover Sport S/C, 2019 Porsche 911 Turbo
A really sensible choice from Ferrari and the most attractive styling from their current range.
If this Ferrari manages to take the toll of daily driving without consequences and it proves robust for doing realistic annual mileages, it will be a true success.
Targa TIm you must change your name to Roma TIm
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"Porsche....and Nothing else matters"
Oct 26, 2020 4:16:51 PM