Daily divine driver

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Got P29.5 million handy? Ferrari has your next carriage ready

By Kap Maceda Aguila

FERRARI FORMALLY replaces the now-scuttled GTC4Lusso T with another V8-banger front-engine coupe.

That Ferrari is the Roma Spider, said to be a daily driver that possesses F1-car virtues. Speaking to “Velocity” during the model’s recent local launch at the Velocità Motors, Inc. (official Ferrari distributor) showroom on EDSA, Velocità General Manager Japheth Castillo said, “The Ferrari Roma Spider is a GT car. It’s a two-plus-two, with a 3.9-liter V8 engine that produces 612 horsepower. It takes 3.4 seconds to get from zero to 100kph.” Eighty percent of the 760Nm total torque is available at 1,900rpm.

The sports car is positioned as a “take on the chic, pleasure-seeking Italian lifestyle of the 1950s and ’60s,” and adds a soft top — the first in the Ferrari range on a front-engine car in more than half a century after 1969’s 365 GTS4.

The Maranello-headquartered supercar brand reported that the Roma Spider gets best-in-class weight/power ratio on account of not just its soft top but an all-aluminum chassis. Its V8 mill, on the other hand, has been recognized as Engine of the Year four consecutive times. Drivers access the performance via an eight-speed DCT known for fast shifting, and “excellent standards of comfort and mechanical efficiency.”

“This is a vehicle that encapsulates Ferrari’s brand, which offers power and exhilarating driving performance and, at the same time, comfort,” stressed Mr. Castillo. “This car is a good daily driver. The difference between this car and the other vehicles that Ferrari offers is that the others are track cars, while this is one you can use on the road. It’s very comfortable.”

Design-wise, Ferrari went with a traditional long hood, which complements a “spare silhouette of the flanks.” The front fascia gets a shark-nose effect. Mr. Castillo admitted that the rear seating is “very compact.” He added, “You’ll have to move the front seats pretty much forward. Being designed as a sports car, legroom at the back is not generous, but it does allow you an additional two people to enjoy the ride with you and the front passenger.”

The Roma Spider stretches 4,656 millimeters, is 1,974-mm wide, and stands 1,306-mm tall. It’s fitted with a mixed set (245/35 ZR 20s and 285/35 ZR 20) of tires. Maximum speed is rated at more than 320kph.

Ferrari in the Philippines is expected to get a boost with the opening of large facility just a few meters from EDSA — Connecticut corner Florida Streets in Northeast Greenhills, San Juan City, to be exact. “We will be officially inaugurating it this month,” declared the executive. “Then we can invite more people to come and experience Ferrari. It will be a 3S (sales, service, and spare parts) establishment; we can accommodate servicing at the basement of our Velocità building.”