Car and Driver
Ferrari’s latest front-engine grand tourer, the Roma, is a swoopy stunner from Maranello. It looks like a modernization of some of Ferrari’s greatest GT cars from the ’60s, when Il Commendatore himself was at the helm of the storied Italian automaker. Unlike those cars, however, this two-plus-two coupe is motivated by a monstrous powerplant, a twin-turbocharged V-8 that displaces 3.8 liters. Those 3.8 liters produce 611 horsepower, and all these purebred Italian horses are sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that debuted on the exotic SF90 Stradale. We got a few Car and Driver staffers to spec their dream Romas on Ferrari’s online configurator; now you can judge us on our choices.
Mihir Maddireddy’s Rosso Corsa Ferrari Roma
FerrariCar and Driver
FerrariCar and Driver
I’m going to start off by saying that if you don’t paint a Ferrari a shade of red, you are committing a heinous crime, no questions asked. This should adequately explain my color choice of the gorgeous Rosso Corsa, which is the color that all Ferraris should be painted in. I added the carbon-fiber exterior components, which add a subtle contrast to the exterior of the car. Moving to the wheel wells, I chose the forged, diamond-cut wheels in matte Grigio Corsa (gray) and brake calipers painted in Rosso Corsa: it’s all about the accents. My pick for the exhaust system is the black ceramic pipes; I’m one of those people who could go without the radio as long as I have a good soundtrack from the back. My red theme continues to the interior of the car, where I have selected the Rosso Ferrari interior, with Grigio Chiaro (light gray) details. My seats are of the Daytona variety, which, along with the carbon-fiber interior upgrade and aluminum pedals and the passenger footrest, give the cockpit a race-car feel. To ensure my co-pilot knows how fast we’re going, I’ve also added the passenger display. Simply put, my Ferrari is built the way the founder would have wanted. — Mihir Maddireddy
Drew Dorian’s Bianco Avus Ferrari Roma
FerrariCar and Driver
FerrariCar and Driver
Ferrari provides a deep well of available colors for the Roma, which makes choosing one the hardest part of this challenge. Ultimately, I went with the creamy white Bianco Avus, which nicely highlights the Roma’s egg-crate grille and makes the red brake calipers and yellow wheel caps pop. I upgraded from the standard wheels to the optional forged matte Grigio Corsa units because they look less glossy than the other options but are still appropriately elegant. Speaking of elegance, I upgraded the Roma’s seats to the diamond-stitched upholstery in the beautiful, rich brown shade of Cioccolato and accented them with light Beige Chiaro stitching, matching carpeted floor mats with the Roma logo, and aluminum footrests for the driver and passenger. Embedded into the dashboard in front of the passenger is an optional secondary display for the infotainment that’s an easier reach for those riding shotgun. All in all, my ideal Roma is fairly well loaded, but I skipped the carbon-fiber accents for the exterior and interior. I felt that a car as gracefully styled as the Roma needed no such accessory, and frankly, I’m not a fan of the look. — Drew Dorian
Beth Nichols’s Rosso Mugello Ferrari Roma
FerrariCar and Driver
FerrariCar and Driver
Spec’ing the Roma is really an exercise in color coordination. While I have a thing for dark-blue Ferraris, I ended up selecting Rosso Mugello here. Go any darker than that and you lose body detail, at least in the configurator view. Perhaps this speaks to a larger brand-identity issue, but anything in the gray/blue family looks too Aston Martin; anything yellow, too Porsche; and the Verde British, too Jaguar. I considered the brighter reds for a hot second but felt I ought to avoid making this Roma look like a tomato, a ready-made nickname. Skip the carbon exterior trim; it’ll just scratch. The colored calipers, too; they only draw attention away from the shapely body. I’d splurge on the sport exhaust as well as the forged matte Grigio Corsa wheels, the spokes of which form a tighter star pattern than the standard design and look more elegant for it. At the risk of being even more predictable, inside I went with the nicest tan on offer. Cuoio leather with subtle Beige Tradizione contrast stitching provides some warmth and brightness to the otherwise claustrophobically dark interior and offers the practical advantage of hiding denim stains better than lighter shades. And then I might as well get the passenger display, too, to show that it’s not all about me. — Beth Nichols
Roberto Baldwin’s Azzurro California Ferrari Roma
FerrariCar and Driver
FerrariCar and Driver
The Roma is the grand tourer of the jet set, so instead of going full-blown in your face with the exterior, I opted for the more subdued Azzurro California light blue. Ferrari’s various reds might catch the eyes of the Instagram crowd, but I’m more interested in the sophistication of knowing I’m behind the wheel of an absolute beast of a car, and I don’t need to announce it too much to the world. It’s with that in mind that I’ve outfitted my Roma with forged matte Grigio Corsa rims instead of the shinier versions of the design. The calipers get the same treatment, with an aluminum finish instead of garish red or yellow. I still added the carbon-fiber interior and exterior bits. I’m not a monster. But the interior is outfitted with a classy tan Iroko with Blue Medio stitching and of course Daytona seats. — Roberto Baldwin
Connor Hoffman’s Verde British Ferrari Roma
FerrariCar and Driver
FerrariCar and Driver
To be quite frank, I think the Ferrari Roma looks terrible. It might grow on me eventually when I start seeing photos of them on the road, but as of yet, I’m not impressed. The dark-green Verde British is arguably one of the better exterior color choices here, although the blue-gray Grigio Alloy is a close second. I’m going to forgo the exterior carbon bits because, well, it’s a grand tourer, and I’m not trying to be flashy. Well, it’s a Ferrari, so maybe that’s beside the point. Wheels, ugh, they’re all kind of lame, so I’m going with the standard glossy brilliant silver rims with yellow brake calipers to match the Ferrari badge on the side. I kind of like that, actually. And I’ll go with the sport exhaust pipes to add a touch of spiciness. The car is green, so any interior color other than brown should be considered one of the seven deadly sins. I’ll go with the Cuoio interior with the Iroko inner details and green stitching, and select the Daytona seats because, well, classic. I’d also get the passenger display—in any Ferrari, one of my favorite interior features—and aluminum pedals. All right, maybe the Roma isn’t so bad after all. — Connor Hoffman
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
