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By Jonathan Crouch

Ferrari's beautiful Roma 2+2 coupe will charm a very select group of sports GT customers, thinks Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Reviewword count: 55

The Ferrari range isn't really complete without a proper GT Grand Touring model, the kind of car the old 550 Maranello was. So this Roma coupe is welcome, sharing much of its engineering, including its V8 engine, with the brand's Portofino entry-level sports car, but offering a little extra elegance and 2+2 rear seat versatility.

Backgroundword count: 148

It's a nice question to have to mull over. What kind of exotic sports car do you really want? Something track-tamed might sound tempting, but you won't have the opportunity to enjoy it in anger very often, unless you've your own private test track at hand. A more road-orientated sports GT makes more sense then, the kind of thing that was missing from the Ferrari range for a few years for a few years before the arrival of this car, the Roma. In theory, it's the Italian marque's answer to a Bentley Continental GT or an Aston Martin DB9. But, being a Ferrari, it's also engineered to be an out-and-out super sports car for those times you might want to take on the odd McLaren. Most of the engineering here is shared with Maranello's existing Portofino sports convertible. But it's been delivered with even more elegance and usability.

Driving Experienceword count: 202

Let's cover what you need to know here. There's the same 3,855cc twin turbocharged V8 you'll find in Ferrari's Portofino convertible, but here it develops 612bhp - 20bhp more - plus this car is nearly 100kgs lighter. That means this Roma's good for 62mph in 3.4s en route to 199mph, should you be brave enough on a racetrack, an air strip or an autobahn. Drive is to the rear wheels via an 8-speed paddleshift dual clutch auto transmission derived from that used in the brand's SF90 plug-in supercar. This has a broader spread of ratios than the Portofino's 7-speeder and sits lower in the car. Handling in extremis is aided by the latest version of Ferrari's torque vectoring e-differential. Plus you get the brand's Dynamic Enhancer electronic torque vectoring system. And its latest 'Side Slip Control 6.0' set-up. You're almost certainly going to want to pay extra for Magnetorheological adaptive dampers too. There's quick steering with a very direct ratio. And a manettino controller for various drive modes - 'Wet', 'Comfort', 'Sport' or 'Race'. Suspension is the same as the Portofino at the front, with 10% softer springs at the rear. Apparently, it wheel spins in 5th; go easy in the wet....

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