Ferrari Roma replacement gets set to take on the Aston Martin Vantage
The Roma only arrived back in 2020, but Ferrari has already removed its entry-level grand tourer from sale – and replacing it will be this new front-engined coupé that we’ve caught testing for the first time.
However, the successor we’ve spied here looks fairly similar to the outgoing car, and we suspect it will be a heavy update of the Roma, similar to the mid-engined F8 Tributo and its 488 predecessor.
While technical details are yet to be revealed, its position as the starting point in Ferrari’s range should be retained, meaning it will once again rival the likes of the Porsche 911 GT3 Touring, Aston Martin Vantage and Mercedes-AMG GT.
A long, low, sloping bonnet, heavily raked windscreen, imposing wheel arches and a wide rear are all hallmarks of a front-engined Ferrari, but elements such as the grille, headlights and rear lights are all likely to change for this new car.
20-inch alloy wheels feature on this prototype, and they’re the same ones that were available on the Roma. Lurking behind are massive brake discs accompanied by some suitably large calipers. The heavy camouflage extends to the rear, where we can see a quad-exhaust system seemingly unchanged from the Roma’s.
The interior is likely to undergo an update, too, although it’s difficult to see how the three-screen layout will be amended without significant changes to the dash. Whether or not the next Roma takes inspiration from Ferrari’s latest GT car, the 12Cilindri, remains to be seen.
A 3.9-litre turbocharged V8 powered the outgoing Roma with 612bhp and 760Nm of torque. We expect a boost in performance for the latest car, but it’s not yet clear if that will result in a downsizing of the V8 to a hybridised V6 to align with Ferrari’s target of 80 per cent electric and hybrid sales by 2030.
Given that the Roma was the second best-selling Ferrari globally in its final full year on sale, we wouldn’t be surprised to see some form of electrification arrive on its successor.
