Ferrari took the wraps off the newest addition to its burgeoning lineup yesterday. The Roma is the contemporary follow-up to the 612 Scaglietti of the mid-2000s, and even if Ferrari itself won’t say it, the car is the spiritual successor to the Ferrari Dino Sergio Marchionne all but promised so many years ago. Like the Dino before it, the Roma is supposed to be a relatively affordable 2+2 coupe designed to do two things: look great and be enjoyed every day. We won’t be able to definitively say anything about the latter for a while, but we can still derive a few things from the way it looks.
With the introduction of the Roma, Ferrari has stated the Nuove Dolce Vita era has begun, meaning we can expect Ferraris of the future to follow the design language the Roma. But is it a design we can look forward to? Let’s examine the car’s styling.
The Roma features cleaner lines than the Ferraris of recent memory. Both the 488 and the more recent F8 have designs that are a bit more cluttered, and while the 812 is handsome enough, it doesn’t possess the same effortless beauty we expect from a Ferrari. Neither did the very aggressive F12. The Roma changes all of that. With clean lines, classic proportions, and a design that’s significantly less busy than Ferrari’s most recent designs, most MT staffers agree the Roma is a looker.
But a few eagle-eyed staffers—and other, more vocal social media personalities—pointed out that the design of the Roma, while classic, also adopts many modern styling cues. The rear, for example, is sculpted and strong, with the trailing edge of the rear fenders bleeding off into the headlights. While beautiful, we can’t help but be reminded of the current Jaguar F-Type. Coke bottle hips are nothing new in sports cars, but the way the rear haunches of the Roma blend into the rear bumper feels quite familiar.
There is no doubt that the Roma is a wonderful looking car. To some, it will be the best looking Ferrari in years. But to others, the Roma will look too similar to a number of front-engine coupes that have come before it—and recently, at that. Do you think the Roma looks original, or does it feature too many elements we’ve already seen? Let us know what you think in the comments on Facebook.