Ferrari unveils new entry-level Roma coupe

There’s no such thing as a cheap Ferrari. But a new model will offer a less expensive, less demanding option for new customers.

2020 Ferrari Roma

Ferrari has unveiled its latest plan to tempt customers away from luxury rivals, a V8-powered coupe based on the entry-level Portofino convertible.

“Entry level” and “Ferrari” aren’t words that sit together comfortably, though the range has to start somewhere, and the new Ferrari Roma will be its cheapest coupe.

The 2020 Ferrari Roma will be the brand’s cheapest coupe.

Pitched as a rival to the luxurious Bentley Continental, as opposed to more hardcore track toys such as Lamborghini’s Huracan Evo, the new Ferrari Roma is a different kind of Ferrari.

There’s no talk of lap times in the brand’s press release, which spruiks “timeless and sublimely refined design” and “a contemporary reinterpretation of the carefree lifestyle of 1950s and ‘60s Rome”.

Styled for aesthetics in favour of ground-hugging aerodynamic performance, Ferrari says the Roma has a “stylistic purity” reflected by clean lines and surfaces “perforated only where necessary”.

The Roma is all about style compared to being a track-focused weapon.

Which isn’t to say the Roma is slow. Engineers turned up the boost on the Portofino’s twin-turbocharged 3.9-litre V8, which grows from 441kW to 456kW of power, serving up 760Nm of torque. A new eight-speed dual-clutch auto sends power to the rear wheels through an advanced traction system including “side-slip control”, Ferrari-speak for drift mode.

Official performance claims include a 3.4-second dash to 100km/h and maximum speed in excess of 320km/h.

Ferrari is turning its back on manual transmissions.

Australian prices for the machine have not been announced. But you can expect the car to cost less than the $484,888 plus options and on-roads Ferrari asks customers to pay for the new F8 Tributo coupe.

The new machine arrives next year.

If you’re old enough to remember when Ferraris were made with jewel-like open-gate manual transmissions, you might be puzzled by the brand’s growth.

In the decade from 1990 to 2000, Ferrari introduced seven models: the 456, 512 and 550 front-engine V12 models, the V8-powered 348, 355 and 360 trio, the range-topping F50 supercar and a couple of convertible spinoffs.

The Roma is powered by a beefy V8 engine that can propel the svelte coupe to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds.

From 2010 to 2020, the number of new Ferraris essentially triples.

We’ve seen the 458 Italia and Speciale (and their topless cousins), the 488 GTB and Pista (and drop-top variants), plus the new F8 Tributo and its inevitable roadster.

Limited-edition models such as the $3 million Ferrari Monza SP1 do wonders for the brand’s profits. Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

Add in front-engine V12 cars such as the F12 Berlinetta, F12tdf, 812 Superfast and GTS, the four-seat FF, GTC4Lusso and GTC4LussoT, plus the California T and Portofino. Factor in the not-for-Australia LaFerrari and LaFerrari Aperta and the showroom starts to look crowded. Then there are a litany of limited-edition cars such as the F12-based Monza SP1 and SP2, the track-only FXX K and FXX K Evo, plus three racing versions of the 488 coupe.

Ferrari’s SF90 Stradale will sit at the top of the range in Australia.

A hybrid-powered SF90 Stradale is just around the corner, likely to cost a cool $1 million when it reaches Australia next year.

It’s all part of Ferrari’s push for profit since offering shares to the public in 2015, a plan that will soon result in the Purosangue SUV as well as increased focus on marketing and merchandise spin-offs.