That Ferrari Roma Isn't Going to Configure Itself!

© Ferrari

By Jay Ramey, Autoweek

The Roma is Ferrari's latest grand tourer, spun off from the Portofino drop-top, but it sports a unique exterior design that lends it its own flavor. The Roma offers seating for just two plus some luggage behind the front seats, but it's a more traditional take on the genre than the larger GTC4Lusso, and it's also meant to be lighter and nimbler. The Roma is a Ferrari GT distilled down to its essentials, and its clean and unembellished lines communicate a sense of focus.

When it comes to power, the Roma uses the same 3.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 as found under the hood of the Portofino, paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission borrowed from the SF90 Stradale. But in the Roma this V8 has been tweaked to produce a little more power than in the 591-hp Portofino, offering 611 hp and a soundtrack to go with it.

Due on sale this year, the Roma is now available for you to configure from the confining walls of your home while longingly looking at the empty streets outside beneath a gray sky, empty except for that one person slowly walking their puggle off in the distance. But the Roma isn't going to configure itself—it needs your help. And thankfully, you probably don't need to go anywhere today anyway. The configurator awaits, and we've built a few Romas below for some ideas.

1) The Crowd-Pleaser

© Ferrari

Rosso Corsa with exterior carbon-fiber elements, standard star-pattern wheels and Rosso Corsa brake calipers. Safe choice all around, and perhaps 60% of how all of these will be optioned by European playboys with apartments in Monaco, Paris and London. The presence or absence of carbon-fiber elements doesn't really change the appearance of the lower body elements, which would otherwise be just painted black, but given how much peer pressure there is to opt for carbon fiber wherever possible lest the car look budget-optioned, this will probably be a popular option and good for resale.

2) The Black-and-White Look

© Ferrari

Bianco Avus exterior paint illustrates what we meant about the grille being painted in the main body color. A light color gives the body a little more visual weight, while the forged matte Grigio Corsa diamond cut wheels serve as the contrast to offset the light color of the body, with a very pronounced five-spoke wheel design for an extra visual offset. It's not really possible with the options offered to have the wheels fade visually to black completely, but this is perhaps the closest option to that look, with silver calipers adding to the muted, two-tone appearance.

3) The Visually Loud Look

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Here's the Giallo Modena exterior color paired with forged glossy brilliant silver wheels. This is a classic extrovert color combo that reminds us of the 1990s (and Ferraris with murky pasts and multiple repos found for sale in the DuPont Registry of the era), but it may still be a popular choice for those who want to stand out and attract attention. The bright look of the wheels will help the car be visible for miles around, while the yellow calipers crank up the volume. This is another color in which the grille plays an unexpectedly important visual role, because it's a lighter color.

4) The Understated Look

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Verde British exterior paint with forged matte Grigio Corsa wheels lends the car a complex appearance, one that doesn't scream Ferrari. This is a quieter and more complex paint color that goes surprisingly well with the bodywork, shedding some of the visual weight while giving the grille a dark appearance that looks more natural than one of the lighter colors. Black calipers complement the understated appearance. Some might even confuse it for an Aston Martin from afar.

5) Interior Contrasts

© Ferrari

When it comes to the interior, we imagine that a lighter, saddle-like color for the seats will be a popular option, and the ones that really sell this look are Cuoio, seen here, or beige Tradizione in the Daytona seat option—one of three seat options that also includes standard and diamond stitched designs. Yes, it's a little cliche, but this one is still a crowd-pleaser, the one that buyers will inevitably drift toward if they go for a Rosso exterior.

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