New Ferrari Amalfi replaces Roma, retains 640hp V8
Ferrari assures us it has listened to customers when refreshing its super-GT - which explains the buttons
It’s been a busy year at Maranello. Production is well underway for Ferrari’s new hybrid hypercar, the F80, the Speciale name reappeared for the track-honed version of the 296 and, of course, all the fanfare that comes with the arrival of seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton. There’s also rumoured to be a new SP in the works, and Ferrari’s long-awaited electric car was due any minute. The Roma is about due an update, too - and that’s exactly what Ferrari has done with this: the Amalfi.
‘Amalfi’, you say? Yes, but don’t let the name fool you into thinking Ferrari’s gone and made an all-new sports car. What it’s done is create the Roma-equivalent to the F430, which was a heavily facelifted 360, or the 458 Italia's evolution into the 488 GTB. And because Ferrari has long twinned the Roma with the tagline ‘la dolce vita’ (Italian for ‘the sweet life’), a movement said to have originated in Rome and spread to the Italian coast, it seemed fitting to name its new and improved sports car after the wonderfully comely Amalfi region.
Is the newcomer as pretty as its namesake? We’ll let you be the judge of that, but it’s certainly more in keeping with the rest of the Ferrari range. The front end has been lifted straight from the Purosangue, incorporating a wider and deeper blade-like nose that cuts into the thinner, sleeker headlights. The perforated-style grille on the Roma has now been ditched, and in its place is a sloping section of bodywork that feeds into a large intake that spans most of the front end. It also makes the nose appear a little taller than before, and gives the front end a simpler design overall.
You’d be forgiven for thinking the rest of the bodywork was carried over from the Roma, but Ferrari design chief, Flavio Manzoni, says that only the greenhouse remains. Every other panel is new, like the doors and rear arches that now incorporate a ‘Y-shaped’ crease that appears to reference the side profile of the SP3 Daytona. Or, as Manzoni puts it, a “beautiful wedge”. The back, meanwhile, is a bit more questionable. The boot lid is now much taller than before, creating a squared-off that’s nowhere near as curvaceous as its predecessor.
Looks aside, this is still a Roma underneath and, therefore, you get the same 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 as before. That said, it has been given a once-over to unlock some extra grunt, and that’s resulted in a new camshaft that’s 1.3kg lighter, a revised crank and tweaks to the engine block. Ferrari’s also fettled the turbos, which now spin 6,000rpm faster than those in the Roma, while the intake and exhaust have been redesigned to both bring more power and up the volume. That means the Amalfi puts out 640hp at 7,500rpm - 20hp more than the Roma - while torque remains the same at 561lb ft.
Another carryover is the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and this too has been slightly tweaked to make better use of the added power. With a launch control start, you’ll be looking at a 0-62mph time of 3.3 seconds, a tenth faster than the Roma, while the nine-second 0-124mph sprint is three-tenths quicker than before. All these tweaks and refinements mean throttle response should be a little sharper, although you’ll notice the biggest change when pressing the left pedal. That’s because Ferrari has now switched to a brake-by-wire system like you get on an F1 car, where there’s no physical connection between the pedal and servo. The company says the new system massively improves efficiency, reduces braking distances by up to nine per cent and, supposedly, delivers the same feel with every press of the pedal.
While the braking system has been brought into the digital world, the cabin’s taken a significant - and very welcome - step back. Most Ferraris since the SF90 Stradale came with annoying haptic controls that never felt natural to use. This has been echoed by Ferrari’s customers by the sounds of it, as the company has admitted the old touch controls had proved unpopular and so it’s returned to good ol’ fashioned physical buttons. Huzzah! That also means there’s once again a big, red start/stop button where there had once been a soulless light-up touch panel. Well done, Ferrari.
Elsewhere in the cabin, there’s a new, horizontal 10.25-inch touchscreen in the middle of the dash, replacing the vertical panel on the Roma. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard, though it appears that Apple’s new CarPlay Ultra software, which has already premiered on Aston Martin’s latest models, won’t be available. Not at launch, at least. Still, the new touchscreen has allowed Ferrari the clean up the design of the centre console, which is no longer integrated into the dashboard. Not only does that give the cabin a more airy feel, but it also saves weight, as the company has fitted a lighter tunnel made from aluminium.
Then, there are all the bits you can’t see. Work has been done on the underside of the Amalfi to help channel air towards the back of the car, including new winglets in front of the wheels that help reduce drag. A pair of ‘vortex generators’ at the front up the level of downforce at speed, while the rear diffuser has been ‘completely redesigned’ so that more air can be squeezed through the centre tunnel for greater stability. Finally, there’s a new, wider active rear spoiler, which raises between 56mph and 186mph. The wing has three different settings: low, medium and high, with the latter producing 110kg of downforce at 155mph with only a 4 per cent in drag.
“This new model not only replaces the Ferrari Roma but also elevates the dual-soul concept”, says Ferrari marketing chief, Enrico Galliera. “We’ve integrated both major and minor innovations from our most advanced pilot cars to create an even faster, more exhilarating driving experience. But we didn’t stop at the performance: we also focused on comfort, drivability, and human-machine interaction. In fact, this may be the car where we’ve listened to our clients the most. They clearly expressed how they wanted the driving experience to improve, especially in terms of interaction with the car.”
Surely, the return to physical buttons will be a hit with prospective buyers, as will the bump in power and smarter interior. But does it look better than the Roma? The jury is still out on that one. Nevertheless, prices in Italy will start at €240,000 on the road (which is roughly £205,000 in the UK) with deliveries due early next year. You can bet your bottom dollar there’ll be a Spider version later down the line, too, though presumably you’ll still be able to pick up the drop-top Roma until then. Or, of course, you could bag this Roma coupe for £55k off, albeit with those blasted touch controls.
Seems a resolved, if restrained, update on the last 'low-end' one, and inkeeping with the general state of play.
Will be interesting to see in the flesh, as the Roma and Portofino were never particularly wowing in the wild.
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