Lockdown is lockdown. But there are areas and opportunities where the pandemic hurts a little less. For example on a sunny day in Emilia Romagna. Especially when you are out and about in the new Ferrari Roma.
It's twelve noon in Palagano and the pandemic is on hold. In the village near the border between Emilia Romagna and Tuscany they wear their mouthguards and take the espresso in the bar in the piazza only outside and exceptionally in a plastic cup. But at least the ban on gatherings has been forgotten here and now and the entire village is gathering around a car that is parked like a UFO on a wrong track in the main street: Although it's less than two hours to Maranello, you rarely see a Ferrari here. And they haven't even seen a Roma.
Eye catcher
Because the elegant coupé is one of the latest innovations from the Italian institution for dreamers and fast drivers and, with a base price of 194.459 euros for a Ferrari, is almost a bargain, but still out of reach for most Italians. Especially for those in Palagano, where there was little to be earned before the pandemic and the lockdown made even more lights go out. So it's no wonder that a crowd of people immediately forms around the red racer, which bears the name of the suddenly immensely distant capital and with the promise of Dolce Vita conjures up those times in which the Italians are neither happy nor driven by poverty or work and certainly not let it spoil by a virus that ran along it.
You have to understand that everyone is captivated by this car. Because in addition to the fascination for Ferrari in general, there is a humility before the design in particular - hardly any other super sports car is so elegant and free from any aggression. Each line lies over the deep red sheet like a spaghetti in a bed of tomato sauce and no matter from which perspective you see the Roma, you immediately have a moist glow in your eyes: Que bella macchina - rarely has this devout phrase been as appropriate as this one Ferrari.
Motor by touch
The Roma, who as a classic GT has no direct predecessor in the Ferrari fleet, does cite famous ancestors, but at the same time directs our gaze far into the future. This can be seen on the outside by the headlights, for example, and especially the taillights, but above all it is shown inside in a completely digitalized cockpit that does not even stop in front of the steering wheel. You don't even start the engine with a button, but on a small touchscreen on the steering wheel.
Of course, traditionalists will now scream and scream and make fun of X-ray graphics from the semicircular screen. But if you can't stop the passage of time, then you can at least make it as elegant and skilful as the Italians. No other sports car looks as harmonious on the inside as the Roma, no one forges such a successful bridge between high-tech and craftsmanship and no one winks their eyes so vigorously. An ignition key with a leather and enamel cover that looks like a Zippo lighter? A voice control that only starts when you say “Ciao Ferrari”? And the Mannettino in the steering wheel rim, lovingly milled from metal - suddenly digitalization doesn't hurt anymore.
And at the latest when the V8 starts to run under the endless hood, everything is forgotten anyway. Then your hands stay firmly on the steering wheel and your eyes on the road and nothing distracts the Ferraristi from driving. Even the virus is suddenly forgotten: Of course, you can't drive away Corona in a Ferrari either - although it would definitely be worth a try with the 620 hp 3,9-liter turbo. After all, it catapults the coupé to 3,4 km / h in 100 seconds and then up to 320 km / h.
Seduced to pace
But at least the virus gets a little out of your mind when the world out there switches to fast forward and the green hills just fly by. It is best to leave the motorway far to the left. Because even if even the Carabinieri whisper a devout Bella Macchina after the Roma, you are not immune to the incorruptible Section Control, which relentlessly punishes every tempo violation. And you can hardly keep up with the pace in this car.
But on the lonely country roads that wind their way from Maranello to the south and west through the hills, up to Monte Abetone or over the Passo della Futa, the law turns a blind eye and the Cavallino Rampante gets the outlet that this coupé so urgently needs needs.
The Ferrari flies effortlessly through the bends, keeps its lane and at most wags its rear a little when you have sent the electronic helpers into the break. But even without a guardian angel, he doesn't let anyone or anything bother him and looks completely different from so many other super sports cars and especially those of the unloved neighbor Lamborghini, not a bit excited or even aggressive. Sure, you can hear the V8, but it doesn't roar like Zucchero during the encore, it sings like Luciano Pavarotti. And even if the Roma are bursting with strength, they don't need to pose and show off. Although he is a real athlete, sweat does not go well with the attitude and the chic designer suit. Besides, it is enough for the driver to work up a sweat. And that is almost inevitable with so much lust and passion.
Driving instead of vacation
Therefore, despite all the bliss, you roll back to Maranello quite exhausted and a deep satisfaction spreads across the home straight. Because half a day with the Roma in the hills of Emiglia Romagna and Tuscany is like the long-awaited vaccination against the virus: the pandemic is forgotten for at least a few hours, driving feels like vacation and the espresso on the roadside suddenly tastes good even from the plastic cup, even if you have to drink it while standing in front of the car and not as it should be at the bar counter or outside on the piazza with a view of the beautiful sheet metal that steals the show from every palazzo.
At the end of the test drive, the voice control proves to be a useful extra and brings the motto of this tour to light from the network: Vaffanculo Corona! And it doesn't take an Italian course to translate this curse.
