Ferrari recently took to Instagram to give us a vague teaser of its upcoming vehicle. Unfortunately, the teaser is so vague, they did not even tell what model it will be. The only firm detail that they said is the fact that "something special" will be unveiled on March 16. Oh, and the tease also shows the steering of the vehicle in question, so let's start with that.
But Which Ferrari Does This Steering Belong To
The steering that they showcased isn't something new, though. It's practically the same corporate steering design that's fitted to every single new-generation car in their lineup right now, such as the Roma, 296 GTB, SF90 Stradale, and of course the Purosangue SUV. Maybe the audio could provide some clues. Crickets could be heard at the start of the clip along with the sound of soft music. Light is then cast on the steering wheel along with its paddle shifters and the camera pulls back to reveal the Ferrari logo.
Could It Be A New Convertible?
The clip then ends with the camera showing off the steering wheel's flat bottom, with the music abruptly ending with the rush of the wind. Unfortunately, no clues about its engine note have been included, but since the sounds of nature are what's prevalent in the clip, it could mean that Ferrari is going to unveil a new convertible next week.
What convertible could it be? At this point, your guesses are just as good as ours. Ferrari already has convertible versions of the 296 (called the 296 GTS) and SF90 (called the SF90 Spider), so the most likely candidate for a convertible model would be the Roma. We have exclusive spy shots of a Ferrari Roma with a convertible top undergoing testing in Europe last year, which means that the Italian supercar manufacturer is preparing to finally launch the open-top variant of its entry-level grand tourer.
To this day, Ferrari's entry-level convertible has always been the Portofino, which was first unveiled in 2017. The Portofino was given a facelift in 2021, and it's been renamed the Portofino M (with M standing for Modificata or Modified in English). It got a power boost and revised styling, but it doesn't hide the fact that even if the Roma uses the same platform as the Portofino, the Portofino is now a six-year-old model.
The Portofino M features the same 3.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 as the Roma, and it also produces the same figures: 612 horsepower and 561 pound-feet of torque. All of that power is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. This is enough for a 62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of 3.4 seconds, a 0-124 mph time of just 9.3 seconds, and a 199 mph top speed.
But at least we wouldn't have to wait too long for our curiosity to be satisfied. All will be revealed on March 16, and if it is indeed a convertible version of the Roma, will this replace the Portofino M?