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Car pictures of the week

We test the stunning Ferrari Roma Spider on some of the world’s greatest roads in the latest issue of evo. Here are some of our favourite snapshots

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13 Oct 2023

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It doesn’t get much more glamorous than a front-engined convertible Ferrari, and the new Roma Spider set against a Sardinian sunset… now that’s an image steeped in elegance. But the best Ferraris have always been as sensational to drive as they are to look at, so how does the Roma Spider stack up? Pick up a copy of evo magazine issue 315 in store or online via the evo shop to read our full verdict.

Entry-level Ferraris must strike a fine balance of accessibility and exclusivity, and for some – including some of the firm’s top brass – the California leaned too far towards the former. What was initially conceived as a Maserati became too expensive to pull off with a Trident badge on the nose, and was thus reconfigured as a Ferrari. And that car spawned a lineage of entry-level convertibles – right up until the Portofino M – that never quite felt like pure-bred Ferraris.

Best convertible cars 2023 - our top drop-top performance cars

The Roma changed things. For its new front-engined GT, Ferrari weaved its DNA into the project from the start, with a sensational 611bhp twin-turbo V8 and a supremely sharp, expressive handling character. Inevitably, when Ferrari announced the development of a Spider version, the writing was on the wall for the Portofino.

As Stuart Gallagher found out during our first taste of the Roma Spider in Italy, Maranello now has a much more convincing convertible GT on its hands.

‘In its transition from a coupe to Spider the Roma’s control systems for the engine and gearbox responses have been adjusted only to match the increased weight with no changes to adapt the car’s characteristics. It’s the same approach that’s been taken with the car’s chassis.

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‘There’s a softer edge to the Spider when the dampers are in their mildest setting, with more pitch and roll on turn-in, more compression to lean on through a corner and a rear that squats harder before settling. However, as with the powertrain, wind the chassis up to Sport and the Spider connects to become sharper, more responsive and lighter on its toes.’

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To find out if the package melds together to offer the same multi-faceted, engaging character as the brilliant Roma coupe, pick up a copy of evo 315 in-store or online via the evo shop.

Car pictures of the week: archive

Below are some of our favourite images from previous editions of evo car pictures of the week. Click on the pictures for the full galleries.

Gallery 1

Click below to see all the images of our first car pictures of the week gallery, here featuring the indomitable Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 and the stunning Porsche 911 re-imagined by Singer.

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Gallery 2

Here we dig further back into the evo archives where we pull out some iconic images of the Ford GT slightly out of context in the European Alps, a TVR Sagaris in central London, the Audi RS2 as well as one of our most iconic twin tests between the Ferrari 599 GTO and Lexus LF-A.

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Gallery 3

The previous-generation Bentley Continental GT seemed to get better with age, a notion mirrored by the Jaguar E-type when in modern ‘lightweight’ form. Both of these British icons, as well as the Aston Martin Vantage GT12 feature in gallery three.

Bentley Continental GT V8 S - ferry static

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Gallery 4

Fans might have cried fowl when Ferrari decided to turbocharge the Ferrari 488, but it’s not like Ferrari don’t have a history with turbocharged V8 engines. Here the 488 co-stars alongside the stunning F40, while elsewhere in this gallery we take a Porsche Cayman GTS to Japan for a stunning mountain blast.

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Gallery 5

Italian twelve-cylinder supercars seem to be the main agenda in the fourth evo car pictures of the week gallery, here featuring four V12 Lambos and the stunning 599 SA Aperta limited edition alongside its 550 Barchetta predecessor.

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Gallery 6

GT3s and GT-Rs are just the beginning for gallery number six, with the Noble M600, Aston Martin One-77 and a couple of McLaren flagships filling out our most amazing gallery yet.

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Gallery 7

A gallery of new and old, here the McLaren 720S cemented its place as a truly great supercar alongside a daring night shoot with an Audi R8 LMX, pitch a Nissan GT-R and Audi Quattro against each other on Welsh mountain roads and drive the original 'Hakosuka' GT-R.