Motoring
Living Ferrari’s sweet life while riding the prancing horse’s new Roma
Wanted travelled to the home of Ferrari in Maranello, Italy to experience a few days of Ferrari living
Maranello in Italy is hallowed turf for most car enthusiasts, especially those with a passion for the famous carmaker that is based there, Ferrari. The company with the prancing horse celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2022 and we travelled there for the reveal of the very exclusive new Daytona SP3 as well as to spend a few days with its latest Grand Tourer (GT), the Roma.
We arrived at a busy Bologna airport ahead of a drive to Maranello in the back of Maserati’s SUV, the Levante. Maserati will be adding another SUV to its line-up in 2022 in the form of the smaller Grecale, but as much as these two sports car manufacturers are often talked about in the same breath, we were there for Ferrari.
Arriving at the recently refurbished Cavallinos restaurant, we had the chance to watch numerous Ferraris going in and out of the famous gates to the factory before crossing the road and being handed the key to the beautiful new Ferrari Roma which has was recently launched in SA.
We were going to be spending three days with the car, which we had already experienced at its international launch squeezed between lockdown periods in 2020. First we had to tackle some challenging, damp and twisty mountain roads in the darkness where the Wet mode on the manettino steering wheel proved useful on occasion. Comfort is the default and Sport proved entertaining, but the biggest challenge was driving into Florence in rush hour. Here the locals don’t give an inch, even to a Ferrari and there were regular sharp intakes of breath as a Fiat 500 passed within inches or a bicycle charged out in front on a roundabout. The streets of Florence are busy and narrow and it was a relief to squeeze down the Piazza di San Paolino and gently descend into the tight underground car park of the new 25 Hours Hotel.
There the car stayed for the next day, because we were headed to a villa that Ferrari had rented to reveal its new Daytona SP3 sports car to owners, dealers and media. Renamed as Casa Ferrari for the week, it had all the hallmarks of traditional Italian architecture, although with many modern touches. We weren't there for the décor though, instead getting the lowdown on the latest in the Ferrari Icona model series. Just 599 Daytona SP3 models will be made and despite a price tag in Italy of €2-million, they are all sold. They are so exclusive that buyers had to have already bought a previous Monza SP1 or SP2, or at least wanted to but been prevented from doing so by the legislation in their country relating to the fact it had no windscreen.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied