Ferrari’s head of marketing says the Roma is not nearly as closely related to the Portofino M as people seem to think.

Speaking to the global media during an online Q&A session attended by CARmag.co.za, Enrico Galliera, Ferrari’s chief commercial and marketing officer, said it was “very important” he clarified the differences between the two models.

“The Portofino M is not the open version of the Roma, exactly as the Roma is not the closed version of the Portofino,” Galliera said.

“They answer to different positioning and we believe that they are perfectly designed in order to co-exist in our product range.

Despite the Roma and Portofino M sharing a wheelbase (and now, thanks to the latter’s mid-cycle update and adoption of the “M” suffix, the 456 kW/760 N.m V8 engine, too), Galliera says they are quite different.

“This is clearly visible, even in the development of this car. The Roma is basically featuring components, starting from the chassis and the platform, which is 70 percent from the one of the Portofino M.

“The interior design, the exterior design, the HMI system, the aerodynamics – everything is different in order to deliver a different positioning of the car and a different answer to a different need.

“So, yes, we believe that they can easily co-exist in order to achieve different targets and so satisfy different profiles," he said.

Original article from Car