MOTORS Enjoying la dolce vita

LA NUOVA DOLCE VITA

Presenting the Ferrari Roma: the prettiest motor car the famous prancing horse badge has ever adorned. And with a plush interior and plenty of technology, its beauty isn’t just skin deep... Words: Rob Davis.

IF THERE’S A MORE BEAUTIFUL car on sale today than the new Ferrari Roma, we’ve yet to behold such a mythical design.

Look at it. Just look. Sharp creases; flowing lines; muscular haunches... it’s just about as perfect as a car could possibly look, from that pointy nose to the exquisite detailing on the deep crease on the rear light cluster.

Good news, too, that beauty isn’t just skin deep. That’s because the Roma, which is based on the roofless Portofino convertible, features the latest Ferrari technology, and is rather more like a luxury GT than a stripped-out performance car, more so than any Ferrari before it.

But it’s certainly not the case that you’ll be left wanting for performance. With a 3.9 litre engine and eight cylinders plus forced induction, the Roma’s engine generates peak power at 7,500rpm. At that point the car will be generating an indecent 760nm of torque, channelled to the rear wheels via an eight-speed F1 style dual clutch gearbox and 20” wheels to dispatch the 60mph sprint in 3.4 seconds. Top speed where legal is just a nip short of 200mph.

Whether you want to purr along in sedate GT comfort, or sharpen up the driving experience, the Roma’s Manettino switch is now standard on Ferraris. Inspired by the adjustable electronics of an F1 car, the ‘little lever’ - to apply a literal translation to its name - allows for the simple adjustment of the electronics governing suspension settings, traction control, electronic differential, and change speed of electronic gearbox.

Ferrari presents the car as a ‘2+’ GT, meaning customers have a choice of two tiny rear seats or a storage space behind the front seats. It’s really Hobson’s choice, as the rear seats are little more than ornamental, and if you’re enjoying Ferrari ownership, the last thing you’ll want to do is spoil your life by having children along for the ride... so let’s say it’s a two seater and have done. >>

Super Models: The most beautiful cars on the market...

Aston Martin Vantage £120,900: The baby in the Aston Martin family has been updated with, paradoxically, a fussier interior and simpler, smoother lines on the exterior. Avoid those garish lime shades and opt for something like this Morning Frost White paint job and you won’t go far wrong style wise. Dipping its fingers into the Mercedes Benz biscuit tin of interior parts, you’ll find solidity and quality throughout the interior, whilst a 4.0V8 turbo engine, also borrowed from Benz, yields 60mph in 3.6 seconds. n

Bentley Continental GT £140,300: As British as bad footballing and as satisfying as even a poorly made cup of tea, the Bentley is a British champion that offers luxury and a huge specification, more comfortable and more spacious than the Ferrari, softer edged than a 911 or Vantage. Four wheel drive, automatic, with a 4.0V8 to sprint to 60mph in 4.8 seconds. Enjoy the widest choice of hides and dual-finish wood veneers, plus the added creature comforts of the Touring and City Packs, diamond knurling and swish rotating triple-faced dials. n

Porsche 911 Carrera S £77,891: Starting at under £80,000, Porsche’s iconic 911 looks like a comparative bargain against the Ferrari, but opt for an S, 4 or Turbo derivative, or for convertible or Targa version and the gap will close, especially given the myriad available optional extras. 911’s look is evolutionary, not revolutionary, compared to its 1963 ancestor, but it still offers arguably the sharpest drive of almost any car on the market today. A Boxster may be smaller, as sharp and better value but there’s still only one 911! n

>> The other reason you’ll be reluctant to have the ankle-biters along for the ride is the plush interior, with its suede door trim and pleasant mushroom leather seats.

Hardly compatible with younger aficionados of the brand... frankly, we wonder why the company bothered with the two rear seats at all.

The interior, though, has been designed with an interesting concept in mind, namely the creation of two ‘cells,’ as the press blurb refers to them. Passengers have their own cluster of controls on that side of the car to control heating and audio. The driver, meanwhile, controls many of the car’s functions via the now ubiquitous portrait tablet-style display which, Ferrari says, uses

“Despite its new-found civilisation, the Ferrari tips the scale at little over 1,470kg, and for context, that’s about the same as a Ford Focus, with its rather more modest performance...”

FERRARI ROMA

haptic feedback to compensate for the lack of physical buttons to prevent the driver having to take their eyes off the road.

Other thoroughly modern creature comforts include the availability of adaptive cruise control for comfortable, safe and legal motorway driving, and keyless entry, as well as navigation.

Despite its new-found civilisation, the Ferrari tips the scale at little over 1,470kg, and for context, that’s about the same as a Ford Focus, with its rather more modest performance.

As such, the power to weight ratio of the Roma, says Ferrari, is best-in-class. The ability to turn the Roma into more of a GT or hardedged sports car increases the car’s versatility.

Proverbially looks are only skin deep but in fact this Italian is one whose dark locks and olive skin bely hidden depths and true breadth of talent, performance and comfort. But... those looks! Mamma mia! n

Price: £175,000 (available to order now, first deliveries summer). Drivetrain: 612bhp, 3.9 V8 turbocharged petrol, eight speed automatic transmission, RWD. Performance: 0-62 mph: 3.4 seconds. Top Speed: 199mph. Economy: 26mpg (estimated). Equipment: Leather, electric seats and windows, sat nav and Human Machine Interface. n

Cleared for Takeoff ASTON MARTIN’S CONCORDE SPEC SUPERLEGGERA IS SUPERSONIC..

Few aircraft of the jet age are more instantly recognisable, or more fondly remembered, than the worldrenowned Concorde. Now, 50 years since its first flight, this supersonic passenger jet – created in a unique piece of Anglo-French co-operation – is the inspiration for the latest member of the highly desirable Aston Martin Wings Series. ASTON MARTIN

Strictly limited to only ten examples and featuring lavish personalisation via Aston Martin’s bespoke service, Q by Aston Martin, the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Concorde proudly celebrates not only the half century since the iconic luxury passenger jet took to the skies, but also the centenary of one of Concorde’s two flag carrying airline operators: British Airways. n

SLC bows out gracefully with Final Edition models...

The end is nigh for Mercedes’s previousgeneration C-Class based two-seater roadster the SLC. And to ensure the car goes out with a bang, Mercedes is launching Final Edition versions of the car with a few creature comforts thrown in. The SLC Final Edition spec is available on the 2.0 V4 SLC200, or the 3.0V6 AMG SLC43, and includes electrically adjustable seats, a Harmon Kardon hi-fi, Airscarf neck warmer and exclusive Sun Yellow paint finish. n MERCEDES

BMW shows off electric i4

TESLA MODEL 3 COMPETITOR WILL SELL FOR £35,000 IN 2021...

The future of motoring was revealed recently as BMW previewed its all-electric i4 model, aimed at the Tesla Model 3, and mooted to go on sale from 2021 with prices starting at £35,000. With a weight of some 550 kilograms, it has an energy content of around 80 kWh. This gives the BMW i4 a range of approximately 600 kilometres. Expect similar proportions but more futuristic styling than the 3-Series and 4-Series mid-size models, which will still be available with conventional and plug-in hybrid variants for the forseeable future prior to the i4’s launch. n BMW

MOTORING NEWS In Brief

CATASTROPHIC AUTUMN FLOODING PROMPTS SEARCH FOR FLOODCAPABLE MOTORS... Catastrophic floods in parts of Britain have prompted a surge of interest among motorists in cars that can tackle deep water. Online motor retailer buyacar.com’s editor, Christofer Lloyd, says: “As soon as the recent catastrophic floods in parts of the UK hit the headlines we saw website traffic to our articles about driving in flood water surge, along with searches for cars with off-road capabilities.” The retailer has compiled a list of cars with the best ‘wading’ capabilities, just in time for the impact of ‘February Filldyke,’ in February and March, when snow melts and river levels rise! FLOOD MOTORING

1. Land Rover Defender: 900mm wading depth. 2. Ford Ranger: 800mm wading depth. 3. Toyota Land Cruise: 700mm wading depth. 4. Mitsubishi Shogun 700mm wading depth. 5. Toyota Hilux: 700mm wading depth. 6. Land Rover Discovery 600mm wading depth. 7. Ford EcoSport 550mm wading depth. 8. Jeep Cherokee 500mm wading depth. 9. Jeep Renegade 480mm wading depth. 10. Volvo XC40 450mm wading depth. n

Finance for your Future SECURITY FOR YOUR FAMILY

What’s in a name? For Stamford’s Oliver Smith, and his company, BCM Wealth Management Ltd, the name contains a clue to what motivates him. It alludes to Oliver’s three children, Bertie, Cecily & Maggie... and to the reason that sound financial advice is so important: your family’s future. Oliver has been working in the financial services sector in the area for over 12 years. After five successful years as a Director at Smith Eliot Financial Management he made the decision to set up a company in his own right. From January 2020, his company will be known as BCM Wealth Management Ltd, he will continue to trade from his premises on Stamford’s Ironmonger Street, supporting his existing client base, and with the support of recently appointed adviser Jamie Gibson will expand to offer bespoke financial advice to a wide range of clients. “Financial planning doesn’t exist in your life in isolation,” says Oliver. “It’s integral to your present and your future. It helps to determine your working life and your retirement.” “The correct advice and planning can have implications for where you live, how you live and what you can pass on to your children.” “For that reason, it’s really important to seek holistic financial advice, advice which is tailored to you and which adapts to the different stages of your life and your changing priorities.

BCM Wealth Management offers advice on all areas for practically every circumstance of your life. This includes mortgage and protection advice, covering re-mortgages, purchases and buy to lets as well as Critical Illness and life cover, and Income Protection.

“We offer a full pension review service and can advise on all areas of retirement planning.” “Every client is different, so advice should be tailored to reflect that. Financial planning isn’t about money, it’s about people, and about family. We think it’s because that fact is always foremost in our mind that our clients find us easy to deal with and trust us to give them the best possible advice.” Your home or other property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. n

We offer a comprehensive range of first charge mortgages from across the market, which lenders make available to mortgage intermediaries. Some buy to let mortgages are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

BCM Wealth Management Ltd is an appointed representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and service, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.

A Fresh Perspective on Your Business...

Aerial photography using the drone services offered by Pride Magazines will offer a unique perspective on your business. Still images and video footage can really help your marketing...

The scale of your business, the setting in which your country house hotel is located, your fleet of vehicles, or an overhead image of the different buildings which make up your estate.

Sometimes conventional photography just doesn’t do your business justice. That’s when you need aerial photography, instead. Once the preserve of helicopter pilots, a new generation of small unmanned aircraft, or ‘drones’ makes capturing high quality photographs or video footage easy... but only if you’ve the equipment, the qualifications and the insurance to legally perform commercial operations.

The great news is that Pride Magazines does, so we’re making our drone pilots available to your business as part of our range of marketing services. By hiring our Civil Aviation Authority registered, fully insured and qualified pilots you can achieve aerial still images and video footage of your business. If you’ve a stunning premises, set in stunning grounds, show it off to potential clients. If you’ve a vast estate, demonstrate the scale of your operation from the air... perhaps your property is on the market and you’d like aerial shots for your brochure? Our pilots will complete a full safety assessment, complying with all legislation, and will retouch and post-process all material before supplying it to you. You can use images and footage on your website, on social media, in print advertising and anywhere else you need to present a professional image to potential clients. Come fly with us, and you’ll enjoy achieving a new perspective on your business. n

Legally compliant and fully insured, our drone pilots are now available for your business.

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