This one isn’t structured like the rest of this series, and that’s the point. Instead of one road settling the argument, all three cars ran a full day built to look like an actual guest’s itinerary — because “which Ferrari should I book” isn’t really a single-road question.
A day built like a real trip, not a single stretch
Most tests in this series pick one road and let it make the argument. This one needed something different: Monaco’s own streets first, low-speed and tight, then the Grande Corniche’s cliff-edge climbs, then a detour up into the hills toward La Turbie before coming back down. It’s a composite day on purpose — city driving, coastal cruising, and a genuine mountain stretch, because a guest choosing between these three cars is really choosing based on which kind of driving they’ll do most, not which car wins one dramatic corner.
Three drivers, three very different Ferrari philosophies. Ron takes the Ferrari 296 GTB, arguing that a car doesn’t need to be the most extreme option to have the most character — sometimes balance is its own kind of personality. Juliana claims the Ferrari SF90 Spider and makes the numbers case that’s hard to argue with on paper. The Ferrari Roma goes to whoever’s narrating — the grand-touring case, made for a very specific kind of trip rather than every kind.
The numbers, for anyone who wants them before the story
| Ferrari 296 GTB | Ferrari Roma | Ferrari SF90 Spider | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Engine | 3.0L V6 plug-in hybrid | 3.9L twin-turbo V8 | 4.0L twin-turbo V8 hybrid |
| Horsepower | 819 hp | 620 hp | 1,000 hp |
| 0–100 km/h | 2.9 sec | 3.4 sec | 2.5 sec |
| Top speed | 330 km/h | 320 km/h | 340 km/h |
| Rental (per day) | ~€1,900 | ~€1,800 | ~€2,200 |
| Drivetrain | RWD | RWD | AWD |
All three figures come straight from this fleet’s own listing — a genuinely clean comparison, no hedging required.
First stint: Monaco’s streets, where the Roma made a real point
The Roma went first, through the tight, low-speed streets around the harbor, and the narrator’s case was immediate: four real seats, a cabin built for comfort at a crawl, none of the compromises the other two make for outright track capability. “This is the one you’d actually want if most of your trip is city driving and long transfers,” they said. “It’s not trying to be a track car in traffic, and that’s exactly right for a lot of guests.”
Juliana’s SF90 Spider followed up the Grande Corniche’s cliff-edge climbs, and the 1,000-hp case built itself the way it always does: AWD grip, instant hybrid response, numbers that simply don’t have an equal among the three. “On paper, this isn’t close,” she said. “If maximum capability is genuinely what you’re optimizing for, this is the answer.”
Second stint: the mountain detour, and Ron’s case for balance
Ron’s 296 GTB came last, into the detour toward La Turbie where the road tightened and slowed, and made the case that decided the whole test: not the most seats, not the most power, but the strongest all-round car across every kind of driving the day had thrown at it so far. “It didn’t struggle in the city, it didn’t get outclassed on the mountain, and it’s still special enough that you’re not settling for it,” Ron said. “For most trips — not the extreme ones, not the pure grand-touring ones, the normal mixed ones most people actually book — this is the one that doesn’t ask you to compromise anywhere.”
A bit of context on each car
The Ferrari 296 GTB is covered in more depth in its own spotlight, which makes a similar case for the V6 hybrid platform on its own terms.
The Ferrari Roma already appears in the Ferrari-in-Monaco road test and the Top Down test — the grand-touring case has been made a few times now, consistently.
The Ferrari SF90 Spider already won its own value argument in a very different context — see how it did against the Chiron and Revuelto.
Practical considerations
All three are confirmed available out of Monaco and the French Riviera, with no fleet issues in this comparison. This is one of the few tests in this series designed specifically to help with the actual booking decision rather than crown an outright winner.
Our call: it depends on your trip — but for most guests, the Ferrari 296 GTB. Ron’s pick is the strongest all-round performer across a genuinely mixed day, which is what most bookings actually look like. Choose the Ferrari Roma if your trip is mostly city driving and longer transfers with real seats needed; choose the Ferrari SF90 Spider if maximum capability is genuinely the point, not a mixed itinerary.
All three are standalone rentals out of Monaco and the French Riviera. Get in touch and tell us what your trip actually looks like — we’ll help you pick.