A lifelong Ferrari afficionado, Harvey Moeis recalls how his fascination with the Prancing Horse marque began as he comes face to face with the newest expression of the Ferrari Roma
Once upon a time, a six-year-old boy from Papua visited a toy store in Jakarta during a school holiday and – after mulling over a couple of choices – settled for a diecast model of the iconic Testarossa. Fast forward to today, and Harvey Moeis now has a number of actual Ferraris in his garage.
For sure, Moeis knows a thing or two of the sweet life. He’s a successful businessman – with “successful” being quite an understatement – who tempers his professional advancement with a natural generosity. He’s also quite the family man, having famously started his own family with a literal fairytale wedding and turning into a proud father of two sons. “Family is everything,” Moeis says about the values he wants to pass on to his two sons, “and honesty will get you anywhere you want to.”
A Ferraristi through and through, Moeis has developed quite an appreciation for the aesthetics of the super cars, with his collection providing a major highlight in his daily routine. “Coming back home I love being welcomed by the cars in the garage,” Moeis shares. “I’m not a fan of car covers. Cars, especially Ferraris, are meant to be enjoyed, stared at and admired at all times. Warming up the horses with a nice glass of wine at the end of the day is the perfect way to de-stress.”
Today, as the year 2021 comes to a close, Moeis continues his journey with Ferrari as he joins the marque’s La Nuova Dolce Vita campaign for the new Ferrari Roma. Having made its debut back in 2019, the Roma has made quite a name for itself with its distinctive flair and style that perfectly captures the carefree, pleasurable way of life that characterised Rome in the ’50s and ’60s.
The Ferrari Roma is a mid-front-engined 2+ coupé featuring refined proportions and timeless design, combined with unparalleled performance and handling. The exterior centres around clean design and a harmony of proportions that – combined – create pure, elegant volumes. All superfluous detailing has been removed to really underscore the Ferrari Roma’s formal minimalism.
On the inside, the Ferrari Roma truly embodies the brand’s philosophy of “eyes on the road, hands on the steering wheel” with all the car’s main commands actioned by haptic controls, ensuring the driver doesn’t have to move their hands from the wheel. The digital instrument cluster is protected by an elegant anti-glare binnacle, which extends out naturally from the dash. The central display with its infotainment and climate control functions is similarly intuitive and user friendly.
“There’s so much to talk about the interior: the new infotainment system, the steering wheel, the gear selector and – my personal favourite – the new key,” Moeis gushes. “I know a lot of people were shocked at first because it was such a big change, but it only took me a couple of drives to get used to the new system. And as they are being implemented on all Ferrari models, I’m pretty sure everybody is going to realise how good and necessary these changes are.”
Of the Ferrari Roma’s performance, he adds: “The car handles like a true grand tourer, precise with some controlled tail action when pushed while still being perfectly comfortable to bring your family along.”
The passenger’s experience continues with an 8.8” dedicated colour full HD and full touch screen, which displays the car’s performance and interacts with its on-board system. For instance, it is possible to select music, view satnav information and manage air conditioning functions. So essentially, the passenger becomes a co-driver – definitely a treat for somebody like Moeis who loves to share his passion for driving with his young sons. “He is a Ferraristi at heart,” the proud father remarks. “He memorised different Ferrari models before he started naming animals and fruits. Now all he talks about is Roma.”
And on that note, we invite you to drive your senses with Ferrari Roma and discover La Nuova Dolce Vita together with Harvey Moeis as he takes the car through its paces.
Note:
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
