When the gorgeous Ferrari Roma was revealed to the world last November, the Italian marque promised that the front-engined car would be able to hit 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and 124 mph in 9.3. As we've found in the past, though, manufacturer claims are sometimes more conservative than the reality, so is the Ferrari Roma another example of this? The short answer appears to be yes.

Motorsport Magazine decided to see what happened when launching the Ferrari Roma from zero to 124 mph, and although the exact testing conditions were unknown, it looks like the Roma improved on Ferrari's claims. The action gets underway at the 14-second mark when, with launch control activated, the Roma blasts off the mark.

It reaches an indicated 200 km/h (124 mph) in just over eight seconds and just as the quick-shifting eight-speed dual-clutch transmission makes a change into fifth gear. That's a fair bit quicker than Ferrari's claim of 9.3 seconds to reach that mark and places the Roma within the company of some serious - and more powerful - machinery.

For example, the new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series has 720 horsepower as opposed to the Roma's 612 hp yet takes nine seconds to reach 124 mph, but the AMG is heavier. The Roma is also quicker than the 640-hp Porsche 911 Turbo S, which Porsche claims takes 8.9 seconds to reach 124 mph. That's impressive considering that the 911 gets to 60 mph first owing to its AWD grip.

Perhaps helping the Ferrari outdo the Porsche is its lighter weight of around 175 pounds. Still, the Roma is supposed to be a comfortable and elegant GT, so the fact that it can keep up with more powerful cars that are built for the best possible lap times is a feather in its cap.

Although the Roma's 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 is civilized enough around town, it livens up considerably when used in anger and is called upon to unleash its full 612 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque. Clearly, this latest test proves it also got the legs to match some of the world's best sports cars at higher speeds.