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*{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703806304576233171018925798|title=The coolest Ferrari ever—drive carefully|first=Dan|last=Neil|author-link=Dan Neil (journalist)|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=2 April 2011|url-access=subscription|access-date=11 September 2024|page=D.10}}
*{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703806304576233171018925798|title=The coolest Ferrari ever—drive carefully|first=Dan|last=Neil|author-link=Dan Neil (journalist)|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=2 April 2011|url-access=subscription|access-date=11 September 2024|page=D.10}}
*{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/gtc4lusso-a-ferrari-for-the-whole-family-1495136786|url-access=subscription|title=GTC4Lusso: A Ferrari for the whole family|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|page=D.10|date=18 May 2017|access-date=12 September 2024|first=Dan|last=Neil|author-link=Dan Neil (journalist)}}
*{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/gtc4lusso-a-ferrari-for-the-whole-family-1495136786|url-access=subscription|title=GTC4Lusso: A Ferrari for the whole family|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|page=D.10|date=18 May 2017|access-date=12 September 2024|first=Dan|last=Neil|author-link=Dan Neil (journalist)}}
* {{cite web | last=Schultz | first=Jonathan | title=Ferrari previews the F12 Berlinetta ahead of Geneva Auto Show | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=29 February 2012 | url=https://archive.nytimes.com/wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/ferrari-previews-the-f12-berlinetta-ahead-of-geneva-auto-show/ | access-date=11 September 2024}}
* {{cite web | last=Schultz | first=Jonathan | title=Ferrari previews the F12 Berlinetta ahead of Geneva auto show | website=[[The New York Times]] | date=29 February 2012 | url=https://archive.nytimes.com/wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/ferrari-previews-the-f12-berlinetta-ahead-of-geneva-auto-show/ | access-date=11 September 2024}}
* {{cite news | first=Alastair| last=Sloane | title=Ferrari FF flies off production line | website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] | date=22 March 2011 | url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/ferrari-ff-flies-off-production-line/S64ZLNHW2OMQHDF6CP2WDA6AZE/ | access-date=11 September 2024}}
* {{cite news | first=Alastair| last=Sloane | title=Ferrari FF flies off production line | website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] | date=22 March 2011 | url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/ferrari-ff-flies-off-production-line/S64ZLNHW2OMQHDF6CP2WDA6AZE/ | access-date=11 September 2024}}
* {{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autos-review-ferrari-ff-20130124-story.html | url-access=subscription | title=Ferrari FF four-seater is practical but still ferocious|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=24 January 2013|page=B.1|first=David|last=Undercoffler|access-date=12 September 2024}}
* {{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autos-review-ferrari-ff-20130124-story.html | url-access=subscription | title=Ferrari FF four-seater is practical but still ferocious|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=24 January 2013|page=B.1|first=David|last=Undercoffler|access-date=12 September 2024}}

Revision as of 09:18, 19 October 2024

Ferrari FF
Front three-quarters view of a dark blue shooting brake
Overview
ManufacturerFerrari
Production2011–2016
AssemblyItaly: Maranello
DesignerLowie Vermeersch at Pininfarina and Flavio Manzoni at Ferrari Styling Centre
Body and chassis
ClassGrand tourer
Body style3-door shooting brake
LayoutFront mid-engine, four-wheel-drive
RelatedFerrari F12berlinetta
Powertrain
Engine6.3 L F140 EB V12
Transmission7-speed dual-clutch
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,990 mm (117.7 in)[1]
Length4,907 mm (193.2 in)[2]
Width1,953 mm (76.9 in)[2]
Height1,379 mm (54.3 in)[2]
Kerb weight1,880 kg (4,145 lb)[3]
Chronology
PredecessorFerrari 612 Scaglietti
SuccessorFerrari GTC4Lusso

The Ferrari FF is a grand touring car that was produced by the Italian carmaker Ferrari from 2011 to 2016. The successor to the 612 Scaglietti, the FF—whose name is an acronym for "Ferrari Four"—is a three-door shooting brake. Development of the FF began in 2007, and it debuted at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2011; production started in the same month in Maranello, Italy. Designed under the direction of Lowie Vermeersch and Flavio Manzoni, the FF shares parts, mainly the engine, with the F12berlinetta—a coupé that was introduced one year after the FF.

Upon its release, the FF became the world's fastest four-seater car and Ferrari's second-fastest grand tourer after the 599 GTO. The FF features a 6.3 L V12 engine that produces a power output of 485 kW (660 PS; 651 hp) and a torque output of 683 N⋅m (504 lb⋅ft), sufficient to give the car a maximum speed of 335 km/h (208 mph) and a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration of 3.7 seconds. Its transmission is a seven-speed dual clutch. The recipient of numerous awards, including Top Gear's Estate Car of the Year in 2011, the FF was succeeded by the GTC4Lusso in 2016.

History

Front three-quarters view of a silver sports coupe
The 612 Scaglietti, which preceded the FF

The Italian carmaker[4][5] Ferrari began development of a successor to the 612 Scaglietti in 2007.[6] Work on the upcoming shooting brake car began under the direction of Flavio Manzoni and Lowie Vermeersch, the latter of whom served as former Design Director at Pininfarina. Although Ferrari initially wanted the car developed from the Pininfarina Sintesi, a concept car, the project was transferred to Italdesign, which presented an angular proposal. It eventually returned to Pininfarina for further development.[6] Other developments took place at Ferrari's Styling Centre.[7]

Ferrari debuted the FF at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 2011.[8][9] Official manufacture of the FF began in the same month[10] at their facility in Maranello, Italy.[11][12] At launch, Ferrari announced that it would produce 800 FF units annually. The carmaker further stated that the entire first year's production run had already been sold out.[12][13] Upon its release, the FF became the world's fastest four-seater car and Ferrari's second-fastest grand tourer after the 599 GTO.[1][14] It was produced at the Maranello facility until it was discontinued in 2016 after a production run of five years during which 2,291 units had been built.[15] It was succeeded by the GTC4Lusso.[16][17]

Design and naming

Rear three-quarters view of a dark blue shooting brake
Rear view of the FF

The name "FF" is an acronym for "Ferrari Four",[18] highlighting its four-wheel drive capability.[19] The FF reflects the design language of contemporary Ferrari models, incorporating the distinctive pulled-back headlights of the 458 Italia and the twin circular tail-lights found on both the 458 and the 599 GTB Fiorano.[20][21] The electronic rear differential is built into the gearbox housing, and all chassis and powertrain control systems—including the magnetic adaptive shocks, stability control, layout, and electronic differential—are combined into a single module.[22] The FF incorporates a predominantly space frame construction and—like all contemporary Ferraris—is made from aluminium. This design, compared to its predecessor, reduces weight by five per cent and increases torsional rigidity by six per cent.[2][23]

The FF is a grand touring car[24][25] with three doors and four seats.[26][27] The FF's seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox is positioned at the rear of the car, contributing to its weight distribution of 47 per cent at the front and 53 per cent at the rear. The electronic rear differential is built into the gearbox housing, and all chassis and powertrain control systems—including the magnetic adaptive shocks, stability control, and electronic differential—are combined into a single module.[22] The FF's design is largely influenced by the need to manage airflow efficiently over and around its body. The FF has significant aerodynamic downforce, improving road grip at higher speeds, most prominently visible in the split-level diffuser at the rear, which features an aerofoil-shaped centre element. This comes at the cost of a relatively high drag coefficient of Cd=0.329. Vents along the sides and rear direct air out of the wheel wells and around the car, helping minimise lift and drag.[2]

The four-wheel drive system in the FF is referred to as "4RM" (ruote motriciItalian for 4WD).[28] At 41 kilograms (90 lb), it weighs fifty per cent less than traditional methods, helping maintain a low centre of gravity.[2] This system uses a secondary gearbox to channel power from the front of the engine. The front gearbox is geared six per cent longer than the rear's first gear and six per cent longer than the rear's fourth gear (reverse is the same). Thus, the front gearbox's first gear covers the rear's first and second gears, while its second gear covers the rear's third and fourth gears. Power is transmitted through two electronically controlled, hydraulic wet multiplate clutches, located on the driver's side of the front transmission, one for each wheel. These clutches adjust slip to match the speed of the rear wheels and enable torque vectoring for side-to-side power distribution.[29]

The FF features a 6,262 cc (6.3 L; 382.1 cu in) naturally aspirated direct injection V12 engine.[30][31][32] It produces a power output of 485 kW (660 PS; 651 hp) at 8,000 rpm and a torque output of 683 N⋅m (504 lb⋅ft), sufficient to give the car a maximum speed of 335 km/h (208 mph) and a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration of 3.7 seconds.[33][34] The FF shares its engine with the F12berlinetta, a coupé introduced in 2012.[35] The shooting brake design, with its folding rear seats, gives the Ferrari FF a boot capacity of 450 litres (16 cu ft), which can be expanded to 800 litres (28 cu ft) when the rear seats are lowered.[36] The car's suspension is known as the "SCM3", a magnetorheological self-adjusting damping system. The FF includes Brembo's carbon ceramic brakes.[37][38] The FF has a CO2 output of 360 grams per kilometre (20 oz/mi) and a fuel consumption figure of 15.4 litres per 100 kilometres (18.3 mpg‑imp; 15.3 mpg‑US).[39]

SP FFX

Front three-quarters view of a red coupe
Ferrari SP FFX

The Ferrari SP FFX, introduced in 2014, is a one-off model based on the Ferrari FF, featuring a custom body with a coupé-style rear end instead of the FF's shooting brake design.[40] Commissioned by a customer in Japan, it was built by Ferrari's special vehicles division to a design by Pininfarina. Early patent drawings of the SP FFX led to speculation that it was the design for the next-generation Ferrari California.[40][41]

Reception

The FF has received mixed reviews, with many publications describing the car as a "Ferrari for the whole family".[42][43] Reviewing for The Sunday Times, Jeremy Clarkson described the FF as "a very special, very fast car, with a dollop of practicality and a four-wheel drive system that may not add much". He praised the car's appearance from the front as "fantastic" and from the side as "wonderful," but criticised its rear, calling it "hopeless", "bland" and "dreary", even suggesting that "Kia does a better job".[44] The Los Angeles Times' David Undercoffler stated that the FF "represents the next evolution in a long line of grand touring cars from Ferrari, as opposed to more high-strung sports cars such the mid-engined 458, designed with race-car handling foremost in mind".[45] Ezra Dyer from The New York Times described the FF as "a daring car" and praised the "confidence it represents".[46]

Hannah Elliot, writing for Forbes, claimed that the FF was "the most perfectly balanced car I can ever remember driving".[47] In a review for The Wall Street Journal, Dan Neil described the FF as a "car that despises prettiness and mocks your bourgeois notions of sleek and rakish".[48] In another review by Neil, he described the FF as "the coolest Ferrari of all time", praising its "brain-solvent performance without looking like it gives a damn what you think".[1] Patrick Hoey of Motor Trend called the FF "docile" and "user-friendly" and appreciated its light steering. Hoey, however, criticised its "ignition key that must be turned before the start button will operate" and its steep price.[49]

The FF is the recipient of numerous accolades. At the Shanghai Motor Show, the Chinese Car and Driver magazine awarded the FF with the Most Beautiful Super Car of 2011.[50] That year, the magazine Top Gear gave the FF the Estate Car of the Year 2011.[51] Top Gear India awarded the FF with the Luxury Car of the Year 2012.[52]

References

Citations

Bibliography

News

Websites

Magazines

  • Smith, Sam (August 2011). "Esquire's Car of the Year". Esquire. Vol. 156, no. 1. p. 66.