Ferrari 612 replacement, the FF

[Dino Scuderia]

Enjoy the idea of the V12 before they also cave in to the 4 cyl. turbo 80's era redux.

[NSXType-R]

I think I would hate it less if it were marketed as a Lancia.

[Cobrafan427]

Apparently the writers at Yahoo! autos are raving about it

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...tation-wagons/

Don't know how much credibility they have since they call it a station wagon in the title. I also found what they thought of the rear end interesting haha

[Klemmel]

Hi-res photos.

[Dino Scuderia]

New view.

[pimento]

Top Gear's Paul Horrell popped down to Maranello to check it out. Tasty bit about the AWD system:

Well, the FF doesn't actually have a normal heavy 4WD system with a centre diff and an extra prop shaft. It has a normal Ferrari configuration, with the drive going from the V12 back to a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox driving the rear wheels. This is good for weight distribution, and in the dry the FF is as fast around a track as a 599 (it's only a little heavier, yet usefully more powerful). Felisa swears it feels like a proper front-engined RWD V12 Ferrari, too. And he has spoken the truth to me in these matters all the 16 years I've been interviewing him.
Ferrari FF

So what about the four-wheel drive, then? Uniquely, power is also taken off the front of the engine, which is behind the front wheel centres. It's fed to a compact lightweight unit containing a set of clutches that can progressively feed in torque to a tiny integrated gearbox and front diff. It has only two gears, roughly the equivalent of third and seventh in the main box. How can this be? Because the clutches are always slipping under electronic control, and the front tyres would never be able to make use of all the V12's torque in first or second.

What this means is the car's electronics can smoothly dial up a portion of drive to the fronts if they predict a loss of traction at the back. Yes, they're predictive as well as reactive. And they only do this in the road and slippery-road settings of the steering-wheel manettino. In the more hardcore modes, you can still run it as pretty well entirely rear-drive.

[Ferrer]

So if you want rear wheel drive only, why all the complexity, electronics and bits and pieces? Surely it could even lighter and simpler (and therefore better) with two wheel drive hardware only.

[pimento]

Because the actual customers for this car want to be able to use it for skiing holidays.

[csl177]

Because the actual customers for this car want to be able to use it for skiing holidays.

...instead of pedestrian Audis, which Ferrer surely appreciates.

[Sledgehammer]

Because the actual customers for this car want to be able to use it for skiing holidays.

Ahh so thats what the front air scoop is for before the door, a sliding slot for your skiis. Car makes much more sense now.

[Ferrer]

...instead of pedestrian Audis, which Ferrer surely appreciates.

Ironically my Audi has no traction at all, in first or even second. And if the surface isn't dry, forget it.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Vorsprung Durch Hedgerow.

[thebrochureman]

i would love ferrari to make a 458 with a 599 GTO engine and 4WD, it could probably do 0-60 in under 3 secs, does anyone one like the sound of that

[Ferrer]

i would love ferrari to make a 458 with a 599 GTO engine and 4WD, it could probably do 0-60 in under 3 secs, does anyone one like the sound of that

No.

(5c)

[Commodore GS/E]

No.

(5c)

Wait.
I think it is technically possible because the dct is quite good. Could be hard to bring the power to the ground, tho (and I'm also not sure if the dct could cope with the V12's torque).