Looking at this picture of Ferrari’s newest GT model, I can’t fight the smile that it brings to my face. Only yesterday, I asked TTAC’s Best And Brightest to square the eternal tension between the enthusiast’s love for unusual, communicative, original cars and the bland, practical vehicles that allow the industry to even consider the needs of those few of us who truly enjoy our cars. And while TTAC’s readers discussed the tortured relationships between enthusiasts and the industry they simultaneously love and hate, I spent some much-needed alone time in a car that could no more be described as boring than it could be described as a sales success (BMW sold nearly ten times the total production run of Z3 Coupes in each year of Z3 Roadster sales). And which has a remarkably similar profile to this new Ferrari FF.
Leave it to the Maranello madmen to popularize (and doubtless make tons of money off of) a look that previously separated the fans of unique quirk from even the sportscar mass market. No other automaker does as fine a job of turning the bizarre desires of the enthusiast community into a profitable business. Unlike BMW, Ferrari won’t need to sell ten twee soft-top versions of the FF to subsidize each sale of this handsome shooting brake… from its lofty peak atop the enthusiast-car competition, Ferrari can not only set the market’s tastes, it can make money doing it. But then, Ferrari has no more “freed millions from the tyranny of immobility” than I have… so perhaps this sudden embrace of a noble yet-neglected automotive form isn’t as significant as circumstances make it seem in my eyes.
[Hit the jump for actual information about the Ferrari FF]
“FF” stands for “Ferrari Four,” a name that signifies this model’s status as the first-ever four-wheel-drive Ferrari. The four-place GT will replace the forgotten 612 Scaglietti as Ferrari’s top-of-the-line tourer, and will be powered by “a new 660-hp, 6.3-liter V-12 direct-injection engine.” The FF measures 4907mm long, 1953mm wide and 1379mm tall, and weighs 1,790kg (3,946 lbs), some 50kg lighter than the RWD Scaglietti. It offers the latest generation of Ferrari’s magnetorheological adaptive suspension, as well as Brembo ceramic brakes and 450 liters of cargo space (800 with the rear seats folded). The FF will accelerate to 60 MPH in 3.7 seconds en route to a top speed of 208 MPH. Only 1,000 units of annual production are planned, and the list price has not yet been announced.
Similar profile to Ed’s car indeed. But, alluding to another recent TTAC topic, what a difference in greenhouse.
It is a visually interesting automobile but yes upon first glance the thing that popped into my head was; “Hey, somebody made a jumbo Z3 coupe!”
If I could afford one there would definitely be more room for my golf clubs than in a regular Ferrari.
True I thought Z3 Coupe >>> But back when that came out, I thought MG GT.
Same here. I was even going to email the thought to Ed on the off chance he hadn’t already had it.
Now that, to me, is a beautiful car. I love the long hood relative to the short back. Beautiful. My only complaint is the slit windows (from a driving point of view), but in terms of pure form and style, I think this is a very fine, fun-looking automobile.
Anyone have a photo of an Aston Martin shooting brake estate? I see some similarities… I always liked the Z3 Coupes/Hatches (the M’s are cool) over the convertible models.
hell, meet yes
I don’t know what else to say. That is so cool that that exists.
Take that, VAG
That’s what happens when you breed a Ferrari with an AMC Gremlin.
;)
Not bad, but it looks like a mean little devil head on. Need to see it in the metal. Not sure I’d want to get into a Ferrari sourced all wheel drive system.
I actually prefer the look of the Maserati Gran Turismo over most Ferraris. For the price of the FF (I’m guessing $300,000+), I’d get a Grand Turismo with enough left over for a Mercedes S Class and a couple of other vehicles.
A hatchback sports car? I thought that was impossible, or only available in front wheel drive ala the VW Golf.
It’s a small but growing crowd. Golf R, Mitsubishi Sportback Ralliart, Subaru WRX, BMW Z’s, I’m sure I’m missing one or two. Usually their main failing is the total lack of finance muscle applied to selling them, as I rediscovered last week helping my landlord shop the Mitsu ralliart.
Who bets those are 20s
Looks great to me. Now that Ferrari has done it, let’s hope the style trickles down to other less courageous car makers. Hell, even a 1 series 3 door hatch would be a step in the right direction.
There is a 1-Series hatch. Just not in the USA.
Looks like a California hatchback, and I love it. Too bad it’ll probably only have an automatic transmission (internal mechanics don’t matter in the face of a missing pedal, however hard the marketers might argue otherwise).
And why doesn’t the Panamera look like this?
Because they wanted it to look like a Porsche. Some designs just don’t upscale very well.
There’s a video around that shows a glimpse of this beast in blue running on a track in Italy in the dark without camouflage. I have to say, it looks great and I love that they tried something new with this car after the 612 (not that I disliked the 612 with a passion, but it was a bit…plain).
It reminds me of the Lamborghini Espada and (partly because of the badly chosen name) Jensen FF and Interceptor.
I’m not a big fan of the 4WD though, although it makes for a sweet car to drive to the alps. I just hope they make the starting point of the torque distribution something like 30/70 so that it won’t become an understeering animal like some of the Lambos.
JJ- I completely agree with you on the name thing. FF? What the F is that? Especially compared to “Scaglietti”, “Italia”, etc.
The front has a sort of demon possessed cartoon fish look about it. But what a profile, and what a great hatch. Still would like to see it in person, maybe in a darker color would make a better impression.
Ahh yes, the Ferrari Breadvan lives.
http://www.google.com/images?q=ferrari+breadvan&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1003&bih=567
Read the book “Rebel Rebel: Breadvan: The Most Recognizable Ferrari in the World” and you will find out Enzo would probably hate this one too.
Ohh quite kidding yourself this iIS a 612 Scag…in pininfarinis latest. these specs are different from the ones released earlier in the week. They said 533hp like the old car. Also, there was no mention of AWD. I guess the AWD makes sense, they have been publicly testing it for like 5 years now on their front engine cars. This car is absolutely beautiful in my eyes, just like all ferrari.
JJ, if Lambo didn’t set their cars up to understeer most of their customers would be dead. AWd alone doesn’t make a car understeer, its the suspension setup. Think 993 turbo, it may have initial understeer like all 911’s but once the front is set in, understeer isn’t in that cars vocabulary.
It’s been known for a while the new 612 is AWD.
I know understeer/oversteer depends on a bit more than WWD/RWD (weight distribution, chassis setup, etc) but obviously generally speaking RWD cars have a natural tendency to oversteer while FWD cars lean towards understeer. AWD cars are somewhere in between depending on the torque distribution.
Admittedly, I’m kind of an RWD snob. I like the idea that the front wheels haven’t got anything to do except point the car in the right direction. I hope Ferrari knows what it’s doing and doesn’t make this into a poseur mobile (as much as I also like Lamborghini, at the end of day most Ferrari models squash their Lambo equivalents on track and it would be nice if they’re not going to compromise on that).
Btw, on a side note…I thought those 911s (before the 993 anyway) were actually known for their tendency to snap oversteer and sadly make widows. The reaction resulting from the weigth transfer from that engine in the back could be quite vicious apparently. Over time obviously they engineered it away except in GT3s and GT2s.
It’s an attractive design but has one major flaw: Take the Ferrari badge away, and no one would guess this is a Ferrari.
That, and I could _swear_ I’ve seen this design before but I cannot, for the life of me, remember where…… there already was a very similar design in the past…… *desperately digs in his memory*
EDIT: I’ve found the car that I mean:
http://www.xenatecgroup.com/glr/glr.php?i=../images/0406_aston_01_big.jpg
It might be the one that Johnxyz referred to above already.
They will soon!
This new 612 business is a bit of a big deal. The GTO, 458 and new Enzo says Ferrari has a pretty wide product line, considering.
But the FF! A completely new shape from the exotic sports car brand! A fucking wagon thing! Probably about the same 599 engine, but look at the horsepower! Look at the AWD. Just look at the thing.
I agree that even in profile it’s a little off-putting at first, but so have been others.
I expect Lambo won’t get on it.
“weighs 1,790kg (3,946 lbs)”
Oh, FFS.
back in the 80s Cavalino Rampante did experiment with 4wd, namely 408, they didnt see any incentives to build AWD then, but in recent times, Porsches & Lambos all jump into AWD that made them a bit late to join the partee.
So as the new Maybach probably has to have AWD too, so as RR. Is not so much a person owns such an expensive would go to these God forbidden places, they probably own H1s, but they could also ran into a snow storm too.
Shouldn’t that say “Breaks Down”? Or, were you intending a brake pun?
Variations on this theme have been tried many times. The MGB-GT, Volvo 1800ES, hatchback Mustangs of the 1980s and various coach-built conversions of Jaguar XJSes all come to mind. I doubt Ferrari is going to change the fact that this very cool automotive form remains a marketplace looser. It pains me to say that, because I love the hatchback/wagon spin on things.
Best style since Enzo.
I’ll be the rain on the parade – I don’t like it. Why? I don’t like shooting brake designs, and that just doesn’t look like a Ferrari to me.
So shoot me, I think it’s ugly, but then I think the BMW Z3 is ugly too. I’m with twotone, the Maser is WAY better, and the Aston shooting brake has an elegance this thing lacks. And what’s with all but hiding the Prancing Horse insignia? Basically, this thing doesn’t look like a Ferrari – not that I can afford anything that does. Now for affordable, a friend just bought an immaculate DB7 for $30,000.
so perhaps this sudden embrace of a noble yet-neglected automotive form
Before the Z3 Coupe was the MGB-GT and before that was the Jaguar E-Type 2+2. I suppose that the Cheetah also shares the same basic shape.
What a beautiful car – I like the bmw shooting brake, too – but the ferrari is incredible!
Wow beautiful car! Just a few thousand more NYT op-eds and Ed will be able to trade up.