2014 Ferrari FF

The FF: the Ferrari Four. Four as in four-wheel drive. Four as in the four comfortable seats that cocoon driver and occupants alike.
The FF: the Ferrari Four. Four as in four-wheel drive. Four as in the four comfortable seats that cocoon driver and occupants alike. A four-seater that utterly changes the whole GT sports car concept, hailing nothing short of a revolution in the automotive world. Even the most cursory glance at the FF's sleek, Pininfarina-penned super model profile will tell you that. Drive it - anywhere, any time, in any weather or road conditions – and you'll know why it's so radical. It may be a car that has elegance, beauty and art in its soul, but there's much, much more to the FF than sophisticated allure. It was, in fact, designed specifically to tackle the toughest, most complex and ambitious of driving challenges. The kind of challenges that the most uncompromising and discerning drivers will want to set it. Drivers that demand their cars give of their all. Effortlessly. Regardless of weather or surface. The FF will more than match anything that's asked of it because it is quite simply the most versatile car ever produced by the pens, computers, wrenches and milling machines used by the Prancing Horse technicians, engineers, designers and mechanics.




But take note: the FF is also the most exclusive GT on the market, the very pinnacle of achievement in the 'extreme GT' segment, the most powerful four-seater in the world. It has it all: exceptional, class-topping performance that pushes its signature Ferrari thoroughbred DNA and driving pleasure to the utmost, regardless of weather or terrain. Even on snow, ice and dirt. The FF also sets a new benchmark in terms of sheer innovation: it is the first four-wheel drive V12 with a rear-mounted electronic differential, the E-Diff. The Ferrari-patented four-wheel drive system is unique and is also integrated with the new generation F1-Trac traction control developed specifically for the track. The FF is also the first and only V12 in the world to sport a seven-speed dual-clutch F1 gearbox and it boasts a 20 per cent increase in power with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel consumption. The FF offers four occupants superb comfort with body-hugging seats and absolutely unprecedented cabin and luggage space for a car in its category. Únparalleled chassis engineering gives authentic sports car dynamics, with powerful brakes and an uncompromising suspension set-up. It also boasts the best weight-power ratio ever achieved, thanks in part to the fact that its patented four-wheel drive system is just 50 per cent the weight of a traditional version. Style-wise, the FF is sculptural yet streamlined: it has an innovative shooting brake shape, modern styling cues, and third millennium aerodynamic and conceptual solutions to underscore its sporty stance. It is also unique on several levels: for instance, special exterior colours were specifically designed for the FF and the leather that adorns the interior has been subject to an innovative treatment to enhance its natural beauty. The FF is tailored to perfection to suit the exclusive style of its owner. It's as much a car for day-to-day driving as it is for extraordinarily unique occasions. A car you can drive alone or share on a road trip with three other occupants. A car to take it easy in or really push to the limits. A Ferrari that demands to be driven. A Ferrari to test your skills in. A dream car.

Design and Styling



And yet the FF's styling is classic. The new Prancing Horse car is clothed in beautifully streamlined yet sculptural lines with neatly understated forms and volumes. It combines compactness, subtle overhangs, soft rounded forms, and an imposing muscularity. It is future and history in one: the very best of the past is alive in the unique architecture and design of this fourseater, conceived to underscore the sporting stance of a car designed to tackle all weathers and all road surfaces.
In fact, the demands of a sleek, elegant design are all part and parcel of the car's extraordinary aerodynamic efficiency. Simulations and wind tunnel testing have optimised the car's external and internal air flows to guarantee the most efficient cooling possible of the FF's running gear, on the one hand, and achieve leading-edge drag and downforce figures on the other. The car's aerodynamic efficiency, which is expressed scientifically as the ratio of its drag coefficient Cd (0.329) to its downforce coefficient Cl (0.200), is 0.608, is the highest ever achieved by a car of this type.

The air that flows into the engine compartment exits through side vents that also lend the car's flanks a deliciously aggressive yet sleek allure. The external architecture is exceptionally streamlined and aerodynamic. The engineers focused on creating a captivating, aggressive line by sculpting each area of the car with its function in mind, in line with a conceptual minimalism that characterises its forms and volumes. This air flows are channelled along curves around the tail-lights and over the roof and the nolder to guarantee low drag.

Detailed aerodynamic research and numerous wind tunnel test sessions were lavished on the rear section of the car. Air vents beside the rear lights help reduce pressure in the wheel arch area whilst also reducing wake turbulence, through the Base Bleed effect. The two air outlets on the bumpers separate the air flow along the car's side at the exact point that will minimise both the size of the wake and its depression. The rear diffuser, which optimises air extraction from the underbody, has three channels, and incorporates two new features. The first of these is an airfoil that boosts its extraction capacity as well as downforce at the rear of the car, using a slight curve in the middle channel. The second innovation is that the side channels have an inverted (concave) curve that ensures the depression area remains uniform across the entire width of the undertray. Another completely new element is the FF's chassis, designed to meet higher cabin comfort and space requirements and future safety standards (2015). It also sets the benchmark for a new generation of chassis.

It is a predominantly spaceframe construction and, like all recent Ferraris, is made from aluminium. Different alloys have been employed throughout to guarantee maximum component efficiency and an improved performance-weight ratio. Hollow, cast nodes have also been used to boost structural rigidity and decrease weight. The new chassis was also designed hand-in-glove with the bodywork to minimise the number of components used for each. The structural parts of the bodyshell are now more efficient as they are mostly made up of extrusions and castings. The result is that the FF's chassis is 10% lighter than the previous generation yet has 6% greater torsional rigidity.

Source - Ferrari