An exhaustive introduction to the Ferrari FF
BY: Nic Cackett An exhaustive introduction to the Ferrari FF is likely to be superfluous to even the most casual Ferrari fan so we'll only pause for a brief recap before getting to the nitty gritty of our first UK drive. Launched around a year ago, the shooting-brake-styled four-seater offered buyers a first: a full-size Grand Tourer with a 651bhp V12 engine and, somewhat contentiously, four-wheel-drive.
The colossal, naturally aspirated unit is a direct injection descendant of the V12 that featured in the Enzo, but Ferrari's first production all-wheel drive system is an altogether more novel solution. When required by the front wheels, power is fed directly from the crank into a second, smaller gearbox located beneath the engine. This transmission only has two forward gears, and because its ratios cannot replicate the seven-speeds of the main gearbox, the resulting wheel speed mismatch is managed by two continually slipping clutches. The main benefit of the system is that it...