The Odd One

Words: Charlie Austin

When people envision a Ferrari they picture a low slung exotic hunkered down to the tarmac with paint redder than blood and an exhaust louder than a rock concert and well, they picture a coupe, maybe even a convertible. Although the new Ferrari fits the first two criteria, when one follows it past the driver's side door everything gets a little, weird. Is this even the right car? We weren't the only ones to notice its odd looking butt. The biggest criticism plaguing the new Ferrari Four is its rather large rear end and if you ask me, i kinda like it. See, criticizing the Ferrari Four for it's body style is about the most bland, obvious, and uncreative criticism you could possible make, you might as well criticize the Ferrari 458 for being a coupe. And it's not as if Ferrari has released a tractor (sorry Lamborghini) or a minivan. It's called a shooting brake, and once again it's no GTI or station wagon. Manufactures from the likes of Aston Martin and BMW have both released brutal shooting brakes and it goes without saying; the new FF is one of the slickest shooting brakes in existence, and boy does it go like none other.

The Ferrari FF - F for Ferrari and F for four wheel drive, yes, it's the Ferrari Ferrari Four - came into the world as the also rather odd-looking 612's replacement in the Luxury Coupe segment of Ferrari's legendary lineup. The Ferrari Ferrari Four is also unique in the way it puts its power down. It's Ferrari's first four wheel drive car - an answer to the reputation of Ferrari's being clear-weather cars - and it's no Subaru Legacy. Coined 4RM, the FF's transmission is completely engineered and patented by Ferrari and comes in 50% lighter than your average system; it works by precariously choosing what tire to send power to at what moment - thanks to two gearboxes, trust us, it's complicated. Because of this, the FF's 651 horsepower twelve cylinder can put power down to just about any surface the earth has to offer, but with all of this talk about a Ferrari that can conquer the elements, we wonder, who on earth is going to drive their $300,000 Ferrari through a sand dune, and on top of that why on earth would you need to?

And that 651 hp twelve cylinder mentioned above is well, frankly massive. Mounted a few inches in front of your very foot that will launch the coupe-hatchback concoction to 100 kmh in just 3.7 seconds - the same time it takes the 599 - is the largest engine ever to be placed on a Ferrari chassis. All of that amounts to almost one-hundred more horses than the 458 and a 0-60 time faster than the Nurburgring-titan Nissan GTR. Find a road long enough and the FF will do 208 mph, faster than just about all of it's direct competitors. Follow the FF to the interior and you are greeted to a sea of leather and an interior similar to the California, a proper luxury coupe. The Ferrari Four not only has four wheel drive, it also has four seats. Certainly not a first for Ferrari's grand touring cars, the 2+2 setup is claimed by Ferrari to be the fastest four-seater in the world, and we believe it.

In a company where no change is even necessary, Ferrari has taken the initiative to release a innovative and revolutionary shooting brake which shocked the world. And if only the world could look past it's trunk, they would see undoubtedly one of the fastest and most technologically advanced Ferraris there is. But we just can't help to notice, are those headlights from a 458?