Back in 2012, my dear friend (and former colleague from Business Standard Motoring) Murali K. Menon gave me an opportunity to drive the mighty Ferrari FF and write about it for Man’s World magazine. Murali, or MKM as we call him, was Managing Editor of Man’s World at that time and he spoke to Ferrari’s New Delhi dealership and arranged for me to drive the FF. That car, along with two Maseratis – the GranCabrio and the Quattroporte – had been brought to Jaypee Spa Resort for an event of some sort. All I had to do was, go to the Jaypee Resort, which was just 2km from my house, pick up the car from there and drive it as much as I wanted. Could this really be happening? Could it be real? On that day, it was. A dream come true.
The FF was probably one of the more unconventional Ferraris ever made. Powered by a 651 horsepower V12, the Pininfarina-designed FF could seat four people and its ‘shooting brake’ styling was vaguely reminiscent of the BMW M Coupe. The car looked a bit brusque, a bit brutish in photographs but when seen in person, it had undeniable presence. Wherever it was parked, the FF held court with the unassuming nonchalance of supercar royalty, which the FF was.
Here are some excerpts from the article I wrote for Man’s World after driving the Ferrari FF on the Yamuna Expressway:
The FF can safely smirk at whatever crosses its path because of what it carries under its hood – a 6.3-litre, 65-degree V12 that produces a massive 651 horsepower and 683Nm of torque. Get inside the FF’s sumptuous leather-and-carbonfibre-embellished cabin, thumb the engine start button and you’re immediately greeted with a deep rumble, the sound of sheer, unbridled power waiting to be unleashed. To drive, however, the FF is surprisingly non-intimidating – from the parking lot from where I picked up the car to the point where the new, six-lane Yamuna Expressway starts, the car was perfectly happy to trundle along at low speeds in traffic.
Connecting Delhi to Agra, the Yamuna Expressway is 165km long and comprises six lanes of smooth, perfectly laid out tarmac – the perfect place to drive the FF. Once on the Expressway, we could finally open the taps on that fearsome Italian V12, which was more than happy to vent its 651bhp fury on the tarmac. Ferrari claims the FF can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 3.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 335km/h. Now, I did not have a stopwatch with me and in any case did not feel the need to put a timer on the FF’s performance. But I can definitely confirm that it accelerates like a .223 Super Short Magnum shot from a Winchester rifle. On my drive, I hit a maximum speed of 300kph and, yes, seeing that number on the speedometer was very satisfying indeed. (Although this isn’t the fastest I’ve ever driven – that would be the BMW M5, in which I’ve done 320kph!)
Bursting with power, the FF’s V12 makes divine noises and sings like only an Italian 12-cylinder engine can. And with more than 650bhp, it hurls you down straights and around corners at speeds that will leave you gaping in disbelief. It almost isn’t an engine, it is 6.3-litres of sheer ecstasy. The gearbox is a 7-speed dual-clutch unit that offers the best of both worlds – the effortless convenience of a full automatic when you want, and ferociously quick (and gloriously noisy!) manual upshifts and downshifts for when you really want to hustle.
Like any other modern Ferrari, the FF was built to go fast. But thankfully, it stops just as hard as it goes – the FF’s sharp, powerful, carbon-ceramic brakes are more than up to the task of hauling the car down from those impolite speeds in double-quick time. And, there is no doubt about this, the FF is an Italian stallion that’s bred for speed – the car really comes alive when ripping along at triple-digit speeds, carving across high-speed bends, drowning its surroundings in an amplified symphony of V12 music. And you can take your wife and kids along, because the FF can seat four people in comfort and even has 450 litres of boot space for luggage. Pulling a lever on the front seats folds them down and slides them forward, after which getting in and out of the car is easy for rear seat passengers.
Another interesting aspect of the FF is its four-wheel-drive setup, the first on a production Ferrari. Engineered to maximize traction and performance on all kinds of terrain and in all kinds of weather conditions (rain, snow etc.), the FF’s 4RM 4WD system is light (up to 50% lighter than conventional 4WD systems), efficient and, for the most part, stays completely invisible. In normal conditions, most of the power is transferred to the rear wheels, via the FF’s very efficient 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which also allows manual shifts via shifter paddles mounted behind the steering wheel. A ‘manettino’ rotary switch with five settings (comfort, sport, track, wet and snow) lets you adjust throttle response, traction control and suspension settings.
The Ferrari FF rides on 20-inch alloy wheels shod with 245/35 (front) and 295/35 (rear) Pirelli P Zero rubber. At high speeds, the steering feels nicely weighted and responsive, and the car remains completely stable under hard braking and lane-changing manoeuvres. On the few fast but gentle bends that we came across, the FF showed no signs of typical 4WD understeer and the handling remained neutral at all times. Let me also admit here, the FF is so dynamically accomplished that pushing the car to its limits – at least on public roads – is simply beyond my driving capabilities.
While it’s now out of production, the Ferrari FF cost an eye-watering Rs 4.12 crore in India back in 2012. But if you were a diamond merchant, an A-list movie star, or an industrialist who wanted a V12-powered four-seater GT/supercar that could whisk you across the country at more than 300kph, the FF was your car. As for me, I’m very grateful for the fact that I actually got to drive one and spend an hour or two with the car. An unforgettable day for me.
The FF was probably one of the more unconventional Ferraris ever made. Powered by a 651 horsepower V12, the Pininfarina-designed FF could seat four people and its ‘shooting brake’ styling was vaguely reminiscent of the BMW M Coupe. The car looked a bit brusque, a bit brutish in photographs but when seen in person, it had undeniable presence. Wherever it was parked, the FF held court with the unassuming nonchalance of supercar royalty, which the FF was.
Here are some excerpts from the article I wrote for Man’s World after driving the Ferrari FF on the Yamuna Expressway:
The FF can safely smirk at whatever crosses its path because of what it carries under its hood – a 6.3-litre, 65-degree V12 that produces a massive 651 horsepower and 683Nm of torque. Get inside the FF’s sumptuous leather-and-carbonfibre-embellished cabin, thumb the engine start button and you’re immediately greeted with a deep rumble, the sound of sheer, unbridled power waiting to be unleashed. To drive, however, the FF is surprisingly non-intimidating – from the parking lot from where I picked up the car to the point where the new, six-lane Yamuna Expressway starts, the car was perfectly happy to trundle along at low speeds in traffic.
Connecting Delhi to Agra, the Yamuna Expressway is 165km long and comprises six lanes of smooth, perfectly laid out tarmac – the perfect place to drive the FF. Once on the Expressway, we could finally open the taps on that fearsome Italian V12, which was more than happy to vent its 651bhp fury on the tarmac. Ferrari claims the FF can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 3.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 335km/h. Now, I did not have a stopwatch with me and in any case did not feel the need to put a timer on the FF’s performance. But I can definitely confirm that it accelerates like a .223 Super Short Magnum shot from a Winchester rifle. On my drive, I hit a maximum speed of 300kph and, yes, seeing that number on the speedometer was very satisfying indeed. (Although this isn’t the fastest I’ve ever driven – that would be the BMW M5, in which I’ve done 320kph!)
Bursting with power, the FF’s V12 makes divine noises and sings like only an Italian 12-cylinder engine can. And with more than 650bhp, it hurls you down straights and around corners at speeds that will leave you gaping in disbelief. It almost isn’t an engine, it is 6.3-litres of sheer ecstasy. The gearbox is a 7-speed dual-clutch unit that offers the best of both worlds – the effortless convenience of a full automatic when you want, and ferociously quick (and gloriously noisy!) manual upshifts and downshifts for when you really want to hustle.
Like any other modern Ferrari, the FF was built to go fast. But thankfully, it stops just as hard as it goes – the FF’s sharp, powerful, carbon-ceramic brakes are more than up to the task of hauling the car down from those impolite speeds in double-quick time. And, there is no doubt about this, the FF is an Italian stallion that’s bred for speed – the car really comes alive when ripping along at triple-digit speeds, carving across high-speed bends, drowning its surroundings in an amplified symphony of V12 music. And you can take your wife and kids along, because the FF can seat four people in comfort and even has 450 litres of boot space for luggage. Pulling a lever on the front seats folds them down and slides them forward, after which getting in and out of the car is easy for rear seat passengers.
Another interesting aspect of the FF is its four-wheel-drive setup, the first on a production Ferrari. Engineered to maximize traction and performance on all kinds of terrain and in all kinds of weather conditions (rain, snow etc.), the FF’s 4RM 4WD system is light (up to 50% lighter than conventional 4WD systems), efficient and, for the most part, stays completely invisible. In normal conditions, most of the power is transferred to the rear wheels, via the FF’s very efficient 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which also allows manual shifts via shifter paddles mounted behind the steering wheel. A ‘manettino’ rotary switch with five settings (comfort, sport, track, wet and snow) lets you adjust throttle response, traction control and suspension settings.
The Ferrari FF rides on 20-inch alloy wheels shod with 245/35 (front) and 295/35 (rear) Pirelli P Zero rubber. At high speeds, the steering feels nicely weighted and responsive, and the car remains completely stable under hard braking and lane-changing manoeuvres. On the few fast but gentle bends that we came across, the FF showed no signs of typical 4WD understeer and the handling remained neutral at all times. Let me also admit here, the FF is so dynamically accomplished that pushing the car to its limits – at least on public roads – is simply beyond my driving capabilities.
While it’s now out of production, the Ferrari FF cost an eye-watering Rs 4.12 crore in India back in 2012. But if you were a diamond merchant, an A-list movie star, or an industrialist who wanted a V12-powered four-seater GT/supercar that could whisk you across the country at more than 300kph, the FF was your car. As for me, I’m very grateful for the fact that I actually got to drive one and spend an hour or two with the car. An unforgettable day for me.
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