VIDEO: Car Magazine’s ‘Oh F…’ Moment when Journo Breaks Ferrari FF

Automobile accidents can and will always happen, but it’s one thing denting your personal ride and another when you smash a £227,026 [equal to about US$367,000 or €260,000] loaner car from Ferrari. And that’s exactly what happened to Car Magazine’s reviewer Jethro Bovingdon during a test drive with the brand new Ferrari FF when he came in contact with a kerb.
Here’s what the British magazine had to say about the incident: “Car had a small altercation with the scenery when we drove the new Ferrari FF.” As you can see in the video after the break, Bovingdon, who was taping himself at the time of the mishap, used a far more expressive language [NSFW, mind you].
Unfortunately, up until now, we don’t have any photos or a video showing the damage to the Ferrari FF.

Source: Car Magazine via Jalopnik

VIDEO

Ferrari Shows us How it Made the FF Promotional Video

The impressive video of the Ferrari FF has garnered close to 750,000 views on YouTube in one month, thanks to its spicy ingredients such as a new Ferrari model, spectacular scenes shot in scenic parts of the world and a majestic soundtrack.
Now Ferrari released another video that gives us a behind the scenes look at how the promotional footage was made. So if you've ever wondered how did they did it, now’s the chance to find out. After watching the video, we believe some Hollywood movies might have been cheaper to make than the FF short film. Check out the ‘Making of’ video along with two more official clips of the FF right after the break.

By Dan Miahlascu

VIDEOS

Ferrari’s Website Celebrates Italy’s 150th Anniversary with Special Wallpaper

Internet users visiting Ferrari’s official website today were greeted by a modified home page with a special wallpaper featuring a green FF, a white 458 Italia and this year’s F1 race car in red, which combine to make a motoring version of the Italian flag. This is Ferrari’s online way of celebrating the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification. In addition, the automaker said that the window displays in the forty Ferrari Stores spread around the globe were decked out in the colors of the Italian flag.

“Representing Italy on the race tracks and the car markets around the world is a reason for all the men and women who work at Ferrari to feel proud,” commented Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo. “We chose to dedicate the name of our Formula 1 car, the 150° Italia to this anniversary and this makes all of us feel even more motivated as we go about our daily work. We hope that everyone in our country is living through today in the same spirit.”

Link: Ferrari

Ferrari Video Explains how the FF's 4WD System Works

The Ferrari FF has attracted a lot of attention at this year's Geneva Motor Show, mostly for its shooting-brake shape and top-of-the-range status. But for tech lovers, what really stands out about this car is the four-wheel-drive system under its skin, a first for a series production Ferrari model. Understanding how the system works beats everything else for engineering geeks, so Ferrari has offered us a detailed video on the 4WD system.

As the company previously stated, the 4RM configuration weighs 50 percent less than conventional four-wheel-drive systems and doesn't affect the ideal weight distribution (53/47 rear/front). When grip is high, torque is sent to the rear wheels only, as with any other Ferrari.

But when slippery conditions arise, the system automatically sends torque to the front wheels via a front-mounted transfer case called “Power Transfer Unit” (PTU). This takes power directly from the crankshaft (and not the rear-mounted gearbox) sending it to the front wheels through two clutches that also ensure the torque vectoring function. Sounds complicated? The video below explains it better.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

Ferrari FF and Lamborghini Aventador Both Sold Out for their First Year of Production

They are two of the most hotly anticipated and talked about cars at this week's 2011 Geneva International Motor Show. We're talking of course about the Ferrari's first ever four-wheel drive model, the FF, and Lamborghini's replacement for the Murcielago, the Aventador LP700-4.

Though catering to different tastes and needs, these two supercars have something in common, and we're not referring to their Italian roots nor their twelve-cylinder powerplants, but to the fact that both are sold out for their first year of production even before they arrive in showrooms across the world.

"We have already sold all 800 Ferrari FFs planned to be produced in 2011," Ferrari CEO Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said at the Geneva Motor Show. The four-seater, golf bag-loving FF comes with a 660-horsepower strong 6.3-liter V12 engine and carries a base sticker of €260,000 or about US$360,000 at today's exchange rates.

The VW Group's flagship Lamborghini model is powered by a 6.5-liter V12 engine pushing out 700HP and is priced at $370,000 or €267,200.

Source: Reuters & Businessweek

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Report: Ferrari said to Skip 599 Facelift and Bring All-New Model Based on the FF in 2012

It seems the success of the Ferrari FF, the production of which for this year has already been sold out, will affect the 599 GTB Fiorano as well. But in a good way, since it is being reported that Ferrari has cancelled the original plans for a 599 facelift and instead build an all-new car as a replacement. The plan was revealed by Motor Trend magazine, which noted that the new car will be derived from the FF featuring a mightier punch in the performance division. Ferrari plans to launch the new car in late 2012.

The car's naturally aspirated V12 engine will reportedly develop around 700 horsepower and will be based on the FF's 6.3-liter unit, using direct injection in order to be more fuel-efficient than the current 599. Aside from the power increase of around 80 horsepower, the 599's successor will be also lighter, due to the use of an aluminum frame made up of 20 different alloys.

It seems Ferrari will stick with aluminum, although Lamborghini and McLaren have switched to carbon fiber. The magazine quotes Ferrari technical director Roberto Fedeli who admits the car will use some composite panels as well.

The new 599 will make use of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a multi-link rear axle as is the case with the California, 458 and FF. The car will also benefit from the fitting of an electronic differential on the rear-axle, which will allow for greater handling flexibility according to the Manettino's position.

In tune with its performance-oriented character, the 599 replacement will not have all-wheel-drive like the FF. However, AWD could be offered as an option on the California in 2013.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Geneva 2011: Ferrari FF's Show-Official Debut [Updated Gallery]

By now we've all heard and read about Ferrari's FF shooting brake GT. With the Geneva International Motor Show under way, there are now some live shots of Maranello's newest stallion. For all the official info and specs feel free to check out our previous posts; after all, you're really here for a recap of the basics and some live shots from the land of money, milk, and honey.

Much like its forbear, the 612 Scaglietti, the Ferrari FF gets a mid/front-mounted V12 and 4 seats to meet the demands of Ferrari families worldwide. The FF's engine, however, is a world first: a GDI 6.3-liter V12 (660 hp at 8,000 RPM ; 683 Nm/504 lb-ft at 6,000 RPM) unit mated to a 7-speed F1 DCT and Ferrari's 4RM all-wheel drive system.

With these numbers, Ferrari's new GT can reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds on the path to 335 km/h (208 mph).

Just for kicks, Ferrari also threw in a 1,280 Watt/16-channel Dolby sound system and TVs in the headrests. Some lucky kids out there are going to be having a straight ballin' time on the way to school.

By Phil Alex

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