Ferrari FF 6.3 Review
Fast Four-ward

While Ferrari’s most widely known models are its mid-engine V8 berlinettas like the F430 and 458 Italia, the supercar brand is also synonymous with 2+2 GT coupes throughout history. In recent times, Maranello’s 2+2 GT models include the 412, 456 and the 612 Scaglietti.

While the 456 was a beautiful car thanks to its evocative curves and lines, the 612 was hardly pretty and it was also commonly mistaken for a lengthened 599GTB Fiorano. Production of the 612 stopped in 2010 and Ferrari introduced a new 2+2 GT last year at the Geneva Motorshow. Shockwaves were sent throughout the motoring world the moment the new model; the FF was unveiled in Geneva. The FF might be a 2+2 GT like the 612 and 456 but it was different in concept and execution from previous 2+2 GTs from Maranello. It is the first ever Ferrari to be offered with all-wheel drive and then there’s the most controversial aspect of the car – the styling.

Styled by Pininfarina, the FF’s body style and overall styling seems to have taken inspiration from shooting brake models that were built by custom coachbuilders in the past. Up front the FF features the typical long bonnet of a front engine Ferrari GT. The shape of the egg crate grille is traditional Ferrari while the ‘hockey stick’ shaped headlamps are cues that it shares with the 458 Italia. It is aft of the B-pillar where the FF’s styling strongly divides opinion.

The gently sloping roofline extends to the rear of the car and instead of a gently sloping rear windscreen that meets a regular boot line at the rear, the FF features a less rakish hatch to access the boot. It is this unique rear end styling that makes the FF adopt the profile of a shooting brake rather than the more traditional 2+2 GT coupe. The haunches on the rear wings give the FF a wider stance and hence, a muscular feel to its overall look. The FF’s styling also seems to draw inspiration from Ferrari’s own ‘breadvan’ GT race cars like the 250GT SWB Drogo that raced at Le Mans in the 1960s.

With such unconventional styling, the FF’s looks divide opinion like no other recent Ferraris – you either love or loathe the way it looks. Personally, I think it’s a dramatic looking car that features well-judged proportions. The FF might look unconventional but it certainly looks less awkward than its 612 Scaglietti forebear.