Ferrari FF first year's production sold out

Ferrari S.p.A. said the first year of production of its new FF is sold out and customers who order the model now will receive their cars in the second half of 2012.

Ferrari will limit production of the four-seat FF, the luxury sports car maker's first four-wheel-drive model, to 800 units a year. The FF sells for 260,000 euros ($368,700) in Italy, where it goes on sale in May.

Production is currently ramping up and is expected to reach its full speed of 70 units a month by June.

Ferrari says it has already 800 orders of the FF after the company began private previews with potential customers in mid-January.

The FF, which stands for Ferrari Four, replaces the company's 612 Scaglietti flagship.The FF is marginally bigger and roomier than the Scaglietti but weighs the same at 1790kg despite adding fwd.

Ferrari has been working for almost a decade on the innovative, lightweight 4wd system that debuts on the FF.

"Our 4wd system weighs about 45kgs (99 pounds), half of traditional 4wd systems which, to transfer torque to the front wheels in 4wd mode, need a central and a front differential," said Andrea Binotti, chief engineer for the FF, at the car's press launch here.

Ferrari's system, called 4RM, adds a second, smaller, two-gear gearbox in front of the engine to transfer torque to the front wheels.

The main gearbox, a seven-speed dual-clutch unit, is mounted in a transaxle design in the rear to power the rear wheels.

The 4RM keeps an almost perfect weigh balance in the car, with 47 percent of weight on the front axle and 53 percent on the rear axle.

Ferrari product marketing director Marco Valentini said the FF, the world's fastest four-seat model, "creates a segment of its own because no other competitors match the model for roominess and all-round versatility."

Pininfarina S.p.A. designed a shooting brake-style body for the FF, which has a station wagon-shaped tailgate that gives access to an extremely roomy cargo area of 450 liters, rising to 800 liters with the rear seats folded down.

Italdesign-Giugiaro S.p.A. penned the FF interior and also performed some body engineering for the FF project.

By Luca Ciferri- Automotive News