The Automobiliac Proposes Vol. # 5: Ferrari FF
Friday, January 21, 2011 at 12:22PM The newest addition to Ferrari's illustrious stable was announced today, along with the requisite press images. First, the good stuff! They totally NAILED the proportions! The car has a low, sleek profile that befits a Ferrari Grand Tourer, and the surfacing is more restrained compared to the California, which is its closest styling relative. I really like the shooting brake format (some have compared it to the famous Le Mans "Breadvan" but I think it looks more like a Z4 coupe.) I also like that Ferrari is going with a 4WD concept for the first time. ;)
However, when you get the front of the car, you realize we're dealing with a "butterface" here (Does FF stand for Fugly Face?). The traditional "egg crate" grill is overscaled, and the central air intake is way too large, recalling Peugeot concept cars of the last 10 years. There is no subtlety or grace to the grill and it comes off like a frog with a stupid grin and braces. The sculpting on the hood is nice, and although the designers referenced the headlight clusters of the 458 Italia, they only went halfway. The lights on the Italia are for more successful.
In my proposal, I did away with the toothy egg crate grill (not every Ferrari has to have one--see also F40) and changed the opening to be smaller and more aggressive, with a slight lip around the opening. I also subtly modified the headlights, adding "tear ducts" more akin to the 458, and I think this tweak alone makes an enormous difference in balancing the composition. I still think many other grill opening shapes could be successful, but I definitely like mine more than what they did. You be the judge!
Ferrari FF, breadvan, front end, grill, photoshop, ugly in The Automobiliac Proposes
Reader Comments (6)
I love it they finally made up for the terrible california design
You are quite right about this car: the side elevation is handsome, a big improvement on the BMW coupe that it recalls. The back is nice as well, although one would like to improve it by replacing the silly round tail-lights with ones that fit neatly into those spaces -- you did something similar on another Ferrari a while back. The front is ugly, as you say. Is there any reason, on the other hand, why it couldn't have an egg-crate with cross-pieces thin and close together (smaller eggs) in your new, smaller grille opening like early Vignale and Pinin Farina Ferraris? The fronts of all recent Ferraris that I can think of have been ugly, or at the very least could stand radical improvement. Why did they go wrong?
I like the before.
Can you do a mock-up of the original with a blonde wig on top? If so, I think it'll totally look like that hot chick from high school with braces.
Ah, memories.
Way to big. This is as big as an SUV and is the largest Ferrari ever. Its like Ferrari wants to get as close to an SUV as possible without accually making one.
Your front end looks more generic, although it does look slightly better.
Tom Tanner/Ferrari Expo 2011-Chicago March 19th 2011
I like the after. Car Looks great, but I LOVE the Z3 Coupe, especially in //M spec.