Ordinarily a story about a couple of baseball-cap wearing 'yoofs' hooning around the mountains in a pair of four-wheel drive estates would not raise an eyebrow in the Car Enthusiast office. However, when the yoofs in question are Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe and the 'estates' are actually Ferrari FFs we tend to sit up and take notice.
As part of its annual Wrooom retreat/media event Ferrari sent both of its Formula 1 drivers to the top of the Madonna di Campiglio alpine skiing course to highlight the FF's advanced 4 RM all-wheel drive system.
Normally a 660hp V12 and snow would go together like chalk and cheese but thanks to the combination of the four-wheel drive, the Ferrari traction control system (which deals with the constantly changing grip and variable amount of torque on each wheel independently) and the skills of the two drivers, both cars made it down the slalom in one piece. In fact they finish in a scarcely believable dead heat. A video is included below in which you can clearly see Alonso getting very sideways going through the final gate before cutting to a dramatic shot of his front wheel. We can only assume the cut was to edit out the "Felipe, Fernando is faster than you!" message from Rob Smedley.
Afterwards both drivers raved about the FF with Massa saying "The most incredible thing about the car is the fact there is no need to compromise maximum performance and usability, whatever the driving environment. And on top of that, it's perfect for everyday use with the whole family in the car."
17 May: Ford owners with cars using the 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine can now get up to 34 extra horsepower from Superchips. The remap costs £445 including VAT and is covered by a 12-month, 30,000-mile warranty.
16 May: The Porsche Museum is participating in the Mille Miglia recreation from 17-20 May. A 550 Spyder, three 356 Speedsters and a 356 Coupé will tackle the course that runs from Brescia to Rome.
16 May: Four Toyota GT86s and one Lexus LFA will compete in the Nürburgring 24 Hours race this weekend. Gazoo Racing will campaign the LFA and two GT86s, painted in black, white and red. The team has already had two class wins at the circuit with the Lexus. [photo]