FF - Jensen ahead of Ferrari
09/16/2011
Today, the whole world marvels at the Ferrari FF, a comparatively practical all-wheel-drive front-engined super sports station wagon. Yet the first car of this type was already available in 1966, namely the Jensen FF, which not only anticipated the two letters in the model designation, but also the drive concept and the practical design.
In technical terms, the Jensen FF was a pioneer, the first production car with permanent all-wheel drive. The drive concept came from tractor manufacturer Harry Ferguson and had already been tested in a Formula 1 vehicle (Ferguson P99). The Jensen FF also already had an anti-lock braking system (Dunlop Maxaret).
All this technology made the vehicle very expensive and there was only a right-hand drive version, as the development of an additional left-hand drive version was too expensive.
In principle, Switzerland was an ideal market for the FF, and importer Edgar Schwyn was therefore able to sell a whole series of vehicles. However, when customers traded in their vehicles after one or two years and bought a new one , nobody wanted to buy the used FFs, which were known for their astronomical fuel consumption. The exclusive sports cars stood and stood. Edgar Schwyn then drove the cars back to England on his vacations, where the used car price was higher, partly because of the standard right-hand drive.
The Jensen FF was not a commercial success; around 320 units were sold between 1966 and 1971. But the car was definitely a pioneering achievement!
