 Transaxle 2
We've already had a case of a transaxle drive as an all-wheel drive. Here comes a second, completely different solution to the problem. You would normally have to mechanically transfer the torque to the dual-clutch
transmission at the rear and then from its output back to the front axle. In contrast to the V6 in the Nissan in the previous chapter, however, a V12 is at work here.
So Ferrari saved itself the hassle of shafts. The first thing you notice about the solution is that the engine is positioned relatively far behind the front axle. This makes it possible to install a two-speed gearbox in front of the
crankshaft. So instead of running the entire drive train from the engine to the rear axle drive, the system starts right at the front.
It sounds incredibly simple, but it's actually quite brave. The rpm of the crankshaft is anything but comparable to that at the gearbox output at the back. You would therefore need the entire gearbox again in front of the
engine. Instead, you only take two gears, the second and fourth.
It is only 17 cm long and is driven by gears from the crankshaft. Its output shaft drives the housing of a double diaphragm clutch via a bevel gear, visible at the front right behind the hydraulic unit. Each of the two drive shafts
can now be driven separately with a certain slip.
This is also extremely necessary, because of course the second gear at the front does not match the first gear at the back and the fourth gear at the front does not match the third gear at the back. The two diaphragm
clutches have to compensate for this and also for inequalities between the wheels. A wet clutch naturally handles work with potentially greater slip in the long term better than a dry one.
Above fourth gear, the two-speed transmission switches to neutral. An additional drive for the front axle is then no longer considered necessary. As long as it is present, the front wheels can even be operated individually by
the respective diaphragm clutch in the sense of torque vectoring. A correspondingly controllable limited-slip differential is available.
The aim of minimizing the forward mass shift as much as possible in view of the twelve-cylinder engine was achieved and the additional unladen weight was kept to a minimum at just 35 kg. The four seats also fit the four-
wheel drive in terms of wordplay, hence the name 'FF', which is derived from English.
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