Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne recently promised that Ferrari will not follow Porsche’s lead and chase volume by launching a four-door sedan and a crossover. However, Italian media outlets are reporting the Prancing Horse seriously considered green-lighting a crossover in the late 2000s.
At the time, Ferrari was in the early stages of developing a family-friendly model, a car more practical than other members of its lineup and that could be reasonably driven on a daily basis even in regions where the winters are harsh. Design house Italdesign Giugiaro got word of the project and submitted a life-sized mock-up that looked like a tall, two-door crossover with a shooting brake-like silhouette and a generous amount of ground clearance. Tentatively called F151, the concept was immediately recognizable as a Ferrari thanks to styling cues like elongated headlights, sculpted flanks and round tail lamps.
Giugiaro’s proposal was rejected and Ferrari instead launched the Pininfarina-designed FF in 2011. It wasn’t a crossover and it certainly wasn’t designed to venture off the beaten path, but it marked a milestone in the company’s illustrious history because it came with all-wheel drive and it offered space for four passengers.
The F151 concept remained hidden until recently, though former Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo hinted a Modenese-built off-roader almost happened on the sidelines of last fall’s Paris Motor Show. “Marchionne wanted to build a truck but I talked him out of it,” revealed the executive.
The mock-up is currently owned by an anonymous Ferrari collector in Italy. It has been stripped of all of its Ferrari emblems, the dark-tinted windows hint that it doesn’t have an interior and it goes without saying that it is not functional. Still, it serves as an interesting reminder of what could have been if Ferrari executives had set more ambitious sales targets.
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