Until Ferrari builds an SUV, you'll have to make do with the incredible FF

Ferrari. All about very fast, very sexy, very Italian, and very red cars, right? Of course, but for its entire history, Ferrari has been devoted to a single, very pure idea: We create race cars for the road. Sure, there have been some offbeat experiments and cars designed to appeal to a broader audience. But of late the track has guided the brand.

However, in the luxury car business these days, you need to build something other than two-door sports cars with giant engines. You need to build an SUV. And in the Ferrari FF, we get a sneak preview of what the good people in Maranello think a Ferrari SUV should be. It should be a two-door all-wheel-drive high-performance touring car!

Now that Ferrari has staged an IPO, there may be extra pressure to join the luxury SUV party. We haven't heard anything about a forthcoming Ferrari truck, however. So, until then, the FF is your baby.

I spent a few days last winter with Ferrari's first all-wheel drive car, a $375,000 example in silverstone grey. Let just say I'm not sure why you would want an SUV if you could have one of these. But read on ...