Bicycles

Fahrradi Farfalla FFX could just be the world's slowest supercar

Fahrradi Farfalla FFX could just be the world's slowest supercar
It sure looks like a Ferrari special edition
It sure looks like a Ferrari special edition
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It sure looks like a Ferrari special edition
1/10
It sure looks like a Ferrari special edition
Something is clearly wrong with those wheels
2/10
Something is clearly wrong with those wheels
The front-end looks very similar to the Enzo or FXX, but the rear takes us in a different direction
3/10
The front-end looks very similar to the Enzo or FXX, but the rear takes us in a different direction
Pity the poor gent driving behind the FFX
4/10
Pity the poor gent driving behind the FFX
No leather seats or carbon fiber accents here
5/10
No leather seats or carbon fiber accents here
The FFX uses around 200 LED lights
6/10
The FFX uses around 200 LED lights
The winged doors help lend to the "Farfalla" name
7/10
The winged doors help lend to the "Farfalla" name
The glass roof gives a peak into the aluminum frame
8/10
The glass roof gives a peak into the aluminum frame
Not nearly as fast as it looks
9/10
Not nearly as fast as it looks
650 hp? Try 2 hp* (*human power)
10/10
650 hp? Try 2 hp* (*human power)
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Look quickly at the Fahrradi Farfalla FFX and you might mistake it for a limited edition Ferrari. Scan a little more closely, though, and you'll notice the thin, hollow wheels and barren interior. Something is certainly amiss, and it's because the FFX isn't one of the world's most exotic supercars. It's one of the world's most exotic bicycles.

With four wheels, it's technically a quad-cycle. It's modeled after some of Ferrari's most powerful supercars, with clear Enzo and FXX influence, but it doesn't offer a single horsepower of its own. Instead, it offers up to 2 human power in the form of a pair of pedals, cranks and gears.

The FFX is the latest creation of MT Racing, where the slogan "Millionaires Snail Luxury" gives you an idea of what's going on. It's the successor to the firm's original supercycle – the Porsche-aping Ferdinand GT3 RS. MT appears to be a venture of artistic, intellectual types (Austrian hipsters judging by their images and ad nauseum use of irony) as opposed to gearheads, which explains why the mechanics of their "cars" have more in common with 12-speeds than supercars.

While the pointed nose and deep nostrils on the FFX are clearly related to the Enzo/FXX, the car isn't a simple replica. Instead, it pulls influence from both real cars and design studies, creating what MT Racing calls an "anticipation of a future top model of an actually existing automobile brand." The brand is clearly Ferrari, and the designers add modern Ferrari design language like the 458-like vertical headlamps. We'll see how accurate its prognostication is when Ferrari introduces the Enzo successor.

The front-end looks very similar to the Enzo or FXX, but the rear takes us in a different direction
The front-end looks very similar to the Enzo or FXX, but the rear takes us in a different direction

Inside, one or two "drivers" sit atop the tubular aluminum frame and pedal their way around town with the use of an 11-speed hub gearbox. Thanks to an even greater transmission ratio than the Ferdinand GT3 RS, MT Racing is effective in making the FFX even slower than its predecessor, a "serious rival for pedestrians in street traffic." It can race pedestrians day or night thanks to the use of around 200 ultra-bright LEDs in its lighting system.

MT Racing has nearly as much fun playing with language as it does with bending the rules of auto design. The Fahrradi name is a pairing of the German Fahrrad, which means bicycle, and an "i" that simultaneously takes influence from Apple's infamous "i" and plays phonetically on Ferrari. The Farfalla is taken from the Italian "butterfly" and references part of the drive mechanism. Rather than something straightforward like a "pedaled supercar," MT categorizes the FFX as a [human] "muscle car."

No leather seats or carbon fiber accents here
No leather seats or carbon fiber accents here

The Fahrradi Farfalla FFX is currently on display at the Lentos Museum of Art in Linz, Austria. MT Racing doesn't indicate if it plans to put this functional sculpture up for sale, so no word on how the price of a pedaled supercar one-off compares to the real thing.

You can watch some hot footage of the FFX in the video below. Just be prepared to sit through repetitive "vrooms" and other forms of exaggerated visual and audio jokes. Depending upon your disposition, it may be humorous and whimsical or gratingly annoying and overdone.

Source: MT Racing via AutoGuide

next SUPERCAR - FAHRRADI FARFALLA FFX

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10 comments
10 comments
Jon A.
It's not a quadricycle, it's a pedal-car.
Henry Van Campa
This would have been a good choice for me as I have the unofficiel record of riding accross New Zealand on human power with the slowest time! I did top of North Island in 1992 on my touring bicycle and last year I completed the rest doing South Island and Bottom of North Island with my recumbent trike in 6 months. In between I had a paragliding accident and spent some time in the wheel chair until learned to walk again and pedal using my feet again! You find more info by googling my user name :)
VoiceofReason
The video is incredibly annoying. Whomever is making those V-12 growling sounds....shut up. It's a pedal car, we get it. A few shots of someone actually pedaling it would be nice instead of 4 minutes of it going in and coming out of the trailer, and a few feet down the road.
Now, if you actually want to sell a few. Make it a convertible.
Alexander Lowe
What is the body made from?
Jon Smith
The narrow wheels completely ruin the illusion making the whole exercise pointless.
Nantha
This is far more dangerous than you think. From afar a speeding driver thinks it is a ferrari or other sportscar. Although perception tells him this vehicle is too slow, the other part of the mind still thinks it is a supecar. The end result would be horrific rear end collisions. I don't think this is a good idea.
Frank van Schie
@ Nantha Most people judge a vehicle by its speed. A supercar can go slowly, and if so, should be braked for. If not at 200 meters, then at 100 meters, or at 50.
It's not like a 'car' like this will be on the highway.
Marcus Carr
@Frank, it'll either be on the road and going more slowly than traffic, or on a bike lane, confusing everyone. Either way, it's a dumb idea and will be a pain in the ass.
dink
Two peddlers is just shy of 2/3rds of a hp.