FF (Ferguson Formula) Developments Limited (FFD) was a British company founded by Major A.P.R. (Tony) Rolt to exploit the

4WD Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

technology begun originally at Dixon-Rolt Developments in partnership with Freddie Dixon and, from 1950 at

Harry Ferguson Research Harry Ferguson Research Limited was a British company founded by Harry Ferguson who was mostly known as "the father of the modern farm tractor". He was also a pioneer aviator, becoming one of the first to build and fly his own aeroplane in Irelan ...

. Rolt became Technical Director at

until 1971, when the company was closed down. According to Ward's Auto World the influence that FFD had on

all wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one ...

(AWD) development transcended its size.

History

The company was founded in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed ...

in 1971 by Tony Rolt. to exploit the

technology begun originally at Dixon-Rolt Developments in partnership with Freddie Dixon and, from 1950 at

. FFD developed a number of prototype cars with the aim of selling the technology to car makers, much as Harry Ferguson Research had done after Ferguson's death. This included one of two

Triumph Stag The Triumph Stag is a 2+2 sports tourer which was sold between 1970 and 1978 by the Triumph Motor Company, styled by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti. Design and styling Envisioned as a luxury sports car, the Stag was designed to compet ...

s. One of their first successful conversions was for the

Opel Admiral The Opel Admiral is a luxury car made by the German car manufacturer Opel from 1937 until 1939 and again from 1964 until 1977. Admiral (1937–1939) The first Admiral was introduced early in 1937 at the Berlin Motor Show, although production ...

and

Opel Senator The Opel Senator is a full-size executive car ( E-segment) produced by the German automaker Opel, two generations of which were sold in Europe from 1978 until 1993. A saloon, its first incarnation was also available with a fastback coupé ...

cars used by BRIXMIS in Berlin, followed by Vauxhall-Bedford approved conversions of the

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

CF van. The company also engineered the prototype AMC Eagle, the first mass produced car in the world to feature full-time 4WD. In 1981 Rolt's son,

Stuart Stuart may refer to: Names * Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile *Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Northe ...

, joined the company as Marketing Director, becoming Chief Executive in 1986. In 1983, FFD teamed up with the management of the British branch Schuler Presses to develop an aftermarket conversion for the Range Rover. The result was the

Schuler Super Ranger Schuler, also Schüler, Shuler, and Shuhler, is a surname. The German word ''Schüler'' directly translates to the English word ''scholar'' and can also mean "pupil". Notable people with the surname include: * Anthony Joseph Schuler, American Roman ...

, which could outperform the standard Range Rover on and off-road. The car subsidiary was bought out of the parent company subsequently renamed

Overfinch Overfinch is a company that customises Land Rover and Range Rover cars and is based in Leeds, England. In 2005, Overfinch won the Ford "Special Recognition for Outstanding Achievement in Design" award for the SuperSport styling package. Hist ...

The arrival of the Audi Quattro opened the word's eyes to the advantages of 4WD. This prompted Ford's Bob Lutz to commission a 4WD Ford Sierra, which led to subsequent 4WD Ford models and to licensing of the Ferguson Formula world-wide through patents holder GKN and mass production of the components by GKN German subsidiary Viscodrive Ferguson Formula 4WD was a key element in four Group B rally cars, the Peugeot 205 T16, the Lancia Delta S4, the Ford RS200 and the MG Metro 6R4. It was also used in the Lancia Delta Integrale. In 1990 the company opened an engineering centre in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

.{{cite web, title=Chairman's profile: Stuart Rolt, url=http://www.brdc.co.uk/sub_page.cfm/title/Chairman's%20Profile/section/home/editID/56, publisher=the British Racing Drivers' Club Following its sale to the automotive consultancy group Ricardo in 1994, the company was renamed Ricardo-FFD. Stuart Rolt remained the CEO until 1996.

Projects

* Ford RS200 - FFD built the driveline for all 200 cars * Ford Sierra XR4x4 - FFD partnered with Ford Europe to develop the drivetrain * Jaguar - FFD designed and developed the AWD system used on the Jaguar XJ220 220 mph supercar prototype which was shown for the first time at the 1988 British International Motor Show. Produced the transmission for the production 2WD car. *

Bedford CF2 4x4 Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst th ...

- This was a joint collaboration between Vauxhall Motors and FFD offering automatic four wheel drive, a two speed transfer box and high rise option. * General Motors - FFD designed and developed the AWD system used on the 1990 Chevrolet Astro/GMC Safari van. * McLaren Cars - FFD manufactured the transmission system for the McLaren F1 supercar.

Notes

Auto parts suppliers of the United Kingdom Automotive transmission makers Automotive motorsports and performance companies Technology companies established in 1971