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Close your eyes, we're going to play a little automotive word association. Just one round. Think of "malaria" – now what vehicle are you associating with the unfortunate disease? It could only be the Land Rover Defender, the go-anywhere, no-nonsense sport-ute that has probably traveled more malarial swamps and barren deserts than any other vehicle in history. Granted most marketing firms would not recommend that their clients associating their product with a debilitating disease, but this marketing association is geared towards raising funds to eliminate the disease. That's good.

Land Rover Netherlands has teamed up with designer Piet Boon to produce a limited edition Defender. The Dutch designer has added some minimalist details to the truck, equipped with LR's 2.4-liter turbodiesel, in return for €56,900, a portion of which goes towards the Drive Against Malaria foundation. Like the previous Piet Boon Edition of the Range Rover Sport, only 15 will be made available, so if malaria is your cause, you live in Holland, and you're in the market for a new truck, we'd like to meet you better get yours now.

[Source: Piet Boon Design via Land Rover Owner International]

Gallery: Land Rover Defender 90 Piet Boon Edition

If you're a regular reader here on Autoblog, it should come as no surprise that Spyker is in deep financial trouble. The exotic Dutch carmaker was forced to sell off its F1 team, cancel the production of the C12 Zagato supercar and even mortgage its own name.

Never content to go quietly into the night, however, Spyker is on a campaign to raise funds. The latest endeavor has been to court European investors, but negotiations with Lichtenstein-based ACI recently fell through after an initial agreement was signed.

According to reports, Spyker is now in negotiations with Snoras Group, a Lithuanian bank, to fund and potentially acquire stake in the Dutch automaker. Spyker says it has a few other possibilities on tap, and hopefully one of them will come through to rescue the company and its beautifully quirky automobiles.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Honda may have dropped the "BAR" from its name following the full acquisition of the team, but Spyker is planning on picking it up again. Fellow Dutch companies Spyker and Heineken have announced a deal they've got brewing to open an F1 sports bar in the Netherlands. The agreement will also see Heineken served exclusively at all Spyker trackside events, although no mention was made of any sponsor's logos appearing on the car.

Not much is known about what the bar will look like, or where it will be specifically located, but assuming they want to get in on the euphoric bar scene in Holland, it won't be in The Hague. Looks like we'll have one more place to head to in Amsterdam, fellas.

Full press release after the jump.

[Source: Spyker]

It's been almost four years since the Champ Car series has raced in Europe, but organizers are planning on bringing it back. 2003 was the last season the declining American open-wheel series raced in Europe, when French ace Sebastien Bourdais – now three-time Champ champ – won both the races at Brands Hatch in England and the Lausitzring EuroSpeedway in Germany.

The latest reports suggest that the 2007 season will include two new races in Europe, though not at the same venues as previous seasons. On September 2, Champ Cars will be racing around Holland's Assen circuit, a former road track that has since been developed into a full facility. A week later, the second European race will be competing with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza when Champ Cars race at Zolder, once the site of the Belgian Grand Prix.

The two new European venues bring the Champ Car calendar up to a very full 17 races around the world, joined by events in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and China. By comparison, the competing IndyCar series also has seventeen races scheduled for 2007, though the Motegi race in Japan stands alone as the IRL's only race abroad. If you were a driver aiming to climb up the ladder to Formula One, which would you choose?

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

If you're a regular reader here at Autoblog, you'll know that we like aftermarket tuners, and regularly cover some of their finest efforts. Tuners give enthusiasts and buyers a broader range of customizable options than the factory could possibly envision, allowing us to express our individuality and personal taste – or, sometimes, complete lack thereof. But some things you just don't mess with, like a Ferrari. With very few exceptions, messing with the perfection of a Prancing Horse just spells disaster.

This video from Dutch television shows the agonizing step-by-step process of turning the F430, one of the best sports cars ever to grace God's green earth, into a rolling orange abomination that looks more Trick than Treat in its Halloween livery.

It's probably just as well if you can't understand what the narrator and interviewees are saying, because frankly, we don't want to know. Watch at your own risk...not for the faint of heart.

Related post:

• Novitec Rosso's twin-supercharger Ferrari F430 - Autoblog

Dutch financial giant ING is investing heavily in F1 to promote its banking services with the same fast-paced, cutting-edge, dynamic image sought after by every F1 sponsor. However, unlike other companies that start small, ING aims to make a splash that no spectator could miss. There are a number of ways companies can get their name into grand prix racing, and it seems ING has checked all the boxes.

For starters, ING will be the new title sponsor of the reigning world champs Renault, replacing outgoing tobacco company Mild Seven as the French team's principal patron for the next three seasons (at least). That title sponsorship cost Japan Tobacco $60 million for 2006, a sum which was likely exceeded in ING's deal given Renault's back-to-back world titles.

Not enough? ING will also be the title sponsor at the Australian Grand Prix next season, replacing Foster's beer for the next three years. As with the Renault sponsorship, the Melbourne deal will put the bank's moniker in the name of the race: 2007 Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix. ING was also rumored to be assuming title sponsorship of the Belgian Grand Prix – the closest race to its home base – to the same effect as its Australian sponsorship, but ING has dismissed this as pure speculation.

Still not enough? The Dutch bankers have also confirmed that they'll be advertising track-side at no less than twelve grands prix next season, including Australia and Belgium plus Malaysia, Spain, Canada, France, Britain, Germany, Hungary, Italy, China and Japan. That means we'll be seeing the world's top drivers whizzing by the ING lion at more races next year than not.

Now there's corporate presence you can take to the bank.

[Sources: GrandPrix.com and F1i.com]

Spyker-MF1 has struck a deal with Maranello to use Ferrari engines for the 2007 Formula 1 season. The team formerly known as Midland and before that as Jordan was recently purchased by a consortium lead by Spyker, the quirky Dutch exotic carmaker. Autoblog previously speculated on the likelihood of such a deal, as an Emirates crown corporation owns a stake in both companies.

The announcement comes out of Shanghai, where the Chinese Grand Prix weekend is currently underway. The heads of the Spyker team met last week at Ferrari headquarters to strike a deal, but until Saturday, there was still a possibility that they would stick with Cosworth engines for next season.

Ferrari is also expected to provide engines for one of the two Red Bull teams (either Red Bull Racing or Scuderia Toro Rosso), leaving the other to possibly use Cosworth engines or the Northampton, England-based firm could be forced out of F1 without a team to supply.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]