Luca di Montezemolo is already president of Ferrari and chairman of the entire Fiat group, but he isn't about to stop there. Together with Diego della Valle from the famous driving-shoemaker Tod's, the hereditary Marquis di Montezemolo is investing in a new company called Nuovo Transporto Viaggiatori (NTV) that plans to start a new high-speed rail service across Italy with a new train design that could put the final nail in Alitalia's coffin.

Called the Automotrice à Grande Vitesse (AGV -French for "high-speed self-propelled carriage"), the new bullet train is being built by Alstom, the same company that built the French TGV. But the newer Italian version will use even more efficient engines, located right in the train cars, eliminating the need for a separate locomotive. The AGV is anticipated to reach speeds of 225 mph, which could rival the Enzo and the F2008 for the fastest vehicle Montezemolo has ever thrown his weight behind.

[Source: NYT Wheels]

Faster than a Speeding Ferrari: Montezemolo invests in Italian TGV originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.