Autoblog

It takes a special kind of customer to take their exotic Italian supercar to Novitec. Starting off with some of the all-around best-performing automobiles ever to grace God's green earth, Novitec rips them apart in an effort to try and make them "more perfect". So what's such a customer to do when he needs to take the family along? If their mods to the Alfa Romeo 159 weren't enough, Novitec has now turned their attention to the sublime Maserati Quattroporte.

[Source: Motor Authority]

As if Ferrari needed any help promoting its brand, they've gone and hired Dany Bahar. During his tenure at Red Bull, the intrepid Turk transformed the energy drink company from a simple sponsor into team owners, first acquiring Red Bull Racing from Ford when Jaguar's F1 team went bust, then going in on an unprecedented second team – Scuderia Toro Rosso – and even spearheading Toyota's entry into NASCAR in a team owned by... you guessed it, Red Bull. Bahar also orchestrated the deal that brought Ferrari power to Red Bull last season and to STR for 2007.

Bahar left Red Bull way back in February, and it didn't take long before the rumors of his defection to Maranello started flying around like a club-going teenager jacked up on taurine. Although the speculation initially indicated that Bahar would assume a role at the Scuderia, Ferrari announced that he'd be put in charge of a new department that will operate alongside the racing team and road-car divisions, and report directly to the CEO.

With the construction of the Ferrari World theme park already under way, the company's merchandizing efforts already seem to be at full tilt. It'll be interesting, therefore, to see what new direction Bahar takes the brand.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

Thousands apply every year to get an American passport, and likely just as many pursue European Union documents. The Swiss passport is said to be one of the most sought-after in the world, but we've come across a different passport that we'd rather have. It's more exclusive, gives you access to the best places and gets you around fast. It's not issued by an independent country, but might as well be: the Rosso Passport, only from Ferrari.

Our friend Carlos Cristofalo at the Argentina Auto Blog (no relation, although the resemblance is uncanny, we know) was interviewing former F1 driving ace José Froilán Gonzalez, who during his 1950's racing career drove five seasons for Scuderia Ferrari, another three for Officine Alfieri Maserati, scored 13 grand prix podium finishes, including two checkered flags, and drove to victory in 1954 at Le Mans. During the course of the interview, Gonzalez pulled out a small, scarlet-covered booklet which was presented to him by Ferrari upon his retirement.

According to Gonzalez, Maranello doesn't give these away very freely, and with good reason. The Ferrari passport gives its bearer entrance to the factory, unrestricted access to all the restricted areas, and no-questions-asked carte blanche to borrow any of the cars in the factory's fleet. Just, er...bring it back in one piece, please?

The one question lingering on our minds now is, who do we have to marry to get one of these?

[Source: Argentina Auto Blog]

It's a sad state of affairs when the pure talent of a racing driver isn't enough to advance his career. In the case of Sebastien Bourdais, the top teams on the F1 grid have apparently been blind to his domination in Champ Cars, as our favorite Frenchman (okay, second favorite, after Talladega Nights arch-villain Jean Girard) looks like he's headed for his fourth consecutive title in the open-wheel series.

Enter Nicholas Todt, who is out to change Bourdais' fortunes and secure him a drive for the 2008 Formula One season. The fellow Frenchman did wonders for Felipe Massa, who started out at Sauber (then powered by Ferrari), then took a test seat at Ferrari (where Nick's dad Jean is king), before moving him back to Sauber (still with Ferrari engines) to race for another season, before taking the race seat at Ferrari alongside Schumacher. Now Massa is a contender for the title.

Nicholas Todt has now signed on to manage Bourdais' racing activities in Europe. In between ChampCar races, Bourdais is driving at Le Mans for Peugeot, and has been testing for Scuderia Toro Rosso. Todt has reportedly arranged for the talented 28-year-old driver to test again for the STR, which uses engines supplied by (you guessed it) Ferrari, and the rumors are that they might have secured a race seat with the squad for next season.

Could Bourdais prove to be the next star "rookie" in F1? Time will tell, we hope, but this proven entity is no rookie. Shame he'll have to start from the back of the grid, but his apparent willingness to do so only confirms his determination.

Related post:
F1 is missing out on Sebastein Bourdais

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

Nobody defines the terms "wretched excess" and "gilding the lily" quite like Novitec. Whereas countless other aftermarket tuners make their mark by transforming ordinary road cars into fire-breathing monsters, Novitec starts with the already-hottest-performing cars to grace black asphalt and then endeavors to improve upon them. In this case, the German tuning house is improving upon its own improvements with the Novitec Rosso Ferrari F430 Bi-Compressor Evoluzione.

"Evoluzione" is the magic word in both the Ferrari and Novitec houses, denoting the ludicrous taken to the extreme. (Think of insane examples like the Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione and you're on the right track.) In this case, the latest release from Novitec Rosso starts with their previous twin-supercharged 636-horsepower F430 and raises the stakes by an additional 20 horses, bringing total output up to an Enzo-rivaling 656hp.

In addition to the power spike – resulting from the twin Rotrex superchargers, intercoolers and remapped ECU – Novitec arms its monstrous creation with a full aerodynamic package, wheel and tire upgrade, bigger brakes, beefed-up suspension and the works. If you're the kind of customer who'd be interested in improving upon a Ferrari in the first place, chances are you'd likely be up for re-doing the interior, and Novitec offers a full range of custom leather retrofits that will turn the rare into the positively unique.

Want more? We've got the technical specs after the jump, and a batch of images in the gallery below.

[Source: Novitec via Carscoop]

Gallery: Novitec F430 Evo

The last racing seat has finally been confirmed for the 2007 Formual One season, as Scott Speed stays on with Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull's back-marker B-team once known as Minardi. Lead by former F1 driver Gerhard Berger, Toro Rosso seemed to have been playing a twisted little game of waiting as long as possible to make the announcement, finally tipping their hand at the bottom of a testing session press release to ensure it gets the least attention possible.

While Speed remains the only American driver in F1, other countries are well represented. British fans have four drivers on the grid to support, plus two test drivers. While Takuma Sato remains the only Japanese driver on the grid, Nippon-backed teams Toyota, Williams and Super Aguri (with the notable exception of Honda) have stacked their testing rosters with four more Japanese pilots. Four German testers join four drivers in the post-Schumacher era. Italy has four on the grid and another in the garage. Two drivers and two testers compete for the attention of Brazilian fans. Even the Dutch are back with one driver and two testers.

With the unstartling revelation, the full grid for the 2007 Formula One season is now confirmed, as every other team has already announced its driver line-up (save for Toro Rosso's test drivers).

Follow the jump for the full roster.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

Red Bull has finally confirmed the engine suppliers for both its F1 teams – Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso – for next season and beyond.

Last season, Ferrari supplied the engines to the main Red Bull team, while the second squad, Toro Rosso, was powered by engines from independent supplier Cosworth. Ferrari was hoping to power both teams for next season, and keep Red Bull Racing, with veteran drivers David Coulthard and Mark Webber already confirmed, from posing too great a challenge to the boys in red. But newly-crowned Ferrari CEO Jean Todt can't always get what he wants, as Red Bull switches to Renault power for 2007.

Toro Rosso (formerly Minardi) will become even more authentically Italian, motivated by Ferrari power for 2007 and 2008 with an option for 2009. STR is run by former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger, but struggles to escape the back of the field. Last year the team also fielded Italian driver Tonio Liuzzi, but they've yet to announce their line-up for next season.

Had Ferrari secured deals with both Red Bull teams, their engines would be in over a third of the cars on the grid next year, including their own as well as the Spyker cars which switch from Toyota to Ferrari power for next season. Maranello already secured special dispensation from the FIA to supply engines to two teams, and that should be enough to gain extra testing data and support from the back of the field as Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa fight for the title.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]