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Symphony of Lust
Novitec Rosso F430 Story Colum Wood
Photos Joost Demuynck
Created from a uniquely Italian passion each and every Ferrari exudes sex
appeal. It is created with a fervor that is evident in every curve of
bodywork, every silky gear shift, every commanding turn of the wheel, every
reaction of the taught chassis and every glorious symphonic orgy that
bellows forth from the lungs of each perfectly created specimen.
It comes as a shock then, that the sexiest Ferrari of them all is one that,
despite being born as an heiress in the Maranello-based family, grew into
the most stunning beauty of them all in the quiet German town of Stetten. An
automotive prep-school for bold Italian girls, Novitec Rosso graduates are
wild and confident women ready for the racetracks and runways of the world.
The engineers and designers at Novitec Rosso understand Ferraris, the
proverbial mounds of clay which they sculpt anew. And for that reason they
go about their craft in a subtle way, choosing not to alter the character of
their subject but instead model it in keeping with its privileged heritage.
“We say that a Ferrari does not normally need to be modified,” says Dirk
Morsdorf, sales director at Novitec Rosso. “But for people who like things a
bit more individual, we have some solutions.”
“We take care not to change the design,” he says, which, with possibly the
exception of the more involved lower rear end, is by all accounts true. “We
like to hear people say it looks like a special model of Ferrari.” It is
also for this reason that NR does not put badges all over the car.
This philosophy has also resulted in a single wheel design that few would
guess is not a factory Ferrari creation. “Many tuners make the same wheels
for lots of different cars, but not us,” says Moersdorf. “We understand that
Ferrari owners want something exclusive and so we produce this one design
[with either a five lug or F1-style center locking mechanism] for only our
Ferraris.”
Despite a cultural stereotype that focuses on function over form and
mathematical precision over artistic privileges, the individuals in charge
of Novitec Rosso chose to follow in the creative footsteps of such famous
German cultural leaders as Beethoven and Goethe, rather than in the
convoluted logical syllogisms of Kant or the depressing and nihilistic
ramblings of Nietzsche.
And Beethoven would be proud. On a closed piece of road only a few minutes
drive from NR headquarters, I hopped out of the passenger seat and Moersdorf
continued on until the road curved and the car disappeared from sight, the
glint of mid-day sun on the F430’s silver paint now hidden behind the trees.
For a second all was quiet. And then I heard it, long before I could see it;
at full throttle the high pitched echo of a fully strung out Ferrari
screaming across the German countryside. With farmer’s fields to the right
and a thickly forested hill on the left, I stood in the middle of the right
lane, at first focusing on the sunshine soaked paint and then at the entire
low slung body, the crescendo continuously increasing in volume and pitch
until the echo and the actual exhaust sound met in an aural rapture that
made me (a man always skeptical of prancing horse fanatics) want to dress
all in red, scream in Italian and wave a giant Ferrari banner.
Moersdorf had little trouble stopping the sexy stallion, with eight-piston
rotors commanding 380mm calipers in front and four-piston rotors coming down
on unusually large 380mm calipers behind. He stopped right in front of me,
rolled down the window and just smiled. “Can you do that again,” I said? And
he did!
Afterward, when I asked Moersdorf about the sound and what sort of a process
Novitec Rosso goes through to perfect it, I was surprised to learn that
there is no process. In fact, the resulting twin supercharged V8 symphony of
lust is simply a by-product of a functional exhaust system.
“These companies that spend so much time and money on perfecting the exhaust
sound,” boasts Moersdorf, “maybe it’s because they aren’t starting with the
right engine.”
The architecture of the car is equally as impressive as the forced induction
composition blasted out of the quad stainless steel exhaust pipes. I know
it’s snobbish to say, but in the Novitec Rosso showroom, the stock F430 just
a few cars over looked rather plain in comparison.
By simply accentuating the dynamic shape of the F430, and by lowering the
entire chassis on a set of Novitec Rosso coilovers specially made by KW, the
car gains a more race-ready appearance. The new front bumper features
intakes which are slightly larger and more angular than the stock design
whereas the sideskirts and the rear bumper are, for the most part, very
close to stock. The rear of the car seems to stand out, however, because of
a single extra line near the bottom of the diffuser and the fact that the
painted material is suddenly visible to the eye rather than left black and
invisible in the shadows under the car (as per the factory unit). The wing
(which does get in the way of the rear view mirror line of sight) gives a
great GT car look and like all the parts on the car is a fully functional
piece wind tunnel tested at the University of Stuttgart.
“If you have to look in the mirror, you’re not moving fast enough,” says
Moersdorf. And when I was handed the keys, after an excruciatingly long day
of staring at what might be the sexiest car in the world, I certainly wasn’t
too concerned with the view from the mirror.
With 636 born-in-Italy, raised-in-Germany horses at my beck and call I was
ready to have some fun, but it was this feisty prep-school graduate that was
going to teach me a few things, not the other way around.
As we strolled down a country lane, I acclimatized myself to the small
intricacies of the machine, feeling out the throttle and brake inputs as
well as the perfectly direct steering. And all from a cockpit position that
practically eliminates any view of the hood, except for soft bulging wheel
arches, set so distantly apart they are almost in my peripheral vision.
Finally we found a quiet stretch on a larger road, where we could really let
loose. Already in motion, I eased into it and was rewarded with surprising
results. Gaining speed at an alarming rate and giving more and more with my
right foot as my fingers flicked the paddles the Ferrari screamed with
excitement and begged for more. Fast approaching 120mph and then exceeding
it, it became apparent the Novitec Rosso F430 wasn’t just good looking, it
liked to go fast. And go fast we did!
The minor asphalt curves cut out of this flat section of German farmland
began to feel larger and larger. At 120mph plus we began to approach speeds
at which anything but minor adjustments can be dangerous and when I began to
fear any sort of surprise switch in direction or change in elevation – I
lifted my right foot. The release was somewhat anticlimactic. As we
decreased in speed I immediately noticed that there would have been room for
more fun. As the land opened up again and the road straightened out I had
several more chances to feel the thrill this exotic beauty delivered, but
every time came up far short of the supercharged V8’s full potential.
Now piloting the Ferrari at a walking pace through a small German village, I
began to relive the moment in my head, taking time to appreciate the details
of the experience. Many of my lasting memories are the sounds, from the
startlingly loud computerized throttle-blip downshifts out on the open road,
to the menacing and drawn-out gasps sucked in through the carbon fiber air
boxes as I drove back up the road to the Novitec Rosso showroom.
It’s a humbling experience to drive a car that can outperform your own
desires, but it’s not without its rewards.
SPECIFICATIONS
2005 FERRARI F430
ENGINE
Ferrari 4.3L V8
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
Novitec Bi-compressor upgrade including two superchargers with individual
oil, watercooled intercoolers, larger capacity injectors, oil cooler;
Novitec carbon airboxes with sport air filters, stainless steel exhaust
system with sport catalysts, carbon fiber side panels in engine bay
