German tuning firm Novitec and sports car giant Ferrari has parted up to come up with the latest in terms of size and performance.
The company plans to build just 22 examples of what it’s calling the N-Largo – 11 in coupe form and a further 11 as droptop spiders. But both versions will come with the same customary widened stance, made-to-measure body kit and a major increase in horsepower.
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The N-Largo outputs a massive 772hp, compared with the 670hp that the standard 488 delivers, plus 892Nm (132Nm more) of torque. Together they give the car a 0-100km/h time of 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 342km/h — that’s a 14km/h upgrade.
The global aftermarket tuning and automotive customization industry are one of the reasons Ferrari held out so long before finally calling time on naturally aspirated V8s in favour of turbocharging as a means of maintaining performance while increasing fuel economy.
With turbos already fitted to the engine, turning power up to 11 becomes a comparatively straightforward process. However, for every increase in horsepower, there needs to be an equal increase in air flow, engine cooling, braking or aerodynamic stability, something that a number of companies will overlook.
Thankfully, Novitec isn’t one of them. It has ensured that there is a greater, freer flow of air to the engine bay and the brakes to ensure this extra power delivers extra fun rather than reduced reliability. It’s also why it’s added a new exhaust system and dropped the car’s ride height.
But the best feature is that this boost in performance can be turned off or on via the steering wheel-mounted Manettino switch, further reducing any unnecessary strain on the engine when simply cruising or driving around town for example.
This nod to practicality and protection is also why the car comes with a hydraulic lift kit, to ensure those larger front and rear spoilers don’t clip curbs or get caught on things like speed bumps.
Unfortunately, there is no horizontal equivalent that can pull the car’s sides in on narrower roads; because with the larger front and rear track and carbon fiber body, the N-Largo is 2.09 meters from side to side, in other words, it’s wider than a Range Rover.