You might assume that some cars are either too rare or too expensive to warrant the attention of the aftermarket. Take the Ferrari Monza SP1 and SP2 for example, single- and two-seat roadsters offered only to the most dedicated buyers on Maranello’s Rolodex. They already boast the most powerful V12 engines ever fitted to a street-legal Ferrari and are styled to standout from any crowd ever assembled. Who in their right mind would stand ready with the spanners?
Novitec, that’s who. Proving that there is no corner of the car industry it is prepared to leave unvisited, the German tuner has devised modifications for the Monza. In fairness to it, these alterations centre on mostly unseen components - save the forged wheels - and avoid tinkering with the eye-popping design of either windscreen-shunning roadster.
It has left the God-like 6.5-litre V12 well alone, too. But not the exhaust, which it has swapped out for a tailor-made affair with metal catalysts. It is by virtue of this system, with new headers and reduced back pressure, that Novitec says it has coaxed an additional 34hp from the naturally-aspirated unit, alongside 45lb ft of torque. Incredibly, the video doesn’t give us a taste of what this extra power sounds like, but you’d imagine ‘loud’ - especially if you’ve had the foresight to go with the optionally available actively controlled exhaust flaps.
Of course, you’ll need to figure out what you want your exhaust to be made from, too. Stainless steel or Inconel are the obvious choices. But for anyone really pushing the boat out (which by definition includes anyone tinkering with a Monza) you can have the Inconel system gold plated. Novitec says this optimises thermal protection, but we’d imagine it has a good deal more to do with gold being shiny and nice to look at and not very cheap at all.
Talking of shiny, let’s talk about those wheels. They are made by US manufacturer Vossen and are supplied exclusively to Novitec. Naturally, they are forged and despite being 21-inch at the front and 22-inch at the back, the tuner says they contribute to a svelter unsprung mass. They are large in every sense (335/25 at the rear) and the staggered sizes work to emphasise ‘the wedge shape’ of the car. Neither Monza needs any help in this respect, but equipping your car with Novitec sports springs will lower it an additional 35mm just in case.
The tuner claims a wafer-thin improvement in acceleration time thanks to the increase in output, although the Monza needed no help in justifying its claim to being one of the quickest cars ever made. It’s hard to imagine any buyer being disgruntled with their personalised interior either, but Novitec is on hand here, too, and says it can tailor any aspect of the cockpit to an owner’s personal taste. Gold, it is then.
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