German tuning haus Novitec Rosso know better than to mess with the styling of Alfa Romeo's 8C Spider, arguably the prettiest car on the road. They certainly wouldn't be able to improve on this classic shape with any blingy add-ons or musclecar bulges.
But what the Germans are very good at is precision engineering and painstaking attention to detail, so most of what these performance junkies have done is under the skin.
Into that already-crowded engine bay they've shoe-horned a blower - not a turbo, a supercharger, for instant response - based on the package they developed for the Maserati GT.
It includes a water-to-air intercooler with its own radiator, special fuel-injectors, a stainless-steel, high-performance exhaust system and a re-mapped engine control module.
All of which has boosted the output of the 8C's 4.7-litre V8's by a whopping 33 percent, from 335 to 448kW at 7300rpm, with torque up to 588Nm at 5400rpm. And that, says Novitec Rosso with typical Germanic precision, will reduce the 8C's 0-100 sprint time from 4.2sec to 3.9sec and increase its top speed from 290 to 305 km/h.
The only exterior upgrades it offers are bigger rims: 21" in front with 255/30 ZR 21 Pirellis and 22" hoops at the rear with 315/25 ZR 22 rubber, totally understated in silver or black. Also available are racing-style coil-over dampers with threaded height adjustment and, if you ask nicely, Novitec Rosso will upgrade the interior with mixed leather/alcantara trim.