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Tuning outfit Novitec Rosso has worked over nearly every recent Ferrari, and the company has now turned its attention to the 458 Italia. The result, which appears at the 2011 Geneva auto show, has racy looks (some might call them tacky) and a neck-snapping 601 hp.

Novitec Rosso tweaked the powertrain with a new exhaust system (said to be 46 pounds lighter than the stock setup) and a carbon-fiber airbox, and it reprogrammed the engine-management software with new ignition and injection mapping and to achieve a higher redline. Peak output from the 4.5-liter V-8 now is 601 hp at 9100 rpm and 420 lb-ft at 5400, compared to 562 hp at 9000 rpm and 398 lb-ft at 6000 rpm in factory tune. The car features a host of new aerodynamic parts, all formed in carbon fiber and supposedly wind-tunnel-tested to minimize lift. They include a new front splitter, new side skirts, a new rear diffuser, and a rear spoiler. The roof panel and engine cover also are rendered in carbon, as are the center console, sill plates, and shift paddles. New springs drop the Novitec 458 1.4 inches lower than a Maranello-fresh example. The wheels are swollen from the standard car’s 20s to 21 inches up front and 22 at the rear.

If any car on the market cries out for tuner attention, it’s the 458 Ital—wait, no it doesn’t. The extra power could be fun, but the Scuderia’s latest mid-engine screamer is damn sweet as is. While we don’t have the giant (and as of now, undisclosed) piles of cash this transformation would likely require, this is a bundle of parts we think should stay on the shelf.

Related posts:

1. Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano by Novitec Rosso – Car News
2. Ferrari 599GTB Fiorano by Novitec Rosso (Part Deux)
3. Novitec Rosso-Tuned Ferrari Packs 848 Horsepower