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Alfa Romeo returns to F1 racing by sponsoring Sauber for 2018

Doesn't it feel good to see the Alfa Romeo emblem proudly displayed on a Formula One car again? It's been 30 years since Alfa Romeo had anything to do with F1 cars, as in the late '80s the manufacturer supplied engines to Ligier and Osella. Alfa Romeo even developed the first modern Formula One V10 engine, but that ended up in a 164 Procar instead of Ligier race cars. After a 30-year hiatus, it was announced in late 2017 that Alfa Romeo's brand would return to F1 racing by sponsoring Sauber. There isn't an Alfa Romeo engine in the 2018 Sauber C37, as it uses a current Ferrari power unit instead and Alfa Romeo's involvement is strictly about FCA's sponsoring the Swiss racing team. The drivers for 2018 are Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson. Jorg Zander, Sauber's technical director, says: "The car philosophy is much different to that of the C36. The aerodynamic concept has changed significantly, and the C37 has several new features in comparison to its predecessor. We are positive that the new concept offers us more opportunities and will help us to make improvements during the course of the season. The 2018 Ferrari engine will also give us a boost in terms of our performance. We hope that we will make progress with the C37 and that we are more competitive compared to 2017." Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Image Credit: Sauber F1 Team Motorsports Alfa Romeo Ferrari Racing Vehicles F1 FCA

Mansory 4XX Siracusa is the carbon-fiberphile's Ferrari

We've already said the best thing about the Geneva Motor Show are the exotics on display. There's a new Koenigsegg, a successor to the Bugatti Veyron, the latest Aston Martin grand tourer, and even a pretty bad-ass Chevrolet Corvette. But for every good high-performance car, there are more, um, questionable decisions. This is the Mansory 4XX Siracusa, and it's what happens when someone decides the Ferrari 488 GTB isn't as extreme as it should be. The 3.9-liter, twin-turbocharged V8's output has been increased from 661 horsepower to 790 ponies, while torque is up from 561 pound-feet to 643 lb-ft. These are improvements we can support, but the impact on stopwatch performance isn't quite enough – Mansory claims the 4XX Siracusa will hit 60 in just 2.9 seconds and keep going to 212 miles per hour. But for those keeping track at home, the question with the Mansory is whether a tenth-of-a-second improvement and an extra seven mph on the high end is enough to warrant the, ahem, unique design direction of this aftermarket offering. You need to really like carbon fiber to enjoy the 4XX. Like, a lot. Because Mansory has gone beyond even Ferrari's optional carbon-fiber treatments, finishing the front splitter, rear diffuser, roof, pillars, mirror, fender vents, sills, intakes, taillight surrounds, parts of the hood, the spoiler, and both rear wings in the stuff. Then, if that wasn't eye-catching enough, the entire car gets a more aggressive body kit and very, very yellow paint. It's just too much. You can check out the full set of live images of Mansory's take on the 488 GTB from the floor of the Geneva Motor Show at the top of the page.

Marchionne: all-electric Ferrari 'an obscene concept'

At the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne told reporters that Ferrari is not interested in building an all-electric car. "With Ferrari, it's almost an obscene concept," were his exact words. He added, "You'd have to shoot me first." This brings to mind another quote, this from Enzo Ferrari himself: "Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines." Ferrari is, in its heart of hearts, an engine company. As Enzo Ferrari also said, "I build engines and attach wheels to them." Ferrari engines are beautiful things, as are the cars they power. There's a reason the Italian automaker displays its powerplants in its cars under glass like precious works of art. Of course, Ferrari did end up focusing on aerodynamics despite Enzo's remark. In racing as in business, you adapt or you get left behind. If you visit Ferrari's website, you can find a section on innovation. It's clear that the automaker prides itself on its technological advances (including aerodynamics, of course). It also values being a leader. "Each new model brims with technological innovation," it says, "solutions that pave the way for the rest of the industry and which are often picked up by other manufacturers at a later date." Ferrari follows nobody. The Italian marque may pride itself on being a holdout. As an automaker, it does things in the spirit of Ferrari, which is to say in the spirit of Enzo Ferrari. Former Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemelo said in 2011, "You will never see a Ferrari electric because I don't believe in electric cars, because I don't think they represent an important step forward for pollution or CO2 or the environment." Sports car manufacturers — Ferrari included — turn to electrification not just for efficiency, however, but also for performance. An electric motor can do certain things that an internal combustion engine simply can't. Who doesn't like being able to summon up loads of torque the very instant they first put a little pressure on the gas pedal? EVs can be spectacular to drive. Take the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive and the Tesla Model S as proof of that. Marchionne's argument comes down to sound. He was not thrilled by the aural experience of driving a Tesla. Anyone with ears loves the sound of a Ferrari engine. Enzo said, "Race cars are neither beautiful nor ugly. They become beautiful when they win." While he was speaking about a car's visual aesthetic, it certainly applies to a car's sound profile as well.