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Harry Metcalfe drives his Ferrari Testarossa in the Sahara

Take a moment to conjure some worthy answers to this question: "What can I do in a [Ferrari] Testarossa that's a really good road journey?" Then imagine yourself saying, "Tomorrow we're off to the Sahara in my Testarossa." If you were Evo magazine impresario Harry Metcalfe, those would be the kinds of Q&A sessions you'd have with yourself, and thankfully he's put the question and the answer in a fantastic 29-minute video. That answer was 2,500-mile journey out of London, on boat from Portsmouth, England, to Santander, Spain, a ferry from Tarifa, Spain, to Tangier, Morocco, a drive to Marrakech, over the snowy alpine-looking Tizi n'Tichka Pass, to Erfoud, and then to the dunes of Sahara. It involved some bribes, a twice broken-down Testarossa, confiscation of a drone, tons of speed traps and at least one ticket, a pair of lucky pants, some phenomenal scenery, and Ferrari sounds, including a long stint off-roading on a washboard track. Plus, a lot of jealousy on our part. Enjoy. News Source: Harry's Garage via YouTube Ferrari Coupe Luxury Police/Emergency Supercars Classics Videos evo harry metcalfe morocco ferrari testarossa sahara

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

Ferrari renews partnership with Marlboro [UPDATE]

Formula One and Big Tobacco may have parted ways years ago, but the alliance between Ferrari and Marlboro continues on, apparently as strong as ever. Though neither party has made any official announcement or revealed any details of the arrangement, reports from the motorsport press indicate that the Scuderia and Philip Morris – the tobacco company which owns the Marlboro brand – have signed an extension of their longstanding partnership. Marlboro first arrived in Maranello way back in 1973, ramping up over the years to become its main sponsor by '93. The Italian outfit changed its name to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro after the tobacco brand parted company with McLaren in '97. After tobacco advertising was ultimately banned in 2006 (at least in Europe), Ferrari was forced to remove the Marlboro branding from its cars, but the name stuck – and so did the logo, in various forms of obscurity and subliminality through 2010. The Marlboro name was dropped from the team's handle in 2011, but that didn't stop the two from renewing their partnership. And now they've reportedly extended again through 2018. Though the deal hardly comes as a surprise (even given the complete lack of discernible public association between the two), we don't doubt that Maurizio Arrivabene – the former Marlboro exec who recently took over the struggling team – had something to do with it. UPDATE: A spokesman for Scuderia Ferrari downplayed the significance of the story, telling Autoblog by correspondence that "the contract is extended through 2018 and details are confidential." UPDATE 2: Philip Morris International responded to our inquiry with the following statement: "Our agreement with Ferrari has been extended beyond 2015, but we are not in a position to provide financial or other details. This partnership provides us with opportunities such as enabling our adult consumers and business partners to experience motor racing through Ferrari factory visits and attending F1 races."