Novitec Rosso Ferrari Scuderia news - Stewing the Scud - 2009

It shouldn't be a surprise that it's only taken German tuner Novitec a matter of minutes to get its grubby hands on a Ferrari Scuderia Spider.

We've only just driven the awesome drop-top Scud - make sure you find out what we thought of it in the August issue of Top Gear magazine, on sale July 15 - and we have to admit that our first thought wasn't: ‘Y'know, this feels about 186bhp short on power.'

Or, for that matter: "Y'know, this feels about 9mph too slow."

But that's what you're looking at, a 695bhp Scuderia Spider with a top speed of 205mph - the sedate, stock Scud Spider tops out at a feeble 196mph - and a 0-62mph time of 3.5 seconds, a full 0.2 quicker than the factory car.

We have to ask, as ever, the big question: why, Novitec? Why take perhaps the most focussed, brutal drop-top in the world... and attempt to make it more focussed and brutal? Why not apply your spanner to, say, the Daihatsu Sirion? Or the Hyundai i20?

Is it just because you saw that Lambo Gallardo LP550-2?