1999 Ferrari 550 Maranello Base Coupe 2-door 5.5l on 2040-cars

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Ferrari 458 Speciale A trots out its 597 sun-drenched ponies [w/video]

To say that Ferrari has made some powerful drop-tops over the years would be like saying the Pope has been known to make a couple of blessings here and there. There was the F50, the 575 Superamerica and the 599 SA Aperta, to name just a few. But this is the most powerful Spider it has ever made. Taking its curtain call at the Paris Motor Show today is the new Ferrari 458 Speciale A – successor to the F430-based 16M Scuderia Spider and lovechild of the 458 Spider and 458 Speciale. That means it's got the same 4.5-liter V8 – all 597 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of it – as the Speciale coupe, but with the folding aluminum roof from the Spider. Best of both worlds, as they say - especially with a 0-62 time quoted at three seconds flat. But since Maranello will only produce less than 500 of them, you'd better check it out in our gallery of live shots above. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Ferrari and Apple deepening ties, FF gains Siri integration and standard iPad Minis

The exciting new LaFerrari wasn't all that Ferrari had to announce today at the Geneva Motor Show. Ferrari chairman Luca Di Montezemolo added that the Italian automaker is looking to expand its relationship with Apple in the realm of in-car entertainment, which follows Apple executive Eddy Cue joining the Ferrari board of directors back in November.
According to Bloomberg, Di Montezemolo stated that the Ferrari FF would now come with iPad Minis as a part of the rear-seat entertainment system and Siri integration will be used with the infotainment system. Beyond the FF, though, it isn't clear what type of partnership will blossom between the two most powerful brands on the planet.

Stellantis and LG launch joint venture for North American battery plant

Stellantis has struck a preliminary deal with battery maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) to produce battery cells and modules for North America, as the world's No. 4 automaker rolls out its 30 billion euro ($35 billion) electrification plan. Global automakers are investing billions of euros to accelerate a transition to low-emission mobility and prepare for a progressive phase-out of internal combustion engines. Stellantis and LGES's joint venture will produce battery cells and modules at a new facility with an annual capacity of 40 gigawatt hours (GWh), the two firms said on Monday. No financial details of the deal were provided. The plant is scheduled to start production by the first quarter of 2024, with groundbreaking expected in the second quarter of 2022, the companies said in their statement. Its location is under review and will be announced later. Stellantis, formed in January from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, has said it wants to secure more than 130 GWh of global battery capacity by 2025 and more than 260 GWh by 2030. The batteries produced under the deal will supply Stellantis' U.S., Canadian and Mexican assembly plants for installation in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, supporting its goal of e-vehicles making up more than 40% of its U.S. sales by 2030. The company, whose brands include Peugeot, Fiat, Opel and U.S. best-sellers Jeep and Ram, earlier this year announced it would invest more than 30 billion euros through 2025 on electrifying its vehicle lineup. Stellantis has said it would build three battery plants in Europe and two in North America, including at least one in the United States. Intesa Sanpaolo analyst Monica Bosio said the deal was positive, and a further step ahead in Stellantis' electrification process. It comes weeks after Stellantis and its partner TotalEnergies agreed to open up their battery cell joint venture ACC to Daimler, to expand their European sourcing of battery cells. Stellantis is also targeting more than 70% of sales in Europe to be of low-emission vehicles by 2030, and aims to make the total cost of owning an EV equal to that of a gasoline-powered model by 2026. Related video: Green Plants/Manufacturing Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall Electric Hybrid EV batteries LG