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'Top Gear' episode 1 recap | A new beginning, again

Season 27 of "Top Gear" kicked off Sunday night, and we were there on our couches for the premiere to see everything Chris Harris, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness had to offer. With only five episodes in this season, this new group of characters doesn’t have much time to get it right. They started with a bang, on a massive road trip through Ethiopia in cars identical to their first vehicle purchases. Before that, though, the hosts recognized the rebirths and numerous changes "Top Gear" has gone through since Clarkson, Hammond and May left the premises. Good on "Top Gear" for not brushing over any sort of controversy and unrest, then getting on with the show as itÂ’s meant to be. As is typical for "Top Gear," the adventure/story portion of the show was definitely the most entertaining. We wholeheartedly approve of all the vehicles these guys bought as their first transportation — watching Chris Harris toss his little Mini around the sand and rocks was especially joyful. The boys get on rather well together for just starting off, and while the interludes for challenges didnÂ’t feel totally natural, the challenges themselves were still fun to watch. Being in Ethiopia with such a vast array of alien-to-us shooting locations definitely helped keep us entertained from a visual standpoint. We werenÂ’t surprised to see Chris Harris handling the “serious car review” portion of the show where he pitted a Ferrari 488 Pista against a McLaren 600LT — the others aren't traditional automotive journalists. We wonÂ’t give away who won, but the Ferrari did manage to surprise us in one particular area. Perhaps the most important aspect of the whole episode is how the three hosts got on with each other (Sabine Schmitz was nowhere to be seen). ThereÂ’s no Captain Slow or American car maniac amongst the group, but a comedian (Paddy) and cricketer (Freddie) certainly do bring fresh voices and perspectives. WeÂ’ll give them time to warm up to each other as the season goes on, with a new episode this coming Sunday. One thing we know for sure after this first go: Chris Harris really does not like the hot desert as much as he loves hot, burning rubber.

This '61 Ferrari 250 GT SWB could be yours for eight figures

The 250 GT SWB Berlinetta ranks among the most desirable of Ferraris, and this one has been under the same ownership for the last 47 years. Now it's coming up for auction. Chassis No. 2917GT served as the Prancing Horse marque's centerpiece at the 1961 Paris Motor Show, where it was displayed in light blue. Its first owner, however, only owned black cars, so he had it repainted. It changed hands a few times over the years, and was repainted in classic red somewhere along the way. That's the color it remains today. Its current owner is described as a well-regarded collector living in the Brittany region of France and has reportedly taken exceptional care of it, driving it regularly and bringing in the best mechanics to service it. But after nearly half a century in his care, he's letting it go. Artcurial will be handling its sale during the Le Mans Classic on July 9. We're waiting on word regarding how much the auction house expects it to sell for, but the records at Sports Car Market have similar examples selling in the past couple of years for upwards of $10 million. Given the apparent condition of this particular specimen, we don't doubt that it'll fetch top dollar. THE EX-PARIS MOTOR SHOW 1961 FERRARI 250 GT SWB BERLINETTA IN SAME OWNERSHIP FOR 47 YEARS – LE MANS CLASSIC, SALE 9 JULY 2016 – Paris – Artcurial Motorcars has raised its international profile in recent years by offering some of the world's rarest and most valuable cars at auction. The top ten most expensive cars ever to sell at auction include two cars from each of Artcurial Motorcars' last two Retromobile sales: the ex-Bardinon 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti that sold on 5 February 2016 for 32.1Mˆ / 35.7M$ – a world record price (in ˆ and GBP) for a car sold at auction – and the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider from the Baillon Collection that fetched ˆ16.3M / 18.5M on 6 February 2015. Artcurial Motorcars is also known for consigning important cars that are new to the market, a key feature of the star car in the next sale at Le Mans Classic on 9 July. The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta #2917GT has been in the hands of the present owner some 47 years, and has had just five owners from new. This remarkable car was displayed new at the 1961 Paris Motor Show, presented in a light blue Azzuro.

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