1997 Ferrari F355 Spyder on 2040-cars

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Ferrari to be spun off from Fiat Chrysler

The recently merged Fiat Chrysler Automobiles empire has ambitious plans for growth, and it's going to need some big bucks in its coffers in order to enact them. Part of that cash injection is coming from the floating of its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, but now FCA has announced a further capital campaign to be based on the enormous asset that is Ferrari.
FCA's board of directors has just approved the separation of Ferrari from the rest of the group as a separate entity. Once that separation is complete, Ferrari will put 10 percent of its shares on the stock market "in the United States and possibly a European exchange" as well.
This isn't the first time that the idea of a Ferrari IPO has been raised. Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of Chrysler, Fiat and Ferrari (pictured above), first raised the idea four years ago. Former Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo nixed the idea, but now that he's been discharged, it appears there's nothing to get in the way of Marchionne's desires.

This electric Ferrari 308 GTS would do Magnum PI proud

We've seen Lancias, Alfas, Maseratis, and assorted F1 cars over the years packing Ferrari engine. But seeing a Ferrari running under different power is something else entirely – let alone one packing a fully electric powertrain. Yet that's what one company in Southern California has done with this 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS, swapping out its V8 engine for an array of electric motors and battery packs. Rather than tearing apart a perfectly good Italian sports car, Eric Hutchison of San Diego-based Electric GT found the Magnum PI-spec Prancing Horse for salvage after it had burned out from an unfortunate fuel leak. One man's loss being another's gain, he bought it for $10,000 and, together with his friend Michael Bream at EV West, set about converting it to electric power. The cavallo elettrico produces an impressive 465 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. With three AC51 HPEVS electric motors and 48 batteries installed, the cavallo elettrico produces an impressive 465 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. That's a heck of a lot more than the 2.9-liter V8 in the original 308 ever produced: before later versions introduced fuel injection and four-valve cylinder heads, the 308 packed about 200 horsepower and 181 lb-ft. Not one of the most powerful models ever to leave the factory in Maranello, in other words. To handle the extra muscle, Hutchison, Bream, and company fitted a new clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, and (perhaps the oddest part) a Porsche transaxle, mounted upside down. Though most EVs do away with a conventional transmission, Hutchison points to the original (though ultimately unfulfilled) Tesla Roadster plans and the Formula E setup as evidence of the combo's ideal blend of efficiency and performance. "The massive torque transferring through the transmission engages the driver in a clutch-dropping, gear-pounding Ferrari experience," he said. To offset the added weight of the four dozen 3.3-volt lithium-ion batteries, they stripped out anything they could, and found new homes for many of the jettisoned components through fora like Ferrari Chat, whose members enthusiastically followed the conversion process. The result is a vehicle just 150 pounds heavier than stock that can travel 100 miles on a single charge. That's more than most OEM EVs can go these days, and (arguably) in better style, too. We've been following the project's development for nearly two years now, and took it for a spin on Translogic.

UPDATE: A Ferris Bueller replica Ferrari is headed to auction this week

UPDATE: The Ferris Bueller Ferrari 250 GT California crossed the auction block on Saturday at Barrett-Jackson, and it hammered for $396,000. That's just a touch less than what one of the other Bueller replicas sold for last, so the enthusiasm for the movie isn't dying off yet. Barrett-Jackson called it a "crowd favorite"  — it rolled onto the stage to the "Oh Yeah" theme song used in the movie. If you don't care too much for originality but love Ferris Bueller, we'll call this one a good buy. An original 250 GT California would've sold for many millions more. Would you like to own a Ferrari, or a piece of movie history? How about a little of the latter that is pretending to be the former? In any other year, even noteworthy auction listings popping up this week probably would have drowned in the rising tide of auto show news, but with the Detroit auto show punted to June this year, we've been inundated with some fantastic auction finds, including this Hollywood icon that was built for one of John Hughes' greatest films.  This 1963* Modena Spyder California is maybe one of the best-known Ferrari replicas in the world, and it's slated to cross the block at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale this weekend. It takes an eagle-eyed auto enthusiast to recognized the Bueller fakes for what they are, but the fact that they're replicas of the Ferrari 250 GT California doesn't really hurt their value. In fact, it makes it even easier to verify their provenance. Granted, real-deal 250 GTs are going for stupid money, but we find it hard to believe that a little Matthew Broderick stardust would really make much difference when examples are being auctioned off for more than $17 million.  As Road & Track points out, the other running movie replica sold for more than $400,000. Fortunately, there were three of these replica models built for the film, so the buying public is getting yet another crack at one. Two of the replicas were runners, and the third was effectively an unladen stunt double used for the infamous scene where Alan Ruck's Cameron Frye works out his daddy issues by sending pop's precious collector's item straight through the side of their Highland Park Frank Lloyd Wright.  You know, the sort of thing your average angsty American teenager did before Twitter was invented.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The replica is not just a looker; it's a driver.