Alex Kaufmann, Author
Articles
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Having an encyclopedia that anyone can add to brings about some interesting ideas. We came across an interesting list that compiles the smallest, largest, fastest, lightest, best-selling, and first... -
Gumball 3000 2006 Episode 2
In this episode our presenters Ed and Alex go from Vienna to Belgrade, then catch a plane to Phuket. Their challenge is to try to assist as many people as possible on the way. Check out this episode to see a near miss between a CLS55 AMG and a Bentley Continental GT, and a crashed Rolls.
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KTM Boss Outlines Plans For A Hot New RoadsterWe previously reported on this small roadster that was being developed in a partnership between Audi and the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM. In a recent interview with KTM boss, Stefan Pierer, Austria’s Standard newspaper managed to gather some important insights on the new car. Instead...
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GM’s Epica-Based WTCC Ultra ConceptGM’s display at the upcoming Paris Motor Show will include a race-inspired concept car based on its Epica small car. Labelled the WTCC Ultra, GM’s new car will feature a 190hp diesel engine based on the lower spec 2.0-litre common rail diesel from the standard Epica. The WTCC Ultra will...
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Spy Shots: 2008 Dodge AvengerImages of the new Avenger, which will make its official debut at this month’s Paris Auto Show, have leaked onto the web. The Avenger is positioned below the Charger sedan from which it shares many of its styling cues, and will replace the aging Stratus. The car is likely to share the...
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Toyota Corolla may change its name for 40th birthdayToyota’s popular Corolla has just turned 40, making the car one of the world’s oldest nameplates. The original Corolla was launched in Japan in October 1966, and today is a genuine global car with production in 16 different countries. The Corolla is so popular in its homeland that it...
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With the ensuing world price of oil inevitably rising it’s only a matter of time before the popularity of electric vehicles really take on. We already have a production electric car in the form... -
China becomes World’s 2nd largest car marketChina has passed Japan to become the world’s second largest automotive market with combined sales including imports totalling 3.6 million vehicles for the first half of 2006. This increase in growth is in stark contrast to Japan’s declining car market, where sales fell to just over 3...
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2008 E92 BMW M3 caught testing in the desertHere’s an interesting video of what it’s like to chase down car development teams as they’re testing in the desert. The uncredited spy photographer catches the M3 team while they’ve stopped at the side of the road and gets the one-fingered salute from one angry German. More...
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Cadillac To Release BLS And BRXCadillac is well underway in developing a strong business case to add two new sub-$30,000 vehicles to its luxury lineup. The new cars will go up against the latest affray of small vehicles from the German luxury marques and could be in showrooms by the end of 2009. The first vehicle will be a...
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Chrysler's adding Firepower to its arsenalWith the recent price increase of the Corvette Z06 by GM recently, Chrysler was forced to position its 2008 Dodge Viper upwards as well. This move creates a gap for a new sports car that will sit below the Viper in terms of price and performance, and could possibly be a production version of the...
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Consumers must be informed about black boxesThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has passed a new rule that requires auto manufacturers to inform customers whether their car has an Event Data Recorder installed. The EDR, which works similarly to Black Box flight recorders found in airlines, will record details about vehicle...
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Both on the road and display at this years’ Woodward Dream Cruise in Birmingham is Ford’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell version of the popular Focus sedan. Due to the expense of Fuel Cell...
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Happy 40th birthday to Subaru’s boxer engineBack in 1966 Fuji Heavy Industries gave birth to the Subaru 1000, a small four-door sedan with a 1.0-litre horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine. The engine design was considered strange at the time but Fuji Heavy, who had experience building flat engines for the Japanese WWII fighters, knew...
Alex Kaufmann -
New long-wheelbase 5-seriesDue to demand from Asian markets, where many 5-series cars are used as chauffeur driven limos, BMW is building a long-wheelbase version of the popular mid-sized sedan. Pictured above is a stretched version which was caught testing in Munich and adds roughly five inches to the standard 5-series...
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eBay Watch: Dauer Bugatti EB110Even before Bugatti became the purveyor of the fastest production vehicle ever to be sold, it was creating some of the fastest supercars ever made. The EB110 was created while the company was under the stewardship of Romano Artioli (who also owned Lotus for a short period) and packed a V-12 with...
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Another Enzo bites the dustYet another US$1.3 million Ferrari Enzo has crashed, further increasing the rarity of the already rare supercar. The crash occurred while it was taking part in the four-day Utah Fast Pass Road Rally, where police officers close parts of the road to allow performance car drivers to unleash the full...
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It’s make or break time for JaguarFord, like GM can no longer afford to keep loosing money from its subsidiaries. After a recent second-quarter loss of $123 million, Ford has called in the bean-counters to slash and burn away unprofitable assets. Leading the charge is former Goldman Sachs man Kenneth Leet, who will start at one of...
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Ford Australia is teaming up with its stable of racing car drivers to test the fuel advantages of its LPG Falcon. The 23-day trial to travel around Australia for around $1000 will take in all... -
Blinged out SL500In terms of bodywork modifications, this jewel encrusted SL500 is probably as excessive as they come. No doubt the creation of some eccentric Arab Sheik or Russian mafia boss, this SL in concept strikes us as shocking and gaudy, but in the metal, so to speak, actually looks kinda appealing. This...
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Cars that can read your mindWe will soon be able to drive cars that will know if we’ve had a rough day or a car that can tell if we’re about to fall asleep behind the wheel. That’s the premise of a new technology being developed by scientist Peter Robinson at the University of Cambridge. Though the idea...
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Two brothers build their own F1 carTwo brothers from a town east of Beijing have fulfilled their dream of building their very own personal Forumla One car. The car was constructed from scrap metal, but from the images, we think these guys have done a pretty good job. The idea was to build the first F1 car in China. The two brothers...
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Virtual Reality drag racingWhat we have here is a virtual reality based system that allows you to drag race your mates down the quarter mile, whilst driving your own vehicle without any fears of crashing or losing your license. Isn’t that risk half the fun of drag racing? There’s no need for helmets, roll cages...
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New super-limo for the mega <del>gullible</del> richLuxury hotel consortium, Luxury Resort Villas, based in Las Vegas has commissioned specialty automaker, DiMora Motorcar, to build 10 super-luxury sedans at a cost of $2 million a piece. The handcrafted automobiles are to feature a 1,200-horsepower "Volcano" V16 engine with production in Palm...
Alex Kaufmann