Ralph Hanson, Author
Articles
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Suzuki has a reputation for building some of the best sports bikes in the business but when it comes to cars the Japanese manufacturer’s performance lineup is in serious need of an image boost.... -
Dual win for KTM X-Bow on race debutThe latest leg of the GT4 European Cup in Silverstone over the weekend not only saw the race debut of two new KTM X-Bows, but it also saw the pair of the pint-sized roadsters take top honors in their class. Both cars, which were run by German team Reiter Engineering, completed the practice and...
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UK councils considering school-run chargeJust when you thought there couldn’t be any other deterrents to vehicle ownership in the UK, what with all the congestion charges, speed cameras, parking tickets and registration taxes, local authorities are now considering implementing a scheme to charge parents that drive their children to...
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Daimler and BMW continue talks on tech sharingArch-rivals BMW and Daimler are still locked in talks with latest discussions surrounding topics on component sharing and joint-research of new powertrain technologies. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has confirmed the two carmakers are in fact discussing the potential for component sharing, alluding to...
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Street racers in Malaysia face the caneGet busted for reckless driving or street racing in most countries and the worst punishment you’re likely to endure is to foot an expensive fine, possibly do a driver-safety course or lose your license or car for several months. In some areas, such as Manchester in the UK or California...
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Ford Fiesta S performance hatchFord has taken the wraps off its latest model in the growing Fiesta family of compact cars with the unveiling of the all-new ‘S’ performance model at the Beijing Motor Show this weekend. The new car is expected to join the regular three-door hatch and five-door models - revealed at the...
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Being the CEO of a major car manufacturer is not traditionally considered a job that will net you paychecks on par with Formula 1 drivers. For Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking, however, his salary for... -
Porsche boosts power for Cayenne Turbo SPorsche has updated its Cayenne range with the addition of the most powerful model yet, the 2009 model Turbo S powered by a 550hp (404kW) forced induction 4.8L V8 engine. The Turbo S’s enhanced performance relative to that of the regular Turbo model is due to its modified exhaust system and...
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Mercedes-Benz GLK revealed ahead of Beijing debutUpdated: New images The new Mercedes-Benz GLK is set to make its debut at this weekend’s Beijing Motor Show but the first images and details of the car have already been leaked. The compact SUV was first previewed at the Detroit Auto Show back in January in concept form and as expected the final...
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HST International all-electric Mustang and Shelby CobraThe idea of an electric Pony car or Shelby Cobra may not sit well with some but California-based HST International and design firm Tjaarda have developed a pair of electric vehicles ready for sale based on the aforementioned muscle cars. Dubbed the Tjaarda EVX Mustang and HST Shelby Cobra EVX, the...
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Video: Nissan GT-R crashes during raceThe race cars of the GT500 class in the Japanese touring car series (JGTC) have some of the most extreme aerodynamic and powertrain packages in the business so it’s always interesting to see one of the cars lose control and crash. This latest video, taken at last weekend’s Okayama round...
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Italian man builds his own supercarA new supercar has emerged out of Northern Italy that was singlehandedly built by a car enthusiast by the name of Filandri Moreno. Dubbed the Uragano (Italian for Hurricane), the car has taken up every spare hour of the 47-year-old's time for the past four years. The entire car is fabricated from...
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The Volkswagen Group is already one of the most varied consortiums of auto brands in the world, comprising nine different carmakers all up including the likes of Bugatti, Lamborghini, Bentley and... -
No more Marlboro logos for FerrariIt is likely that a cigarette brand will never again be outwardly visible on the livery of a formula one car. Other teams - notably Renault, McLaren and Honda - farewelled their tobacco-fuelled dollars a couple of years ago, as anti-advertising laws swept Europe and the world. Ferrari, however...
Ralph Hanson -
Clinton willing to back government bailout of Detroit 3Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has revealed she would back a government-bailout to protect the Detroit 3 automakers from going bankrupt if the need arose. Her words mirror similar comments from Democrat rival Barack Obama, who in February said he would also help the auto industry...
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Ford turns to nanotechnology to drive performance and mileage gainsNo bolt is being left untouched as carmakers in both the U.S. and Europe strive to develop cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles. Everything from weight-saving measures to aerodynamic tweaks and even downsized engines are being investigated in the hope that engineers can come up with fuel...
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Acura reveals pricing for 2009 TSXAcura today announced pricing for the all-new 2009 TSX sports sedan that will officially go on sale in the U.S. on April 24th. The completely redesigned TSX will be available in two versions, the standard TSX and the fully-featured TSX with Technology Package. Pricing for the entry-level model is...
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Fiat expects to sell petrol and diesel hybrids by 2011While Japanese and U.S. carmakers have laid the ground-work for the sale of petrol-electric hybrid vehicles, European carmakers are taking a slightly different route by developing diesel-electric powertrains. BMW, PSA Peugeot-Citroen and Mercedes-Benz have all unveiled diesel-electric hybrid...
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It's not just in America that GM and Ford are arch rivals. The competition between the two is just as heated down in Australia where Ford today announced that its new FPV range of FG Falcon sedans... -
Limited edition Seat Leon 'Copa'Seat has released details about its latest special edition based on its popular Leon, a new 285hp version dubbed the ‘Copa’. The new addition will be built in an extremely limited run of just 55 units and each will be priced from €38,500. The Leon Copa still relies on VW...
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Preview: Fiat 500 'Giardinetta' wagonThere have long been rumors of Fiat developing several new variants of the wildly successful Fiat 500 and recently the first of these, a new wagon or 'Giardinetta,' has been spotted with some heavy camouflage. Despite engineers’ best attempts to cover the car, the prototype is easily...
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200,000 British drivers could get refund on speeding fineAnyone that has been caught by a speed-camera knows the angst felt at the thought of paying a fine and losing points on your license (depending where you're from), but the sad fact is that most of us just take it on the chin and move on. But one man, a Brit by the name of Simon Grills, has fought...
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SpeedART BTR-XS 650 Extreme 911 GT2German tuning house speedART has taken the wraps off its latest mad-Porsche, a heavily boosted version of the already extreme 997 GT2. After going under the knife the car comes out with increased power and torque, custom alloys and suspension upgrades, lifting performance to the levels expected...
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Alfa Romeo in talks with Jaguar over RWD platformsIf Alfa Romeo is serious about competing with Germany’s premium labels it will eventually have to drop its core FWD lineup or at least offer more affordable rear-drive models. However, the carmaker’s low volume status makes developing a brand new premium RWD platform unfeasible. One...
Ralph Hanson