Ralph Hanson, Author
Articles
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Ford has revealed its facelifted Focus Coupe-Cabriolet a month ahead of its official debut scheduled for the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The new model joins the three-door, four-door, five-door,... -
Renault to launch dual-clutch transmissionsNumerous carmakers have turned to dual-clutch transmissions in the interest of squeezing out maximum performance, economy and refinement, but despite the proven benefits of the technology just as many brands, if not more, are yet to embrace it. Renault is one such company that’s yet to adopt...
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Limited Edition Volvo C30 R-DesignVolvo has released an updated version of its R-Design performance accessories line for the C30 hatch range, which will only be offered to a maximum of 400 customers. Like all R-Design packs, the latest kit doesn’t offer any performance upgrades, which means top end models still get a 227hp...
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Shine-free matte paint is the new blackMatte paintjobs used to be the choice of weekend racers who’d touch up their cars after a bingle with anything they could get their hands on to protect it from rust, but lately the shine-free surface has been making its way onto more tuner cars and now production models as well. One of the...
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Nürburgring to become theme park for speed addicts
Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife is a Mecca for racing enthusiasts around the world. Its sweeping curves, variable surfaces, and dramatic climbs and drops can humble even the best drivers and has quickly earned the track a reputation for being one of the ultimate tests of driver and...
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Lancia’s future model plans revealedLancia’s portfolio is set to expand over the next couple with several hot models supposedly making a return including a possible flagship sports car as well as the legendary Delta. Details about the cars were leaked recently by several Lancia managers, who revealed that the revitalized range...
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Formula one is not likely to return to Australia after the expiry of the current contract in 2010, the sport's chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has said. After the country's first world championship... -
Self-propelled HumanCar enters productionThis odd-looking vehicle is the Imagine NEV (Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle) from HumanCar and is best described as an electric vehicle that can also be self-propelled, a kind of human-electric hybrid so to speak. We’re not sure if the designer came up with the idea while watching the...
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BMW developing all-electric carBMW has always backed hydrogen as the power source of the future but that doesn’t mean it’s completely ruled out alternatives such as electric vehicles and petrol-electric hybrids. In fact, BMW plans to keep its options open. Not only has it already unveiled the Hydrogen7 limo and X6...
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Saleen planning new mid-engine sports carWith a string of new performance Mustangs rolling out of showrooms and the mid-engined S7 supercar still going strong, Saleen is set to expand with even more modified muscle cars and possibly a new mid-engined sports car. Saleen has been building cars for over 25 years, its status now recognized as...
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Honda tones down F1 "Earth" livery, now matches on-track performanceHonda on Tuesday revealed a new formula one livery for the 2008 season, with the satellite image of the world now taking a back seat to a predominantly white, red and green design. The car's launch took place at Honda's Brackley (UK) base, where test driver Alex Wurz drove the RA108 - which still...
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Fiat still "junk" despite turnaroundNot that long ago Fiat was reeling in debt and was on the brink of bankruptcy but over the years control of the carmaker changed hands several times and now things couldn’t be better. In fact, last week Fiat announced it had paid off all its debt and was sitting on a positive cash flow of...
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The guys at Best Motoring are at it again, and this time they have the all new Nissan GT-R to play with. In their latest clip they pit the Nissan against Lamborghini’s Gallardo Superleggera,... -
Carlos Ghosn predicts the future of the auto industryCarlos Ghosn is the man credited with turning around the fortunes of Nissan during the 1990’s, bringing it back from the brink of bankruptcy and turning billion dollar losses into profits within a couple of years. At the same time he also headed Renault, which is now on track to boost its...
Ralph Hanson -
Tesla Roadster falls short of performance claimsTesla’s long and arduous journey of getting its all-electric Roadster to production only came to an end last week with the announcement that previous engineering problems would be solved and that the first car was ready for delivery. It appears now that initial announcement could have been a...
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Speeds bumps killing the environmentWe all know slowing down for a speed bump and then accelerating back to your original speed saps your fuel, but now a recent study commissioned by the UK’s AA motoring group has found out just how bad it really is. Researchers found that a car capable of achieving 58mgp fuel economy when...
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2009 Hummer H3T revealed ahead of Chicago debutHummer will be adding a new model to its lineup in the form of the H3T pickup, due to make its world debut at next month’s Chicago Auto Show. The new truck is based on the current entry-level H3 SUV, which means it will be available with the same 3.7L Atlas straight five engine as well as a...
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Video: Porsche 911 lapping a snowy NordschleifeYesterday we showed you a video of Nissan’s GT-R driving on snow. Today we have a clip of the GT-R's closest rival, the Porsche 911, carving up the ice around Germany’s Nordschleife. The car in this video is just a basic Carrera so it doesn’t enjoy the benefits of AWD traction...
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Now that AMG is no longer focused on chasing big horsepower numbers, efficiency could quickly become the new performance benchmark for the Affalterbach-based tuner. Audi has laid the groundwork for... -
GM speeding up hybrid roll out with new global teamGeneral Motors is establishing a new global engineering team dedicated to the development of its next generation of electrically-driven vehicles. The global organization will have teams working around the clock in locations such as North America, Germany and China, and whose main focus will be to...
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Alfa Romeo could use Cadillac RWD platformIf Alfa Romeo is serious about competing with Germany’s premium labels it will eventually have to drop its FWD lineup or at least offer more affordable rear-drive models, but the carmaker’s low volume status makes developing a brand new premium RWD platform unfeasible. One solution is...
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Video: Nissan GT-R takes to the snowNissan’s ATTESA four-wheel-drive system is one of the most sophisticated traction systems in the auto world and after watching this video you’ll begin to realize why it’s won so many accolades over the years. The GT-R in this clip is being pushed along a snow-laden track with some...
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More information on McRae Enduro S-SUVA group of engineers and former race drivers in the UK are on the verge of establishing an entirely new vehicle segment aimed at performance enthusiasts who like to go off-road. The Essex-based team are creating a new vehicle called the McRae Enduro S-SUV or Super-Sports Utility Vehicle and the...
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Trulli: F1 teams already cheating with electronic aidsJarno Trulli says he is concerned that the banning of electronic aids has returned the spectre of cheating to formula one. Toyota's Italian driver is quoted as telling the magazine Autosprint that, eight weeks before the opening race of 2008, some rival teams may have found a way around the new...
Ralph Hanson