Ralph Hanson, Author
Articles
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Few would have guessed the R8 would be as successful as it has become, winning numerous awards and selling out within days of going on sale, and to some the car is worth a whole lot more than what... -
Mainstream carbon fiber still 10 years offMost performance enthusiasts are well versed in the benefits of carbon-fiber, but if GM has its way your mom could be extolling the virtues of the space age material as well. In fact, as GM exec Tom Wallace pointed out in a recent interview, "carbon is one-fifth the weight of a composite, which is...
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Carmakers forced to add wider seats for America’s spreading waistlineAmericans - unlike their cars - are getting wider every year. Unfortunately, carmakers aren’t keeping up with the nation’s spreading waistline, especially when it comes to their seats, and passengers are starting to feel the pinch. That’s why at this year’s Detroit Auto Show...
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Million dollar Corvette ZR1 and car-crushing Robosaurus at Barrett-Jackson 2008This year’s Barrett-Jackson auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona, had one of the most varied lineups in the event’s history, with several yet-to-be released models, a car-crushing robot dinosaur, and the usual assortment of ultra-rare muscle cars all going under the hammer. One of the...
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Mugen Type-RR Experimental Spec & 2.2L K20A engineThis year’s Tokyo Auto Salon has come and gone but with all the coverage of the coinciding Detroit Auto Show many of the modified motors were launched with barely a mention. One car that didn’t fail to get our attention was the Mugen prepped Honda Civic Type-RR Experiment Spec, which...
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Audi develops clean ‘gas-to-liquid’ fuel conceptWhile most carmakers around the world are focusing on downsizing engines to reduce carbon emissions levels of their fleets, one carmaker, Audi, has set out to create a new type of fuel that not only reduces CO2 by up to 13% but also cuts fuel consumption by about 10%. Audi will premiere its new...
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Following the announcement of the new BMW M3 Convertible earlier this week comes news of the carmaker’s first dual-clutch transmission, which is set to make a simultaneous debut in the M3 Coupe... -
Lamborghini posts record sales in 2007It’s a good time to be in the business of selling exotic cars. It seems every brand with a six-figure lineup is posting record sales, including Lamborghini, which today announced it had sold 2,406 cars over the past 12 months – an increase of 15% over its 2006 result. North America once...
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Report: Mercedes to buy McLaren F1McLaren's engine and equity partner Mercedes-Benz has finally decided to take a majority stake in the British team, a specialist magazine reports. Auto Motor und Sport, the respected German publication, claims that the Stuttgart manufacturer is now poised to take over the team from Ron Dennis, who...
Ralph Hanson -
Maserati GranTurismo convertible due next yearMaserati recently recorded its first profit in almost 17 years and is selling more cars than in its entire history because of the launch of new models such as the GranTurismo. This is a trend officials hope to continue, which is why next year will see the launch of a new convertible version of the...
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EU proposes four-cylinder engines for F1The European Parliament has asked formula one to "change their rules" in favour of more environmentally friendly technology. While the FIA has already paved the way for things like electronic energy recovery systems, smaller engines and bio-fuels, a statement on behalf of EU politicians said motor...
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Preview: 2012 Mercedes-Benz S-ClassWhen Mercedes rolled out the odd-looking F700 concept at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show many speculated that it was destined to become just another pointless exercise in automotive styling. Not so according to people close to the project. Latest reports claim both the technology and design...
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Last week’s Autosport International Show in the UK saw the launch of a new competition to design a car for the world’s first one-make electric vehicle race series. The competition is... -
Gallery: 2008 NAIAS roundupThe press days for this year's Detroit Auto Show have come to an end. All the stunning concept cars and new model releases have been rolled out, gawked at and photographed by auto media from around the world, and now here's your chance to take one final look at some of the highlights of this year's...
Ralph Hanson -
Lamborghini setting up U.S. sales branchThe U.S. is the single biggest market for Lamborghini so it comes as little surprise that the Italian supercar brand will be setting up a separate sales company exclusively for the States – the first of its kind outside Italy. Lamborghini currently makes about 40% of its sales in the U.S...
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Production Dodge Demon to get Chinese FWD platformIt’s hard to overestimate the thirst of the American auto market for sexy, sporty, small roadsters – while sales of the Pontiac Solstice may be slowing down, the Saturn Sky is taking off, and the Mazda Miata MX-5 is holding more or less steady as it has for nearly two decades. Not...
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2008 North American Car & Truck of the Year winnersWith the opening of the Detroit Auto Show the winners of the 2008 North American Car & Truck of the Year have been announced. This year’s ceremony saw the Chevrolet Malibu take out the top car award and Mazda’s CX-9 SUV take home the medal for truck of the year. The Malibu didn’t...
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R-Design Volvo XC90 rolls inVolvo’s new sports inspired R-Design package is now available on the Volvo XC90 and will be on display at this week’s Detroit Auto Show. The R-design kits essentially replace Volvo’s current Sport trim levels and are similar to the S-line packs offered by Audi in that they offer...
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It’s hard enough just getting a job after completing your studies at university, so imagine how tough it must be for a group of automotive design students straight out of the classroom to form... -
Audi Considers A4 AllroadThe Audi Allroad, based on the mid-sized A6, is essentially a jacked-up version of the standard wagon with protective plastic side cladding and a quattro all-wheel-drive system. The car is designed for those individuals who want off-road capability but aren’t willing to upsize to full-on SUV...
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Bugatti building a car faster than the Veyron?It seems every month there’s a new story about Bugatti adding a second model to its lineup but until now these supposed new models have never surpassed the current Veyron supercar in terms of performance or price. The latest rumored Bugatti is tipped to overshadow not only the Veyron’s...
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British-Built MMI AvocetThere’s a definite resurgence in small, lightweight roadsters. Tiny road-going racers with punchy engines and the kind of handling owners of bigger and heavier sports cars can only dream of. Notable mentions include cars like the KTM X-bow, the Fisker-designed Artega GT, and anything with a...
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Aston Martin racers to get Gulf Oil liveryHot on the heels of the Gulf Oil Ford GT40 comes news from Aston Martin that they will be racing their GT1 Le Mans cars in the distinctive orange and blue colours. Two DBR9s will be painted to celebrate Gulf Oil’s first victory at the 24 hour race 40 years on. The two Aston Martin DBR9s for...
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Ford’s RWD platform: ‘we’re working on it’Ford has been notoriously quiet on the subject of rear-wheel drive development over the last few years. The company showed two RWD concepts at last year’s NAIAS - the Ford Interceptor and the Lincoln MKR - but Ford never tipped either for production reality. Today, however, Ford confirmed a...
Ralph Hanson