Electric cars struggle to spark enthusiasm

Commuter Cars' Tango electric car on show at the 2010 North American International Auto Show. Photograph: Mark Blinch/Reuters

With a curiously squashed, elongated body, the Tango electrically-powered car is as narrow as a single passenger and as nippy as a motorbike. Billed as the world's fastest urban car, it can reach a speed of 130mph. Satisfied customers include the actor George Clooney, and its inventor describes the bizarre vehicle as a "chick magnet".

Built by a US start-up called Commuter Cars, the Tango takes up only half a traffic lane. It can carry two people tandem-style in slightly cramped comfort. Without the need for gears, its battery-powered engine can accelerate from zero to 60mph in four seconds and, with a racing car-style roll cage design, the Tango is supposedly as robust as a Volvo estate car.

"It's unequivocally the fastest car you can buy for an urban environment," says Commuter Cars' president, Rick Woodbury, who has sold 11 of the vehicles so far, at a hefty price of $150,000 (£90,000) each, including a recent delivery to a customer in Surrey. "I drove through Times Square and had girls throwing their arms around me."

2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Price

Porsche keeps the focus on customer racing during the 2010 motorsport season. The new Porsche 911 GT3 R, delivered to customers ready-to-race, replaces the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S in Porsche Motorsports’ model range. The Porsche 911 GT3 R will be raced in series based on international FIA GT3 regulations. In developing the vehicle, the emphasis was placed on improving driveability and making handling easier. The Porsche 911 GT3 R features a four-litre six-cylinder boxer engine delivering 480 hp (353 kW). A six-speed sequential gearbox transmits the power to the rear axle. The new Porsche 911 GT3 R celebrates its world debut on 14th January 2010 at the Racing Car Show Autosport International in Birmingham (Great Britain).

“Since we first announced our intention to launch the Porsche 911 GT3 R, demand has been huge,” says Uwe Brettel, Head of Motorsport Sales. “The number of GT3 R vehicles we had planned for 2010 is almost sold out.” From spring 2010, customer teams around the world will receive their new vehicles. The basic price is 279,000 Euro plus national VAT.

The development of the 1,200 kg lightweight Porsche 911 GT3 R is based on the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup presented in September 2009 for one-make cup racing. Thanks to a 0.2-litre increase in engine capacity, the GT3 R delivers 30 hp more than its Cup pendant. Both race vehicles are based on the extra-wide body of the street-legal Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

An anti-lock brake system (ABS), traction control and an e-gas with “throttle-blip” function help pilots familiarise themselves quicker to the new GT3 race vehicle compared to its predecessor, also making it easier for ambitious amateur racers to get used to the car. The flared wheel arches front and rear show the wider track compared to the previous model. The underbody of the vehicle is completely covered and features a rear diffuser. Compared to the forerunner model, the adjustment range of the rear wing has been increased.

The highly developed race suspension can be extensively adjusted: At the front are height-adjustable McPherson struts with variable SACHS two-way shock absorbers and double coil springs (main and auxiliary). At the rear, the GT3 R features a rigidly mounted sub-frame with a height-adjustable multi-arm axle, as well as adjustable SACHS two-way shock absorbers and double coil springs.