electric vehicle

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The Everrati Signature

We all know the world is changing, hybrids and electric cars are taking over the future of supercars and hypercars, makes like Lamborghini with their legendary V12 will be going hybrid within two years, Bentley is already offering hybrid versions of their cars and Ferrari is on the path to electrification too … but what with the decades of automotive masterpieces we already have parked in our garages today?

Will we still be able to drive muscle cars from the past with that growling V8? Or enjoy the raw sound of a V12 from a Ferrari 250 GTO, or a Lamborghini Countach … I sure hope so, and there seems to be another option today, we’ve seen it before where people take a petrol-powered car and install an electric motor and batteries into the original bodyshell.

Everrati Automotive Limited (EverratiTM) is such a company, founded in 2019, they specialize in integrating EV powertrains into classic cars to future-proof these four-wheeled icons, their first product was the electrified Mercedes-Benz SL Pagod, but now they also offer a Porsche 911 (964) both in Coupe and in Targa version, a 911 (964) Gulf Signature Edition and a Land Rover Series IIA available in Traditional, Safari or Modern Top Canvas guises.

Located in Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, the United Kingdom, Everrati now unveils their Signature Wide Body, based on the stunning Porsche 911 (964) wide body, they took a fully restored 1991 model and fitted lightweight carbon-fiber body panels and a state-of-the-art EV powertrain mated to a 53kWh battery pack and battery management system, the result is a 500bhp, 500Nm, sub-4-second 0-62mph acceleration electric supercar that offers a +150 mile range.

Justin Lunny, Founder & CEO of Everrati Automotive Limited said: “After releasing details of the car last week, we’re delighted to give the ‘Signature’ wide body its global public debut at London Concours, one of the world’s most prestigious motoring events, held in the center of a megacity that is fully moving towards an electric future. The team’s hard work, expertise, and dedication to their craft truly are unmistakable when the car is seen in the metal.”

June 6, 2021 / Comments Off

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Rimac CEO rules out SUVs, says brand will stay focused on supercars

It sometimes seems as if the entire automotive world is consigned to a future of nothing but high-riding sport utility vehicles, even among brands known for high-end sports cars. Porsche long ago gave into the craze with the Cayenne, Lamborghini has given us the Urus, we just saw Aston Martin unveil the DBX, and Ferrari has its own plans for a lifted performance family hauler. But Croatian electric vehicle maker Rimac Automobili is signaling that it’s not going down that road.

CEO and founder Mate Rimac spoke with Top Gear about plans for future models, telling the site, “We ourselves? No. We will not do a performance SUV. For sure.” He told the site he understood why automakers like Aston give in to the SUV craze, but insists Rimac will remain focused on two-seat supercars with innovative features in areas of aerodynamics and weight. “But I don’t want to make SUVs or stuff like that,” he added for good measure.

For now, Rimac has been working on homologating the C_Two, a limited-edition, 1,914-horsepower battery-electric supercar that it unveiled in 2018 in Geneva. It’s powered by four electric motors that draw from a 120-kilowatt-hour battery pack, boasts a range of 404 miles on the generous NEDC cycle, a top speed of 258 mph and adds 1,969 pound-feet of torque to the mix.

Production is set to start next year, capped at 150 examples, which have long been sold out at a base price of around $2.1 million. We’ll reportedly see the production version in March at the Geneva Motor Show.

November 30, 2019 / Comments Off

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Pininfarina electric hypercar officially named Battista

The Pininfarina electric hypercar has an official name now: Battista. It’s a properly Italian name for the car company affiliated with the famous Italian design studio to use on its first car. Battista is the first name of Pininfarina’s founder, Battista Farina.

With that we say goodbye to the PF0 codename the Italian/German car company has been using since officially launching earlier this year under new Mahindra ownership and HQ in Munich. As of now, Pininfarina is still claiming this will be the fastest and most powerful car ever designed and produced in Italy. We imagine Ferrari and Lamborghini are still grinding their gears over that statement. Power claims currently sit at 1,925 horsepower and 1,700 pound-feet of torque, leading to a claimed sub-2-second 0-60 mph time. A top speed of over 250 mph along with 300 miles of range are a couple of other impressive claims Pininfarina is making for its electric car.

The vehicle is going to use a Rimac-sourced electric powertrain and battery pack, which explains where Pininfarina is getting the outrageous performance specs. Rimac itself claims numbers that are equivalent or better than Pininfarina’s for its Concept Two hypercar.

Only 50 of these are set to make their way stateside, with the rest of the world sharing the other 100 that Pininfarina plans to produce. There aren’t a whole lot of people who can afford and want a $2.5 million electric car, but that’s why Pininfarina is planning on introducing a lineup of “normal” cars after this one debuts. Three Pininfarina SUVs are supposedly set to be revealed in the next five years — all of these vehicles will be electric. The teasers for the Battista are set to stop at the Geneva Motor Show in 2019, where the car will finally see the light of day.

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December 11, 2018 / Comments Off

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Rimac goes in-depth on the C_Two’s ultra-tech aero testing

Today, performance vehicles more closely resemble complex computing machines than they do the traditional automobile. Building supercars requires supercomputers, as well as an army of human intelligence, both of which Rimac Automobili has been using for the past two years as it’s been building its C_Two electric supercar. Rimac recently dropped a behind-the-scenes video giving the public a look at just how thorough and detail-oriented the process is.

The C_Two is one of the most impressive vehicles to hit the auto show circuit in recent memory. It debuted at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show with absolutely insane claimed stats: 1888 horsepower, 1696 lb-ft of torque, 258-mph top speed, 0-60 time of 1.9 seconds, quarter-mile time of 9.1 seconds and a 404-mile single-charge range on the New European Driving Cycle.

Building a car to that level of world-eating power requires not only a state-of-the-art propulsion system, but an exterior design that works with the air rather than fighting against it. Although the C_Two has certain evolutionary design features that call back to the Concept_One, it was built from scratch to ensure everything was crafted with the most up-to-date technology.

Like most cars these days, the design and aerodynamics of the car were concocted through computer programming before taking real-world physical form. Once a satisfactory starter shape was figured out on screen, Rimac built a model with parts that can be changed, altered and adapted to further findings and advancements throughout the testing process.

Supercars are no longer inanimate objects, however, and Rimac’s wind tunnel model included the active parts on the car, such as the massive rear wing, the diffuser flap and flaps in the hood and nose. According to Rimac, the air around the vehicle splits into more than 70 million parts, each of which factor into how the vehicle is affected and reacts. This is where computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations help to solve complex equations that are far too complicated for simpleton bloggers to comprehend.

Essentially, it’s a game of trial and error. Change a tiny thing here, and see how it changes the car’s dynamics. Rimac says the lowest coefficient of drag it achieved with the C_Two was 0.28. Watch the video to learn more about how that was realized and how computers play just as much of a part in development as humans do.

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November 30, 2018 / Comments Off

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Holden Time Attack Concept is a vision of a 1,340-horsepower electric race car

When you think of crazy, over-the-top supercars with wild powertrains, you probably think of Koenigsegg or Rimac. But in this case, we’re talking about Holden, the Australian brand synonymous with big rear-drive sedans with equally large V8s. For the 50th anniversary of the brand’s first victory at the Mount Panorama racetrack in Bathurst, it decided to imagine a concept car, simply named the Time Attack Concept, meant to set a blistering lap time around the course. The designers really let their imaginations loose, to say the least.

The Holden, which only exists in virtual form for the time being, uses four electric motors, one for each wheel, that produce a total of 1,340 horsepower and an even more jaw-dropping 2,389 pound-feet of torque. Each motor is coupled to its own three-speed planetary automatic transmission. Combined with a lightweight carbon fiber chassis, Holden estimates it could hit 62 mph in just 1.25 seconds. The company also says it would be capable of a top speed of roughly 300 mph.

Of course, this car is designed for more than just outright speed. To that end, it has fairly conventional double-wishbone suspension made from carbon fiber components. It’s backed by a hydraulic system that actively eliminates body roll, dive and squat to keep the car level and provide optimum contact with the road. Each corner has carbon brakes and 310-mm wide slick tires. The car makes extensive use of aerodynamic aids, particularly fans that run air through venturi tunnels. These help make sure there’s downforce at low speeds, and helps improve it at higher speeds.

The estimated results of all these technologies are pretty amazing. The company claims a maximum lateral force of 6.5g, and maximum braking force of 6g. The electric motors are able to provide 2.0g of that just with regenerative braking. Holden further ran a simulation of the car on Mount Panorama, and calculated it could run a time of 1:29.30. To put that into perspective, the fastest lap at the track was 1:48.8 done by Jenson Button in a 2011 Formula One car. As pointed out by Wheels, this time was not technically official since it didn’t happen in a race, but we feel safe in assuming this concept’s simulation time was not with competition on the track.

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October 5, 2018 / Comments Off

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$3.6 million Aspark Owl electric supercar preorders begin

Japan’s Aspark is taking preorders for its battery-electric Owl at the Paris Motor Show, promising deliveries starting in mid-2020 for the supercar, first revealed a year ago in Frankfurt, that promises a sprint time of less than 2 seconds.

Bloomberg reports the Japanese engineering firm is taking nonrefundable deposits of 1 million euros — about $1.15 million at today’s conversion rate — and plans to build 50 examples. Total cost of the car will be the equivalent of $3.6 million.

Osaka-based Aspark’s Owl first turned heads at last year’s Frankfurt auto show, saying that its 0-62 mph time of 2 seconds was a key focus in developing the car. It’s now promising to hit that sprint in just 1.99 seconds. In February, the company released a video of the Owl launching in a brisk 1.87 seconds, which rivals the claims made for the next-generation Tesla Roadster, though the prototype was reportedly fitted with racing tires.

The latest specs, per Bloomberg, peg the Owl at 1,150 horsepower and 652 pound-feet of torque, with a dry weight of around 3,300 pounds. That’s up significantly from last year, when the company said it weighed less than 1,900 pounds, though engineers are reportedly still finalizing the powertrain and debating how many electric motors to use. Top speed remains 174 mph, and range is 186 miles on a full charge. You’ll reportedly have to wait another year or so to test-drive it, however.

It’s worth pointing out that the Owl’s specs are dwarfed by fellow electric supercars like the 1,914-hp Rimac C_Two, said to do 0-60 mph in just 1.85 seconds and have a top speed of 258 mph, with 404 miles of range. It’s also a relative bargain at a cool $2.1 million. The new Tesla Roadster, when it launches, will go 620 miles on a charge and be priced at just $250,000.

The Owl is on display this week at the Paris Motor Show.

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October 4, 2018 / Comments Off

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Mercedes-AMG wants to prevent Project One owners from flipping them

Mercedes-AMG will include contract language in its exclusive upcoming Formula One-sourced Project One hypercar when it starts delivering to customers early next year prohibiting the new owners from flipping the $2.6 million car for a quick profit.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports the move is similar to what Ford is doing with its GT supercar and Porsche, with its 911 GT3 Touring after customers began flipping the 911 R. It also says all 275 examples of the 1,000-horsepower-plus Project One are sold and that Mercedes-AMG has undertaken the first test drives using camouflaged prototypes on closed race tracks in England and Spain.

Late last year, Ford sued wrestler and actor John Cena for violating the terms of his purchase contract, which involved an application process, for the $450,000 supercar. The two sides in June settled outside of court for an undisclosed amount that Ford will reportedly donate to charity. Meanwhile, another 2017 Ford GT is on Mecum’s Monterey sale bill. It’s headed for the block Aug. 23-25.

Similar attempts have already been made with the Project One. Motor 1 reports someone tried to sell a build slot last November for the equivalent of $5.2 million, nearly double the asking price, and a newer listing not yet removed is similarly asking $5.2 million, with a mid-year 2019 delivery date.

The Project One, which debuted as a concept last fall in Frankfurt, boasts some eye-popping specs, with its mid-mounted 1.6-liter single-turbo V6 doing more than 1,000 horsepower, a top speed of more than 217 miles per hour and going from 0-124 mph in just 6 seconds. It can also operate as a zero-emission electric car for 15.5 miles, thanks to its lithium-ion battery powering two 120-kilowatt electric motors, plus two smaller ones driving the front wheels. Owners will have to take the car in every 31,000 miles or so to have the gas engine rebuilt.

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August 2, 2018 / Comments Off

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Audi teases PB 18 E-Tron electric supercar concept

Audi is set to reveal what it’s calling an “electric-drive supercar concept” next month during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It’s called the PB 18 E-Tron, referring to the Pebble Beach venue and the year of its unveiling.

Beyond that, Audi says only that the car owes some of its technology solutions to the Le Mans-series winner R18 E-Tron and that it was conceived and designed by the new Audi Design Loft down the coast in Malibu. It released a darkened teaser image that shows a road-going car with a squat profile, bulging wheel arches, slim LED headlights and a raised rear spoiler.

The R18 E-Tron racer was a hybrid powertrain. More recently, Audi has been prepping its new E-Tron electric crossover prototype, which was rated at 248 of range on the European WLTP cycle from its 95-kWh battery and dual electric motors, the first of three electric vehicles expected by 2020. It promises to be a “futuristic electric design study for the performance enthusiast driver.”

We’ll find out more when it makes its debut Aug. 23 at the Laguna Seca racetrack, if not before then.

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July 30, 2018 / Comments Off

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Zero Motorcycles DSR Black Forest Edition

California’s Zero Motorcycles has just unveiled the DSR Black Forest Edition–a versatile, adventure-oriented e-bike that can easily tackle anything from pothole-ridden streets to highways, to rock-strewn trails.

Featuring the company’s Z-Force tech, the emission-free motorcycle is said to “deliver the highest power and energy density in the EV industry.” Its range is a top 203 miles in the city (with an 18 kWh battery) and 100 miles on the highway, while its battery can be fully charged (from your standard household outlets) in 2,5 hours with the optional Charge Tank (with the standard package, you’d have to wait 9,8 hours for a 100% charge). The torque is an impressive 146 Nm–“more than any fuel-burning production literbike.”

Weighing in at only 187 kg, the Black Forest Edition is built for action, with a long-travel suspension, rugged dirt-ready tires, aluminum top and side panniers, touring windscreen & seat, dual sport drop bars, LED auxiliary lights, and a headlight protector. The tough 2-wheeler is fittingly finished in black with camo accents.

Photos Courtesy of Zero Motorcycles

July 5, 2018 / Comments Off

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Nio will run its EP9 electric supercar at Goodwood Hillclimb

Chinese electric carmaker and NextEV brand Nio says it will show its Performance Program vehicles for the first time in Europe, including entering its EP9 electric hypercar in the hillclimb challenge during the Festival of Speed at Goodwood next month in England.

Scottish race driver Peter Dumbreck will helm the EP9 in the Goodwood Hillclimb challenge after breaking the lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife last year. Nio also plans to display a new EP9 chassis and its Nio 004 Formula E Gen2 car during the festival, which takes place July 12-15.

The EP9, first unveiled in 2016, boasts a megawatt of power, or 1,360 horsepower, with four electric motors, four gearboxes, a 0-60 mph time of 2.7 seconds and a top speed of 200 mph. The EP9 also set a record for fastest autonomous car last year in Texas.

“Whilst we have competed in the FIA Formula E Championship since its inception and have showcased NIO’s single-seater EV technology through fierce competition on the world’s city streets, this will be the first time that anyone has seen the Nio EP9 Supercar run in anger,” Gerry Hughes, head of Nio’s performance program and Formula E team principal, said in a release.

In last year unveiled its EVE concept as a volume sales model at SXSW in Austin. It also launched the ES8, a 644 hp seven-seat crossover, late last year in China.

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June 18, 2018 / Comments Off

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Nobe 100 Electric Car

A car that is both agile and practical, as well as easy to park and fun to drive, the Nobe 100 Electric Car is the three-wheeled urban drive you never knew you needed.

Inspired by vintage icons like the MINI and the Volkswagen Beetle, this quirky little car features a beautiful classic design with elongated, fluid lines all over. The three-wheel drive (!), Estonian-built Nobe 100 offers three seats (two passengers in the front and one in the rear) and charges in around two hours. Three wheel-mounted hub motors provide a combined 60-hp, enough to push the lightweight vehicle from 0-60 mph in 6 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 68 mph. Total range is 137 miles per charge.

Inside, you get old-school manual windows, a minimalist dash with only a speedometer, smaller dial for amps and battery level, and a large clock, plus a detachable “luggage”-style battery pack that can be easily removed and recharged (in 30 min) from any standard European outlet, offering about 15 miles worth of juice. The Nobe 100 is expected to arrive on the European market by 2020.

Learn More From Nobe ~$34,000

Images Courtesy of Nobe

June 4, 2018 / Comments Off

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Leaos Pressed Bike

Italy’s design company Leaos has recently unveiled an innovative electric 2-wheeler, dubbed the Pressed Bike. Why innovative? Well, although the naked eye can’t see it, the bike’s entire frame is crafted of two ultralight aluminum sheets welded together.

Available in a single speed configuration, the Pressed Bike is powered by a 250 Watt rear wheel motor connected to a removable battery that offers a range of 56 miles. Top speed is a decent 16 mph.

Weighing in at a total of 31 lb, the bike includes a minimalist digital display, Schwalbe suspension, and disc brakes front & rear. Optional accessories include mudguards, rack & bags, and light system, while the ‘Smart package’ can be configured with a smartphone app, GPS antitheft, code lock, and cloud supervision.

Learn More From Leaos $3,500

May 31, 2018 / Comments Off

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Mahindra’s Automobili Pininfarina now officially a standalone EV brand

We first got word last month, and how we have the official announcement: Indian automaker Mahindra has launched Automobili Pininfarina as a new standalone sustainable luxury vehicle brand, with plans for a new electric hypercar in 2020.

The company will be a client of Italian design house Pininfarina SpA, known for its work with Ferrari and more recently for designing battery-electric concept vehicles for Hong Kong-based Hybrid Kinetic Group. Mahindra acquired a controlling stake in Pininfarina in 2015. It will be led by Michael Perschke, a 25-year auto industry veteran who was formerly managing director of Audi in India and a member of the management board of Volkswagen Group Sales India. Automobili Pininfarina will be based in Rome.

First up will be an electric car flagship that will go from 0-62 mph in less than 2 seconds and have a range of more than 300 miles, according to Automotive News Europe. Codenamed PF-Zero, its price will approach €2 million (U.S. $2.5 million). Mahindra says the new brand will borrow from its experience in the Formula E electric-car racing circuit.

Motor Authority reports the hypercar will also use technology developed by Rimac and that it will boast output of 1,500 horsepower, rivaling the Bugatti Chiron. It’ll be built in limited numbers, though future models, including SUVs and sedans, will be built in higher volumes.

Pininfarina most recently has been seen designing concept vehicles under the Hybrid Kinetic brand, most recently teasing the H500 sedan and K350 crossover ahead of their debuts in Beijing.

Separately, Pininfarina plans limited production of 12 units of its H2 Speed, its 653-horsepower hydrogen fuel cell track car that goes from 0-62 in 3.4 seconds, reportedly this year.

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April 16, 2018 / Comments Off

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Watch a next-gen Tesla Roadster rocket down a test track

Tesla was recently spotted testing its next-generation Roadster on the test track at its factory in Fremont, Calif., and now we have footage of the supercar’s vaunted launch capabilities. Twitter user Shehryar Khan posted the following video last week complete with an adoring, all-caps tagline (beware the salty language at the end).

ROADSTER I LOVE ELON MUSK pic.twitter.com/YAzS9WBjw1

— Shehryar Khan (@khannzilla) February 14, 2018

In the video, you can see the car’s windows are down, and a ringing brake squeal is audible as the Roadster pulls up to a stop before launching. Then the tires squeal as the driver floors the accelerator and the Roadster positively screams off the line.

The video, of course, is too short and unscientific to serve as validation for Tesla’s claims that the supercar will be the “quickest car in the world” and do 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds and reach 100 mph in 4.2 seconds. But it’s clear the Roadster will be more than peppy off the block.

The all-wheel-drive, four-seat Roadster will be powered by a 200kWh battery pack that Tesla says will give it a 620-mile driving range, plus three electric motors — one on the front and two on the rear. Base price on the new Roadster will be $200,000 when it hits the market in 2020, assuming Tesla can make good on its claims and conquer everything else on its considerable to-do list.

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February 19, 2018 / Comments Off

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Here’s the next-generation Tesla Roadster

In addition to unveiling its new electric Semi Truck, Tesla also dished details on its next-generation Roadster. Tesla calls the all-wheel-drive EV the “quickest car in the world,” with a claimed 0-60 mile-per-hour time of just 1.9 seconds. The sprint to 100 mph takes only 4.2 seconds, and its top speed is over 250 mph.

Tesla didn’t reveal horsepower or kilowatt figures, but said wheel torque is 10,000 Newton-meters, or 7,375 pound-feet. That translates to a quarter-mile time of 8.8 seconds.

Perhaps just as impressive, this four-seat EV will have a driving range of 620 miles on a single charge. Range anxiety, begone! The new Tesla Roadster will also feature a trick glass roof that stows in the trunk.

The car won’t come cheap, though. Its base price will be $200,000, though hard-hustling Tesla owners can score one for free through the automaker’s referral program. Just to reserve it will cost $50,000. Tesla will launch the Roadster with a Founder’s Series model, priced at $250,000 and limited to 1,000 examples.

Expect to hear more about the next-gen Tesla Roadster in the near future. For now, take a gander in the image gallery above.

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November 17, 2017 / Comments Off

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McLaren said to be developing an all-electric hypercar

British supercar maker McLaren plans to produce an all-electric version of its Ultimate Series hypercars, the automotive website Autocar reports.

The new, unnamed vehicle is reportedly not the same as the previously rumored P15, a lightweight Ultimate Series car we learned more about just last month. The EV is set to arrive sometime after the release of both the P15, which comes later this year, and the release of the BP23 hybrid in 2019. The latter is a replacement for the three-seater F1.

Autocar reports that the automaker plans to produce five models of the EV initially and let favored McLaren owners drive them as part of the development process. It also plans to introduce hybrid replacements for its 570 Sport Series and 720 Super Series in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

McLaren has said it expects half of its fleet to feature hybrid powertrains by 2022.

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August 18, 2017 / Comments Off

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