Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

CES: Cranking up Harman's QuantumLogic 3D surround-sound system

Yesterday we reported how Audi was readying a lavish 3D sound experience with 23 speakers and 1,400 watts of goosebump-inducing audio power. Not to be outdone, Harman had been quietly developing a system of its own: Quantum Logic 3D brings together 25 speakers and more than 2,000 watts of Tubthumping power to a new car near you, like driving inside Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Sitting inside the demonstration BMW 7-Series that Harman painstakingly lifted into the Studio at the Palms, Global Audio Engineering vice president Phil Muzio explained, "great music is delivered in stereo, yet our consumer research indicates that people enjoy surround sound." QuantumLogic 3D's surround sound expands beyond the boundaries of the vehicle's cabin, providing "a sense of detail and spatial placement that you don't get in stereo." Five height component speakers mounted in the corners of the headliner, and above the rearview mirror, elevates audio beyond the confines of the roof, "almost like you're in a convertible," said Muzio.

Car dealers are buying again

Used car sales in the UK (and just about everywhere else, for that matter) have been in the doldrums, to say the least, for many months. The inexorable decline in car values has left many dealers nursing painful losses on stock cars, and has led to the strange situation where, however desperate a dealer was to sell you a new car, he wouldn’t (or couldn’t) offer you a part-ex price. Car dealers are buying stock again But according to the used car value Gurus at Glasses Guide, things are starting to look up – a little.

AC Ace (2006) first official pictures

By Richard Yarrow First Official Pictures 15 December 2006 09:30 Smart Roadster reborn as an AC It was only axed last year, but the Smart Roadster has sprung back to life as this – the all-new AC Ace. The band of British enthusiasts behind the project aim to start production of the rebodied sports car in mid-2007, with prices from £12,000 to £19,000. A deal to buy the rights and tooling jigs for the axed two-seater from parent company DaimlerChrysler is about to be signed, and there will also be a convertible version.