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

Consumer Electronics Show: News and Notes

Here are some more things we saw at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. -- While it came onto the market at the top end, HD Radio is now trickling down to even entry-level cars. To emphasize that, parked in the HD Radio booth at CES was a Jetta, a 2012 Focus and a Forester, all relatively affordable rides that can come with the improved radio reception of HD.

Bedford Autodrome to get Ariel Atoms for 2012

Corporate track-days at the Bedford Autodrome will get lairier in 2012 - Somerset-based Ariel has announced it’ll supply ten cars for the PalmerSport track-day events next year. Stopping short of the unhinged Atom V8, the PalmerSport-spec cars get the normally aspirated 245bhp Civic Type-R engine, and some key changes to set it aside from the Joe-Public Atom. The Palmer-spec car will get a Sadev paddle-shift sequential gearbox, which swaps ratios in 60 milliseconds, whilst some choice chassis mods optimise the Atom for its full-time track-toy brief.

February new car sales up 4 percent on light-truck demand

U.S. light-vehicle sales rose a modest 4 percent to 1.19 million units last month, with Volkswagen AG, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors setting the pace as automakers overcame severe winter weather, higher taxes and rising gasoline prices to keep the industry's recovery on track.