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.

Porsche makes £14k on every car it sells, Bentley makes £12.7k

Porsche made £14k on every car sold in 2013 If you need an illustration of how much more profitable high-end sports and luxury cars are than mainstream cars, VW Groups sales figures demonstrate it perfectly. At the extreme ends of the profit per car spectrum, Porsche made an enviable £13,931 for every car it sold in 2013 and VW made just £615 (although SEAT actually lost £330 on every car it sold) . In fact, although you might expect the higher-priced Bentley range to make more per car than a Porsche, Bentley only managed a creditable second place on VW Group’s profit per car table, turning in £12,700 profit for every car it turned out (11,000 of them in 2013).

New COPO Camaro concept hits the drag strip

This Friday video goodness features a white 2012 COPO Camaro Stock Eliminator Concept on the drag strip. As Autoweek contributor Patrick Paternie explained during the SEMA show, the new COPO (Central Office Production Order) nameplate pays homage to the rare high-powered 1969 Camaros created through a loophole in the special-order program. This enabled dealers to specify a 427 engine--COPO 9560, the aluminum ZL1, or COPO 9561, the Corvette-based L72 iron block--despite the Camaro technically being limited to the 396-cubic-inch powerplant.