Customized Engine Sounds Coming - Are Smells Next?

LONDON, Sept 18, 2002 Reuters - Help is at hand for would-be Porsche and Ferrari drivers whose wallets limit their choice of vehicles to rusting hatchbacks.

American inventors have developed a car radio that delivers a choice of mighty roars from vintage classic cars and motorcycles.

So even an old pickup truck or jalopy could sound like an early Corvette from the days before noise pollution controls and new engine technology reduced engine noise.

"Inventors Jay and Jason Plugge of Sunnyvale, California, lament the disappearance of the 'endearing and unique audible sound signature' of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s classic cars and motorbikes," New Scientist magazine said on Wednesday.

The pair have patented their invention which uses sensors that measure the engine's revs so the sounds correspond to the car's accelerations and decelerations.

"So any rusting old hatchback can sound like a Ferrari, or even a Harley-Davidson," the magazine added.