Autoblog

Motor4Toys charity car show attracts Leno and his Turbine

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:26:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

6th Annual Motor4Toys charity car show - Click above for high-res image gallery

For the 6th year in a row, Dustin Troyan organized and hosted the Motor4Toys charity toy drive and car show in Southern California this past weekend. Every year this show continues to grow, gathering together several thousand car people and their exotic and collectible sports cars, race cars, muscle cars, tuner cars, and the like. All of them come to support the cause of making sure every child has a gift to unwrap during the holidays.

This show is unique in that it draws its participants entirely from the car community and since its inaugural year Motors4Toys has been the single largest donor of toys to any charitable toy donation program. Tens of thousands of toys have been collected by Motor4Toys and distributed to groups such as Toys for Tots and law enforcement charities, and while we're always happy to be a part of such a worthy cause, we have to admit that half the fun is the huge gathering of sweet rides.

Imagine seeing hundreds of cars lined up by make or model. It's like taking a peek inside the fence of your favorite manufacturer and seeing all of your dream cars lined up, ready to ship out for delivery. Whole rows of Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, Cobra, Mustang, Lotus, WRX, Evo, GTR, MINI, VW, Tesla, Camaro and Mazda greet the enthusiasts that come each year. And as if it needed any more cred, Jay Leno attends every year. This year Leno happened to drive over in his Chrysler Turbine car, which wowed the crowd. Click below to see our large gallery of pics from the event courtesy our friends at Speed and Motion.

Gallery: 6th Annual Motor4Toys charity car show

[Photos: SpeedandMotion.com]

Motor4Toys charity car show attracts Leno and his Turbine originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno gets behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:27:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Celebrities

Jay Leno drives the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG - click above to watch the video

Like Jay Leno, many of us Autobloggers are oil-in-the-blood car freaks living in Los Angeles, California. Only thing is, we can't seem to recall Mercedes-Benz dropping off their new gullwinged supercar - the SLS AMG - at our garage. Of course, Leno is an international superstar that knows most presidents on a first name basis and we wear sweatpants most of the time. Oh, and we don't even have a garage, let alone two Miuras and an Espada, among dozens of other pieces of drooly metal.

And sure, we've driven the 2011 SLS AMG. In California, no less. Liked it quite a bit, too. Still, we think you'll get a kick out of the video. Why? Well, it's good to see the SLS in motion, even though from certain angles at least one of us (*ahem*) thinks it resembles a third generation Mazda RX7. We also like how Jay reviews cars, as if he's talking to his buddies during a long lunch. Which is probably pretty close to what's actually happening. We also like how he just keeps hammering and hammering the press car - something we can (*double ahem*) relate to.

Then, of course, while admitting that a dual-clutch transmission can shift faster than any human, he still states that he'd prefer three pedals. Seriously, our kind of guy. And really, if you think about it, Jay Leno is little more than every gearhead's fantasy writ large after hitting the lotto (vis-à-vis, cars at any rate). For instance, he starts this video standing next to his 1955 300 SL Gullwing. Meaning that we're so jealous, we can't stop smiling. Hit the jump to watch Jay at play in the streets of Burbank.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Photos copyright (C)2009 Chris Paukert / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno gets behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

VIDEO: Jay Leno gets behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the Allard J2X MkII

Jonny Lieberman — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Performance, Celebrities

Jay Leno and the Allard J2X MkII - click above to watch the video

It's not like we need another reason to be sickeningly jealous of Jay Leno, but along comes this video. In it Jay drives perhaps our favorite car from the 2009 LA Auto Show, the hugely lovely and impressive Allard J2X MkII. Only unlike the 500-ish horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi powered J2X MkII we got to look at, Jay blasts around the streets of Burbank, CA in a 600-hp 6.1-liter Hemi version. Grrr. Still, the Allard is such a desirable beast - and to see it in motion such a treat - that we'll tuck our Jay-based jealously back into its hole. This time... Watch the video, after the jump.

Gallery: LA 2009: Allard J2X MkII

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the Allard J2X MkII

VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the Allard J2X MkII originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Justin Bell shows off Lexus LFA in Jay Leno's Garage

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:56:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Lexus

2011 Lexus LFA at California Speedway - Click above to view the video after the jump

The lease-only 2011 Lexus LFA supercar has been getting a lot of exposure lately. We had a chance to drive it a few weeks ago and just showed you some pics of the matte black car when it showed up at Cars & Coffee in Irvine this Saturday, but now we have something even better. LeMans-winner and Jay Leno Show racing coach, Justin Bell, heads out onto Fontana's California Speedway with this very same LFA, getting some instruction himself from fellow racer Scott Pruett before taking the better seat for a lap.

The segment was shot for the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage, the Jay Leno webshow that highlights a different car every week, sometimes with Jay driving and sometimes with Justin doing the heavy lifting. Follow the jump to see the video for yourself and be sure to check out Jay's Garage regularly if you don't already. Listening to this thing rip up to 9,000 RPM is worth the nine-minute investment of your time, trust us. Thanks for the tip Gabriel!

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Justin Bell shows off Lexus LFA in Jay Leno's Garage

VIDEO: Justin Bell shows off Lexus LFA in Jay Leno's Garage originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno does the electric Tango

Domenick Yoney — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Celebrities, Design/Style, Electric

Jay Leno drives Commuter Cars' Tango - click above to watch the video after the jump

Jay Leno likes him some electric Tango. No, not the new dance craze all the kids are ~~talking~~ texting about, but rather the oddly-narrow but very quick two-seater from Commuter Cars. Now, regular Autobloggreen readers have seen the Tango before, posing beside George Clooney or perhaps drag racing Tesla Roadsters, and many have commented (less than favorably) on its, um, nonconformist appearance. Perfect fodder, one might think, for a crack by someone who knows a thing or two about comedy. Instead, our man Jay Leno plays things pretty straight as he chats with its creator Rick Woodbury before taking it for a spin.

Watching the clip, you can tell that Leno really likes it, especially from behind the wheel. He reports it doesn't feel like a small car inside and really only looks weird from the outside. He likes that it's unique and finds the fact you can lane split with it to be hilarious. However, the real reason he states "It makes you smile..." has less to do with the Tango's width as it does with the fact that "it goes like stink," a point which he happily reiterates.

Despite its turn-of-speed, one of the Tango's biggest shortcoming is its 40 mile range at highway speeds. The car's heavy lead acid batteries are great for keeping it upright around hard corners, but you can't expect to go too far with yesteryear's technology. During their pre-drive talk, Commuter Cars' Woodbury revealed that the company is finally about to put lithium battery pack in a test car, and he expects for it to go up to 200 miles. All of which strikes us as a much more reasonable number if he ever expects to bring skinny back. Hit the jump for video of a little Tango in Jay's Garage.

Gallery: AltCar 2009: Tango EV

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Top Gear

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno does the electric Tango

VIDEO: Jay Leno does the electric Tango originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:32:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Dodge, Celebrities

Jay Leno and the 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger - Click above to watch video after the jump

Well, well, well -- look who's jumping on our Hotchkis bandwagon. It's none other than Jay Leno behind the wheel of the 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger! What a wonderful beast of an automobile.

To refresh your memory a bit, the suspension gurus at Hotchkis wanted to build a classic muscle car that not only looked and sounded the part, but that handled like a modern performance car. In fact, they wanted to take things a step further, so they went and built an auto-crosser. To quote ourselves, "Tooling around the 'hood a bit I'm slightly amazed at how much the bright yellow Dodge feels like a go kart. A gigantic go kart, but a go kart nonetheless."

And guess what? Jay feels the same way. Well, not quite the same, as he compares the handling to a Lamborghini. We're not prepared to go quite so far, but there is no question that as far as 1970 Mopars go, this is the best handling one out there, period. One thing Jay does that we didn't get to do is place the E-Max on a lift and get a guided tour of all the fancy-pants suspension components from none other than John Hotchkis himself. They examine the poly-bushings, the shiny tie-rods and the elegant A-arms that make up the E-Max's sophisticated front end, as well as the less-than-modern (but still nifty) solid-axle leaf-sprung rear. Then they venture out into the streets of Burbank for a little hoonage, including a smoky burnout. Watch the video, after the jump.

Gallery: Review: 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger T/A

Photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the 1970 Hotchkis E-Max Challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno inspects the Devon Motorworks GTX

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:29:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Celebrities, Specialty

2010 Devon GTX walkaround with Jay Leno and Justin Bell - click above to watch the video

Celebrity car-lover Jay Leno was up in Monterey this year, helping to auction off some charity items and checking out every car that caught his fancy. One such car was the newest all-American supercar, Devon's GTX. Jay spotted the car on the concept lawn at Pebble Beach and had development driver Justin Bell give him a walkaround. Fortunately, someone had a camera rolling to chronicle the experience for a Jay Leno Garage segment.

Click through to the jump and you'll hear Justin mention some interesting stats on the car: 3,000 pounds, 650 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque to name a few. That means that this limited production designer sports car will have a much better power-to-weight ratio than the Viper ACR with which which it shares some DNA. In fact, the Devon's numbers mirror those of the Ferrari Enzo, although the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano was reportedly the actual benchmark for the car. No wonder it has been setting production car lap records.

Our favorite part of the video is when Jay fires the GTX up. We can tell you from firsthand experience that the Devon crew has done a terrific job of making their creation sound as good as it looks and performs, and you can get a taste of that in the video. We'll have a lot more Devon news for you in the near future, but for now, follow the jump and watch the clip.

Gallery: Monterey 2009: 2010 Devon GTX

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno inspects the Devon Motorworks GTX

VIDEO: Jay Leno inspects the Devon Motorworks GTX originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno confirms Top Gear appearance

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Lifestyle, UK, Celebrities

Jay Leno and The Stig - Click above to watch video after the jump

Those previously unconfirmed rumors of Jay Leno making an appearance on Top Gear? Consider them now confirmed, courtesy of The Man himself. According to Jay Leno's Garage, the popular American late-night comedian, talk show host and all around cool guy did in fact visit Jeremy Clarkson, The Stig and the rest of the crew to film a piece for the show's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment.

From the sound of things, Leno had lots of fun in the U.K. and he specifically calls Top Gear his favorite show on television. With due respect to Conan, we'd have to agree. In addition to filming a few teaser shots of his trips around the TG Test Track, the comedian takes us into the Top Gear Production Office - and let's just say its pretty much exactly as you'd expect from a bunch of car-obsessed men. Click past the break to watch the video. Thanks for the tip, Stephen!

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno confirms Top Gear appearance

VIDEO: Jay Leno confirms Top Gear appearance originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno reviews Zero S electric motorcycle

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:26:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Motorcycle, Celebrities

Click above to watch the video after the break

We suspected it wouldn't take long for Jay Leno to throw a leg over the new Zero S electric motorcycle, and indeed the popular late night comedian and talk show host has just posted a video review of the bike at Jay Leno's Garage. Zero founder and CTO Neal Saiki drops by and offers a bit of commentary on the recently-released machine, and there are a few bits of interest to dissect.

For instance, Neal says the bike's 32 horsepower is roughly equivalent to 50 horsepower in an internal combustion engine since the Zero S's power is available throughout the rev range. Coupled to a weight of just 225 pounds, that's an impressive power-to-weight number, regardless of which horsepower figure you elect to use. Saiki also says that the Zero's frame is made from aluminum that's just three times the thickness of a soda can. Regarding the bike's top speed of 60 miles per hour, Saiki says it's possible to make it go much faster, but the gearing required to hit those speeds would reduce the Zero S's ability to wheelie on command, and that's not good.

While Jay doesn't test Neal Saiki's assertion that you could ride the Zero S from LA to New York with just $30 worth of electricity, he does hop on and take the bike for a ride. Jay definitely seems to like the electric motorcycle, saying that he got used to the lack of shifting pretty quickly and that "this is the future" of motorcycling. Of course, it's also quiet, and Leno quips that "you could go through the bird preserve and not even bother anybody." There are a few flies in the ointment, though, such as the wimpy sound of the bike's horn. Click past the break to watch the video.

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno reviews Zero S electric motorcycle

VIDEO: Jay Leno reviews Zero S electric motorcycle originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno takes delivery of Corvette ZR1

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Videos, Supercars, Chevrolet

Click above to watch video after the jump

Jay Leno just picked up his new Corvette and posted a little video of its reception on Jay Leno's Garage. As you might expect based on some of his other vehicles, this isn't just any Corvette. No, it's a ZR1. Jay gives us a quick walk-around of the vehicle and points out the unique touches make this the most powerful Corvette ever. He even offers up some trivia, letting us in on the little known fact that the clearcoat used on the ZR1 costs $60,000/gallon. After the tour, Jay takes his newest addition out for a spin and shows off some of the steak behind the sizzle. Our favorite line? Jay tells us that repairs are relatively simple for the Corvette in his own unique way. Check out the vid after the jump to see what we're talking about. Thanks to everyone who sent in a tip!

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Corvette ZR1

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno takes delivery of Corvette ZR1

VIDEO: Jay Leno takes delivery of Corvette ZR1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno and the Lamborghini Countach

Alex Nunez — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:31:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Performance, Videos, Supercars, Lamborghini, Celebrities

Click above for a gallery of Countaches through the years

The Lamborghini Countach is the poster child for the modern Italian supercar. Literally. If you're of a certain age (and there are a few of us here at Autoblog who are), you probably had a series of Countach posters on your bedroom wall throughout your formative years. Put simply, the Countach was awesome. Still is, too. The clean-looking LP400 cars, as shown above, are simply gorgeous. Successive updates added visual muscle, but the basic goodness remained the same. (And yes, the 25th Anniversary car's cheese-slicer grates are an abomination.)

While the Countach is capable of being outperformed by a number of modern, far less exotic sports cars, none of them carry its overwhelming wow factor (or the excellent bold oblique lamborghini logo) Roll up in a Z06 or 911 Turbo today and no one will bat an eyelash, despite their being world-class machines. Arrive in a Countach, however, and you have an event on your hands. That's just how it is. Always was. Always will be.

Jay Leno, no surprise, has a Countach -- a nicely-worn, red, carbeurated '86 Quattrovalvole that once served as his daily driver and now has 70,000 miles on the clock. Obviously, he loves it, and it's the subject of the Jay Leno's Garage video we've got embedded after the jump. Jay gives a brief history of his car, which includes nuggets such as his deletion the rear wing because he thought it was stupid. (And really, it is. These cars look so much better without it.) Make sure you watch the whole thing. If you bail early you'll miss the ending. And really, who wants to miss Countach burnouts?

Gallery: Lamborghini Countach

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno and the Lamborghini Countach

VIDEO: Jay Leno and the Lamborghini Countach originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the SSC Ultimate Aero, lives

Drew Phillips — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Supercars, Celebrities

Click above to watch Leno drive the Ultimate Aero

We have a lot of respect for Jay Leno. Not only because he owns some seriously impressive cars, but because he actually drives them. Sure, we're a bit jealous, but even more so after watching him drive the SSC Ultimate Aero, the Guinness-certified fastest production car in the world. As you might expect, Leno was initially skeptical of the American-built supercar, but after close inspection and a stint behind the wheel he was truly impressed. The video also has some interesting info, including the news that SSC plans to build more cars -- a 220 mph four-door sedan as well as the world's fastest "green" supercar. Considering what SSC did with the Ultimate Aero, we wouldn't put it past them, but we're skeptical nonetheless. Follow the jump to watch the video.

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the SSC Ultimate Aero, lives

VIDEO: Jay Leno drives the SSC Ultimate Aero, lives originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dodge Challenger SRT8 added to Leno's Garage

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:26:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Dodge

Click above image for gallery of high-res shots courtesy Delbert Shoopman

Looks like late night television's most famous car nut is the latest person to fall under the spell of the new Dodge Challenger SRT-8. Autoblog friend Delbert Shoopman says he was walking around the NBC lot in Burbank and happened upon one black Challenger parked directly across from the Tonight Show studio. Further snooping revealed a Jay Leno parking tag on the spot (above). We snooped a bit ourselves and found a blurb on Chrysler's internal blog, Firehouse, where they talk about Jay's latest acquisition.

Seems Jay picked it up yesterday at Valley Dodge in Van Nuys. It will join his 1970 Challenger among the hundreds of other cars in Leno's Garage when he isn't driving it around the Valley or stopping off at local car meets. We'll keep an eye out for him at Bob's Big Boy and VCR to see what he thinks of his latest toy. We're guessing he will get quite a kick out of it, with its 425-hp Hemi V8 and retro-mod good looks. Drive it in good health, Jay.

Gallery: Jay Leno's Dodge Challenger SRT-8

Dodge Challenger SRT8 added to Leno's Garage originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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