Did Jesse James really pilot a hydrogen-fueled vehicle faster than anyone else ever has in history? Possibly. Did he set a world record as claimed in doing so? Not so fast says noted world landspeed historian Louise Ann Noeth. It seems that Jesse's run wasn't quite up the the standards of a proper world record undertaking. Says Noeth:

The claim is without merit since the activities were conducted without benefit of any motorsports sanctioning authority. The vehicle was neither inspected, nor certified and all the timing personnel were on the James TV payroll. World speed records require two runs over a one-mile course within one hour. James was 5,148 feet short -- being timed one-way for a total of 132 feet; he made only three or four passes over an eight to ten-hour period. Any world record holder will tell you it's quite a technical feat to hold speed for a full mile.

Ouch. When given the opportunity to explain the apparent discrepancies between his so-called record run and the actual official record-holding BMW HR2, Louise says "James responded with a short crude retort that reminded her that vulgarity is indeed the refuge of a destitute mind." In conclusion, she adds:

Mr. James efforts count for absolutely nothing on the world motorsports stage and amount to little more than a self-promoting "TV racer" PR stunt since he chose to ignore the sport's sanctioning rules that have applied to all records certified for the past 80 years.

Click past the break for more from the official press release.

[Source: Landspeed Louise]

Earlier this month, we caught wind of Jesse James' plan to set a new land-speed record in a hydrogen-powered vehicle. According to a press release issued by Spike TV, the daredevil motorcycle enthusiast was successful in his quest, hitting a top speed of 199.7 miles per hour on a run the El Mirage dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert in California.

Though ultimately successful, the run didn't go off without a hitch. Apparently, the car needed three passes before the crew was able to keep enough blowing dust out of the cockpit and feed enough air into the monster 740-hp hydrogen-fueled 572 cubic-inch Chevrolet V8 engine.

The previous mark for a hydrogen-burning car was set by BMW in Germany a few years back with its H2H race car. James seems pleased with his accomplishment, saying, "This, I honestly believe, is world-changing. We can't rely on gasoline forever. I'm paying it forward."

Want to see the whole thing go down? Tune in to Spike TV to watch Jesse James is a Dead Man on Sunday, August 9th at 10 pm Eastern.

Famous motorcycle builder and all-around celebrity Jesse James plans to attempt a new world record top speed run for a hydrogen-powered vehicle later this month on a dry lake bed somewhere in California. The actual car being used is a former land speeder called the Dees-Milodon Engineering-Davis B Streamliner, which had previously attained speeds as high as 237 mph at Bonneville.

Replacing the car's old Chrysler powerplant will be a brand new 572 cubic inch Chevy crate motor that's been converted to run on gaseous hydrogen and is force fed by twin turbochargers that add 50 pounds of boost. The fuel will be stored in 10,000 psi tanks sourced from hydrogen specialists Quantum Technologies.

If you think piloting a ticking time bomb land speed record car from the 1960s that's carrying a ton of compressed hydrogen and has been beefed up with a fully modern and ridiculously potent powerplant is crazy, that's what Jesse's going for. The actual event will be recorded as part of the upcoming series, Jesse James is a Dead Man.

[Source: AutoWeek]

For those of you who just can't get enough Jesse James in your life, we have good news. The rest of you, commence eye-rolling. The tattooed chopper builder will soon be back on the small screen, this time on Spike TV. His new vehicle is called Jesse James is a Dead Man, which isn't totally accurate unless you're referring to his namesake forbear. The world needs another "reality" TV show like we need a festering case of hemorrhoids, but TV producer's don't care. This series will focus not on James' welding-torch-wielding antics, but will instead follow Mr. Bullock as he moves from one supposedly dangerous activity to another. Great. Seriously, how bad will this show be? Our guess: Fear Factor bad. We can smell the impending suckage from here... like a steaming hot pile of rotting cabbage.

Just when you thought that the reality TV explosion couldn't possibly get any more far-fetched and ridiculous, the execs go and do something like this... and completely redeem themselves!

[Source: Motorcycle.com]

click above to see more images of Radial Hell

If somebody told us that a custom chopper was being built for Airstream, we would have assumed that the Orange County Chopper boys were behind it. Not so, it seems. According to the press release pasted after the jump, Jesse James of West Coast Choppers fame and his crew are hammering, riveting and welding together thin sheets of aluminum to construct a custom motorcycle and sidecar combo that will debut at the 2008 Legend of the Motorcycle show on May 3rd. This is the second time that James has released a new bike at the show, the first being back in '06 with his Radial Hell bike (shown above) that is powered by a Rotec 7-cylinder radial engine normally reserved for powering aircraft. We're always up for a new take on motorcycle design, and the idea of strapping the Monster bike to an old Airstream trailer has us wondering just what Jesse's bike will look like.

[Source: Legend of the Motorcycle]

Click above for high resolution photos of the car

We doubt Danny Panoz envisioned anyone attaching wings to an Esperante, let alone actually flying one. Of course, throw Jesse James of West Coast Choppers into the equation and anything can happen. This 2004 Panoz Esperante actually took flight on an episode of Monster Garage, making it off the ground for 280 feet before touching down safely. The interior has been stripped to make room for a full roll cage, a propeller is mounted in the trunk, and the 36' wings are handmade.

The final bid of $45,000 ($54,000 after auction fees) wasn't too high, although the Monster Garage cars haven't been commanding high numbers. We can't imagine what exactly you would want to do with this vehicle, so it's no surprise that bidding didn't come close to six figures.

Women do weird things to you sometimes, man. Case in point – Jessie James. Once the biggest badass west of the Rockies, the guy hooks up with Sandra Bullock and suddenly the couple is the sole proprietor of an organic, solar-powered burger joint named Cisco Burger. The new eco-friendly fast food restaurant is located east of the West Coast Choppers compound in which James' “Monster Garage”  TV show is taped. According to TreeHugger the menu will include preservative and hormone-free Kobe beef burgers, low-fat burritos and organic toppings. The roof lacks arches but substitutes solar panels for additional amperage and the burgers are wrapped in biodegradable wrappers. We’re sure it won’t be long now before James builds a dump truck dragster powered by waste veggie oil from the Cisco fryer.

[Source: PressTelegram via TreeHugger]