Autoblog

Click above to watch Jay Leno enjoy his time with the Nissan GT-R

Autoblog is brimming with proof that Jay Leno is the luckiest car guy in the world. His legendary garage is only attainable in our wildest dreams, so when something like a Nissan finds its way (temporarily) into his stable, it deserves note.

The latest installment of Jay Leno's Garage is dedicated to the Nissan GT-R, with the late-night talk show host poring over the details and grilling Nissan's product planner, John Weiner, on what makes the GT-R special. The range of topics includes all the stats you've already memorized, Nissan's efforts to quell GT-R tuning and Leno's immeasurable joy that he can check the dipstick himself. Leno maintains that it's a vehicle he could get "emotionally involved with." We agree, so without further ado... Mr. Leno, the floor is yours.

Make the jump for the latest installment of Jay Leno's Garage.



[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

The LA Times just ran a piece about how car collector extraordinaire and The Tonight Show host Jay Leno is seeing green these days. Not envious in the least, Jay in fact has several warehouses around Burbank that house hundreds of incredible vehicles that would incite lust in just about anyone with a car-loving bone in their bodies. No, the green here is the environmental push that is seemingly sweeping the world over. It seems that after spending more time with fellow celebs and enviro-warriors like Ed Begley, Jr., Jay has become enlightened to the needs of Mother Earth.

It should be pointed out that Jay has always had alternative vehicles in his collection. Most of those are early steam cars, but still, last year at SEMA he introduced the EcoJet powered by biodiesel and this year he rolled out the E85 Corvette C6RS by Pratt & Miller. People see high performance and the green movement as two diametrically opposed concepts, but Leno is one of those people who understands you can have both. Making a high performance vehicle doesn't have to come at the expense of the planet if you choose your motivation carefully. Cars like those mentioned above and Audi's diesel-powered R10 Le Mans racers come to mind. And the greening of Jay extends beyond the vehicles themselves.

Leno is investing in ideas like solar panels, wind turbines and grease-eating microbes, according to the article. He's also gradually making over his Big Dog Garage to incorporate self-generated power, energy-efficient heating and nontoxic cleaners. The article is a pretty good read, so check it out for yourself. The funniest bit in the story is Jay's half-serious, half-joking rationale for getting into the green thing:

"My thing with the green situation is: Even if you don't believe in global warming, don't you want to screw the oil company or gas company or utility company?"

Priceless.

Thanks for the tip Jay!

[Source: LA Times]

The most entertaining part of this video, by far, is the stupid ad-libbed "purr" from the newscaster at the end, as they go to banter before the probable throw to the weather. That's what newscasters do when the story is done, say some insipid crap, then toss to the meteorologist to segue from drivel to forecast. Oh yeah, there are cars in the video, too. Very cool cars. Under construction cars, in a super nice custom shop. From inauspicious beginnings assaulting Ferraris with Sawzalls, Metalcrafters has grown into a nearly 200-person operation that builds hot one-offs like Jay Leno's Eco-Jet, customizes production cars, and builds prototypes for the likes of Chrysler. There are some great shots of the Foose Hemisfear under construction, too. It's always intriguing to see how "real" custom cars go together, so we were watching close to crib any techniques we could. Now, where do we send our application?

Check the video after the jump.

[Source: KNBC]

click on image to enlarge

Unforgettable cars associated with the Leno name include the Tank Car and the twin turbo Toronado. After Monday night, we can add the EcoJet to that list. Designed and produced in collaboration with Leno, his Big Dog team of mechanics and GM's Design Studio in North Hollywood, the EcoJet is powered by a Honeywell LT-101 turbine engine producing 650 horsepower and 400 ft-lbs. of torque on bio-diesel. It rides on a modified Corvette Z06 hydroformed aluminum frame with additional aluminum and magnesium chassis components. The skin: 100% pure carbon fiber over Kevlar. The EcoJet's shape is a mix of Cadillac's current design language and cues taken from F1 racers and aeronautical craft.

The EcoJet was introduced at a shindig thrown by GM last night in Las Vegas at the SEMA show, and Autoblog's Mike Magda was in attendance. Unfortunately his hotel lacks the wi-fi, so we'll bring you some additional shots of this shocker later today.

You can still check out GM's press release after the jump, though.

[Source: GM]

Now that seemingly every car magazine on the planet has taken the Camaro concept for a "test drive," it looks like it's the celebrities' turn. Tonight Show host and hard-core car guy Jay Leno created the latest photo-op for the concept car last Friday, when he took it for a drive in Burbank, California, ending up at the retro-cool Bob's Big Boy diner for its Friday night American Graffiti-style Classic Car Show.

We eagerly await the Camaro concept's appearance in the Autoblog garage...

(More pics after the jump)

[Source: GM]