By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I really really need to drive one of these, and soon.

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

So you’re a regular car guy named Larry, you blog a bit, you like weird old cars, the usual. You’re chillin’ at home this week and the phone rings. OMG, IT’S JAY LENO!!! It’s also the real deal - a friend of mine from the VWVortex forums got the call last week in regard to a piece he wrote on the Doble Steam-Powered. We’ve all heard of Leno’s fondness for driving his Stanley around, so it’s no surprise he picked one of the more knowledgeable steam enthusiasts to ring. Jay Leno gets cooler every day, if that’s possible. Can you imagine getting a call from Leno? I think I’d faint.

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

While I think the Jay Leno Show show has its moments, I really wish he’d gone and done a car show after stepping down as host of the Tonight Show. It never would have been Top Gear—after all, NBC is advertiser supported—but he’s great when’s indulging his not-so-inner gearhead and not just gunning for laughs. In this clip, he talks about his love of the Rendezvous, and takes Mercedes’ new SLS AMG on a lap of the 13-mile race track hidden in the streets of Los Angeles. I’m going to drive it ASAP…

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

When Jay Leno appeared on Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson called him the “world’s biggest petrolhead,” which is high and deserved praise for the former Tonight Show host. Leno probably knows more about cars than most of the people paid to work on them or write about them, so it’s always fun to watch when he gets serious about his favorite subject. Check out this clip where he heads over to McLaren’s Technical Centre in Woking, England and get’s the scoop on the company’s new MP4-12C.

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

As far a comedy goes, I’m more of a Conan fan, but you can’t be a gearhead and not love Jay Leno. Because he actually drives his cars, this 1929 Bentley Speed Six isn’t totally stock. The motor has  been bored from six to eight liters, the carbs have been upgraded, it’s got a Gear Vendors overdrive, and his body guys—you know, the ones that only work for him?—fabricated the fenders over the front wheels. I’m kind of fascinated with iron this ancient, and I was super pumped to see that there are safety inspection stickers from Silverstone all over the cockpit. Looks like this baby last ran hot laps back in 2000, but it’s probably ferried Leno to the NBC studios in Hollywood a bunch of times since then. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Jay Leno's 1929 Bentley Speed Six" »

By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

Art Center is well known for the transportation designers it has graduated over the years but also for the transportation design show it hosts. With a theme of “By Air, Land & Sea” we were treated to a great cross section of interesting and though-provoking vehicles.

After taking a year’s hiatus, the campus of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena again hosted a small but eclectic transportation show, the 2009 Art Center Car Classic. More than simply a car show, this year’s event showcased some unusual vehicles including amphibious cars, cars powered by aircraft engines, and cutting-edge flying devices. The unique and intimate setting in the hills overlooking Pasadena might be small, but the organizers made every square inch count, presenting a broad spectrum of vehicles that combined state-of-the-art engineering, breathtaking design, as well as providing a bench marks from the past that might show future designers ways to design small city cars.

The Art Center Car Classic is more than a car show as this year, as in years past, noted speakers were part of the program. Burt Rutan–best known for the design of the record-breaking Voyager, which was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling, and the sub-orbital space plane SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded spacecraft to enter the realm of space twice within a two week period–was the featured speaker. And local car guy extraordinaire and former “Tonight” show host Jay Leno made an appearance in his turbine-powered Eco Jet concept done in conjunction with General Motors. Read More at Automotive Traveler.

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

Jaguar is one of my all-time favorite marques, and I can still remember the first time I saw an XJ6. I loved it so much that  even though my Dad repeatedly warned me about the Big Cat’s reliability issues, when I turned 30, I bought one.  But even the most die-hard Jaguar fan has to acknowledge that the XJ’s basic design is well past its prime, so I was stoked to see get a look at the all-new 2010 model. Since I loved the XF so much, I had high hopes, and I’m happy to say Ian Callum didn’t let me down. Watch Automotive Rhythms’ coverage below for interviews with Jay, Managing Director Mike O’Driscoll and Callum, and check out this clip for more glamour shots of the pretty new Kitty.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Jay Leno thinks it will. Watch the video!

By Chris Bicknell

Bick66

Check out this video from Jay’s Garage on the 257-mph SSC Ultimate Aero. I’m proud to say that this American-made supercar holds the current Guinness world record for being the fastest production car ever built. The best part is that there just happens to be one for sale on eBay–anyone interested?

Watch the video here, check out the auction here, and follow the jump for more pics of this incredible machine.

Continue reading "Jay Leno Takes World's Fastest Production Car For A Spin" »

By David Wallens

Grassroots Motorsports

Tim Suddard, our publisher, spent the past weekend seeing customers in Southern California, and while there he stopped by to see Jay Leno, an old friend. Jay filmed this little video for us. And yes, it was done in one take.