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Jay Leno Builds Turbine-powered Supercar with GM
Diesel-Burning Helicopter Engine Makes 650 hp
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Canadian Auto Press
What does funnyman and Tonight Show host Jay Leno have to do with North America’s biggest tuning show, SEMA? It wouldn’t seem like much, at first. Leno is an automobile connoisseur, with a vast collection of multi-million dollar rarities, coach-built exotics, and custom one-offs, including a tank-powered ’30s style roadster amongst other things. SEMA, on the other hand is loud, wild and outrageous, pushing performance, style and off-roading capability. But these two, seemingly different entities have come together at this event, where a brand new General Motors concept car, the EcoJet, is being unveiled - a car that Leno took an active part in developing.
The EcoJet started out life as a simple idea in a conversation between Leno and his chief mechanic, Bernard Juchli. Very quickly, this idea snowballed into something Leno actually wanted to go through with. Starting with a simple sketch on a napkin, Leno went to GM to get some help. The comedian worked with GM’s VP of global design, Ed Welburn, who took the sketch and transformed it into a real car at GM’s Californian design studio.
GM EcoJet
Inspiration for the exterior of the car came from a variety of different vehicles. Though the actual shape of the vehicle is a traditional wedge like most other supercars, it draws design cues from Formula 1 vehicles as well as jet fighters. The one that’s most obvious, however, is the influence from Cadillac, which comes from the flat and wide grille, contrasted by the narrow vertical headlamps that cut into the front fenders. However, the shape of the rear fenders as well as the detailing on the grille and the badges look very similar to some of the wild, finned concepts of the ’50s and ’60s.
Interestingly, the EcoJet isn’t the first turbine-powered concept car that GM has built. As futuristic as it is to have this kind of motor power a car, it’s not the first of its type. Back in ’50s and ’60s, GM (and other manufacturers) toyed with the idea of turbines to power its cars, and showed the result of its findings in the 1966 Toronado concept, as well as the Firebird I, II and III. During that time frame, concept vehicles were much more radical, daring and just about as innovative as their designers were creative.
Just like such concepts from the past, the truly amazing part about the new EcoJet is what’s under the hood. Most of the GM cars at SEMA feature powerplants sourced from other GM engines (such as that lovely LS7 V8 engine), but the one in the EcoJet has been outsourced from Honeywell. Instead of cylinders, it’s got blades, and instead of kerosene, it runs on biodiesel. That’s right, the engine found here is the LT-101, an engine normally used to power helicopters rather than cars. This particular version develops 650 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, which should give it plenty of forward thrust, but the fuel consumption is debatable, even if it does run on biodiesel.
GM EcoJet
This engine is mounted behind the cabin on a modified version of the Corvette platform. The chassis is made from hydroformed aluminum and magnesium, while the angular body is made of composite Kevlar for light weight and strength. And I wouldn’t be waiting around for a production version if I were you.