I finally, I have a chance to post some of the additional pics from the 2008 SEMA in Las Vegas, NV. I spent a day and 1/2 walking through rows and rows of new items that will appear on the market. Most of the pics are focused on parts and items I found interesting or possible items that could some day be used on a Fiero. Forgive for not taking pics of the entire cars. Enjoy.
Right off the bat, I spotted a tricked-out Ferrari. I focused here on the rear glass/vents, reflectors, rear lights and over-all buttress.
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"Friends don't let friends drive stock"
[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 11-18-2008).]
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01:36 AM
PFF
System Bot
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
What's special about it? When most dedicated car enthusiasts attempt to combine a car and a jet engine, the result is usually dangerous, hideous-looking or a ridiculously expensive combination of the two. When Jay Leno does it, you get the biodiesel-burning Ecojet concept.
Leno and his chief mechanic, Bernard Juchli, came up with the idea and made it happen in about seven months thanks to plenty of help from General Motors. According to Leno, "We wanted to show younger car enthusiasts that environmentally friendly cars don't have to look like a Prius." Ed Welburn, GM design chief, met with Leno to discuss ideas and then turned the project loose within GM's Advanced Projects studio in North Hollywood, California.
According to Juho Suh, whose design was eventually picked by Leno after a highly competitive "sketch off," there were minimal restraints. "We were told it was going to have a jet engine for power and use a Corvette Z06 chassis; everything else was up to us." Although the turbine power plant recalls some of GM's original Firebird concepts from the '50s, Leno told them to do more than just make a modern-day version of those classic concepts. "I wanted some classic elements, but this wasn't supposed to be Firebird IV; it needed to stand on its own."
Once the design was finalized, Leno's crew of mechanics known as the Bad Dog Garage got to work building the aluminum chassis. Its frame rails, suspension and brakes are all taken straight from the Corvette Z06, but numerous modifications were made to support the new body and the jet turbine engine.
Generating 650 horsepower, the Honeywell LT-101 makes as much horsepower as it does noise. It's hooked to a four-speed Corvette transaxle with special gearing designed to make use of the engine's unique power band. A set of specially designed and built wheels from Alcoa get the power to the ground. Shaped like the fins of a turbine engine, they were used to remind onlookers what they couldn't see buried under the rear hatch.
The entire body is made from carbon fiber and Kevlar and uses environmentally friendly paint from BASF. Although work on the interior hasn't begun, Steve Hofmann, one of the many GM employees who helped with the build, assured that it was designed to fit Leno like a glove. "We did all the math and built the car around Jay. There's no doubt this will be a drivable car once it's all finished," he told us.
Leno admits that the car will be far from fuel-efficient, but the fact that it runs on renewable biodiesel from a company in Seattle gives him some satisfaction. "Too many people in L.A. equate high-performance cars with pollution. I can drive this car around with a clear conscience," Leno told the crowd at its debut. In fact, Leno plans to drive the Ecojet on public roads just like his hundreds of other collectible cars. "That's the fun part," Jay concluded. We agree.
What's Edmunds' take? No matter how good they look, concept cars often leave us cold given the fact they'll never see a real road. Not only does the Ecojet blend interesting styling and a one-of-a-kind power plant, it puts them together in a well-engineered, road-worthy package. That's cool. — Ed Hellwig **************************
Thanks for the pics. Oh, to have Jay Leno's resources. Just thinking about the Fiero I could build.
Ron
[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 11-18-2008).]
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11:33 AM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
Chip Foose did a nice job on the Challenger. He tends to go overboard IMO many times and did so with this car also but, it's SEMA and he's showing off his stuff so I won't gripe about the little things I didn't like. Thanks for posting these.
Ron
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08:09 AM
madcurl Member
Posts: 21401 From: In a Van down by the Kern River Registered: Jul 2003
Wow, I didn't realize that the rubber shortage had reach such historic porportions. They're actually cutting down on the amount of rubber used in sidewalls. Those things would kill my back and butt.
Ron
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02:33 PM
kwagner Member
Posts: 4257 From: Pittsburgh, PA Registered: Apr 2005
