In an effort to stay on the bleeding edge of old crap-bucket technology, the 24 Hours of LeMons has now created a prize specifically for autonomous vehicles. The X Ceedingly Bad Idea Prize will award one million shiny new nickels to the first team that manages to pilot an autonomous vehicle to a win. We assume that carries a caveat of not killing anyone in the process. As always, the vehicle itself can’t cost more than 0, though the associated technological wizardry required to keep the driverless machine on the track doesn’t count toward that grand total.

Madness? Probably, but we would feel more comfortable sharing the course with a computer than some of the tactically inept drivers we’ve seen bashing around the track in our time. The next 24 Hours of LeMons race kicks off at New Jersey Motorsports Park on April 14-15, but you need to get your application in by February 4. Get cracking, people. In the meantime, hit the jump to check out the press release.

Continue reading 24 Hours of LeMons now welcomes driverless entries

24 Hours of LeMons now welcomes driverless entries originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jay Leno had a very special guest stop by his garage recently. Peter Mullin and his Pebble Beach-winning 1934 Voisin C-25 Aerodyne took the time to visit the comedian and car enthusiast for a brief spell. It’s no secret Leno is a fan of ’30s French vehicles, and the Aerodyne holds a special place in his heart. The vehicle was a marvel of innovation when it debuted, featuring a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder sleeve-valve engine, a mechanized retractable hardtop sun roof and an interior that could have only been designed by a Frenchman.

Leno and Mullin spend plenty of time discussing the vehicle’s origin as well as Voisin’s colorful past. The engineer began his career designing aircraft, and claimed he was the first person in history to successfully engage in powered flight. He took off, flew and carefully landed his plane 18 months after the Wright brothers sailed along in Kitty Hawk, but received no recognition for his accomplishments. Interested in more? Hit the jump to check out the video.

Continue reading Jay Leno’s Garage welcomes 2011 Pebble Beach Best in Show winner

Jay Leno’s Garage welcomes 2011 Pebble Beach Best in Show winner originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In case you hadn’t noticed, Detroit is smack dab in the middle of America, and what is America if not welcoming? While the Woodward Dream Cruise may celebrate the heyday of The Motor City’s own brand of classic machinery, there’s a good bit of foreign influence as well.

From Porsche and Volkswagen to Bentley and Rolls-Royce, Europe is very well represented indeed. Japan may not be quite as commonplace on the streets of Woodward, but we did come across a smattering of offerings from Nissan (and also its earlier Datsun form).

And then there are the truly rare breeds – like Austin Healey, De Tomaso and TVR – mingling right alongside such hallowed performers as the Ford GT and Dodge Viper. See all that and plenty more in our image gallery of imports and exotics from the 2011 Woodward Dream Cruise.

Woodward 2011: Detroit welcomes imports and exotics originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s another feather for Jay Leno’s cap. The Tonight Show host can officially say that he is one of only a handful of drivers to have slipped their way behind the wheel of the amazing Jaguar C-X75 concept from this year’s Paris Motor Show. Penned by design guru Ian Callum, the supercar is as sexy as it is advanced. The vehicle gets its power from a quartet of electric motors that are good for 195 horsepower each. Throw in two small turbine engines for generating power and you’ve got one very unconventional extended-range hybrid.

The C-X75 was designed to celebrate the Leaping Cat’s diamond anniversary, and as such, the company pulled all the stops. With a design that pulls from the most successful points in Jaguar history, the car is nothing short of gorgeous. Will it make it to production? We’re not sure, but for the moment, you can hit the jump to watch Leno take it all in – and don’t forget to watch for an appearance by Callum, too.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source: YouTube via Jay Leno's Garage]

Continue reading Video: Jay Leno’s Garage welcomes the Jaguar C-X75 concept

Video: Jay Leno’s Garage welcomes the Jaguar C-X75 concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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