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.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

No related posts.

Ferrari sure had a lot to celebrate this past weekend at Silverstone. Not only did Fernando Alonso score the team’s first win of the season, but he did it on a rather momentous occasion for the Scuderia: Sixty years ago in 1951, José Floilán González scored the team’s very first victory at the same grand prix, held on the same second weekend in July as this year’s race.

In what might be seen as a bit of a premonition of Alonso’s victory, or maybe just a little touch of good luck, the two-time world champion borrowed the very same car in which González took the checkered flag there sixty years ago around for a couple of hot laps, and even got it a little sideways coming out of the corners.

The 1951 Ferrari 375 today belongs to F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone, who was evidently glad to bring it over to the Northamptonshire circuit for the historic demonstration and entrust it to a pair of hands that, as proven on race day, are some of the most skilled in the world. Follow the jump to watch the video.

Continue reading Alonso laps Ferrari’s first grand prix winner at Silverstone… sixty years later

Alonso laps Ferrari’s first grand prix winner at Silverstone… sixty years later originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog 5.0

No related posts.

No related posts.