2006 GM Advanced Design Studio EcoJet Concept Pictures, Specifications, Information

What would keep a group of automotive designers up all night? �Tonight Show� host Jay Leno, for starters, but not by his monologue or parade of Hollywood guests. This time it�s because the late-night talk show host invited the General Motors Advanced Design Studio to help design a mid-engine, turbine-powered supercar called EcoJet. Leno and Ed Welburn, GM vice president of Global Design, introduced the car today at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show.

EcoJet�s genesis goes back to a discussion between Leno, an avid car enthusiast and collector, and Bernard Juchli, the chief mechanic and caretaker of Leno�s collection. Leno then turned to Welburn for design direction.

�A couple of paper napkins later, Ed had begun to capture the essence of the car,� said Leno. �I�ve admired the work of GM�s Design Studio in North Hollywood, Calif., and asked Ed if the studio�s director, Frank Saucedo, and his guys could continue the design study,�

Welburn agreed, and a two-week sketching frenzy commenced as GM�s designers began working after-hours with Leno�s team on the project.

�EcoJet�s esthetics were driven by aeronautical and jet-age influences,� said Welburn. �It�s a purpose-driven design that conveys power, capability and even danger, with a hint of Cadillac�s sophisticated design vocabulary.� Borrowing design cues from jet aircraft and Formula One racecars, the supercar began to take shape under the watchful eyes of Leno and Welburn. A concurrent engineering program defined the vehicle�s proportions and mechanics.

Leno relied on Juchli and the entire Big Dog team at his garage to turn the EcoJet vision into a reality.

�We thought we pushed the creative envelope with the �66 twin turbo Toronado project with GM, but this turbine-powered monster is a whole new level of complexity,� said Juchli, who constructed the car at Leno�s facility.

The 650-horsepower (400 lb.-ft. of torque) Leno original is powered by a Honeywell LT-101 turbine engine that runs on bio-diesel fuel. The engine sits in a modified Corvette Z06 hydroformed aluminum frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and chassis components. The vehicle�s shell is an advanced construction of carbon fiber over Kevlar.