Jay Leno drew a wild sketch of a car on a napkin and before he knew it GM had created a real life working version for him
Published on Feb 18, 2026 at 1:25 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Feb 18, 2026 at 5:45 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Jay Leno has a vast car collection, which also includes a one-off that GM created especially for him.
It’s called the EcoJet, and if you’re a hardcore car fan, you probably know what it looks like.
It’s famously powered by biodiesel, which is another fact people might be familiar with.
However, most people may not know how this vehicle actually came to be.
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It all started with a napkin sketch
In the automotive world, Jay Leno has two things: a nearly unlimited amount of cash, and a huge car collection.
This means that whenever he talks, even automakers tend to listen.
At some point, Leno apparently began dreaming about owning a car made just for him.
And it all started with Leno’s lifelong passion for turbine technology (he even owns a rare Chrysler Turbine Car), combined with his talent as a car designer.
One day, legend has it, there was a collaborative ‘doodle session’ between Jay Leno and GM’s then-Vice President of Global Design, Ed Welburn.
The doodle session eventually evolved into a formal engineering project.
GM’s design studio in North Hollywood stepped in and turned those napkin scribbles into 3D renders and clay models.
The project only grew from there.
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Jay Leno’s GM is a ‘franken-car’
Jay Leno’s EcoJet is a ‘franken-car’ – a Frankenstein’s monster of automotive and aerospace parts.
GM used a modified Corvette Z06 chassis, a custom shell made of carbon fiber and kevlar, and it was styled to look like a Cadillac.
The ‘engine’ is a Honeywell LTS101 turbine, which is the sort of thing you’d find in Bell 222 helicopters.
It produces 650 horsepower and, more importantly, it can run on biodiesel, like, for example, refined soybean oil.
We’re using the present tense here because the car still exists.
It’s still part of Jay Leno’s collection, even though it hasn’t featured on his channel for almost a decade at this point.
Although he probably doesn’t drive it that often, this creation definitely doesn’t deserve to fade into obscurity.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
