Old Muscle, New Conscience

Jay Leno partnered with GM to create the EcoJet, which proves that muscle cars can be green, too.

Even as a celebration of American muscle cars took center stage at this year’s mod-manic Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, an emerging sense of environmental responsibility was also evident.

The most striking example of this was the world debut of the EcoJet concept car, a one-off collaboration between General Motors and noted speed nut and talk show host Jay Leno. The car, built around a Corvette Z06 aluminum frame, is powered by a 650-hp turbine engine (similar to a helicopter engine) that will rocket the 2,100-pound car off line with 585 pound-feet of torque. The “eco” part of the name comes from the fact that the car will run on biodiesel, a clean-burning fuel derived from renewable resources.

“We live in an era where liking cars and the environment don’t seem to mix,” Leno said during the EcoJet’s unveiling at the SEMA show. “But we wanted to show that not every environmentally friendly vehicle has to drive like a Prius.”

2007 Ford Shelby GT500

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SEMA itself jumped on the green theme, creating a new hybrid category for its vehicle design awards, which go to the most accessory-friendly vehicles on the market. Designs are judged by the modification shops and companies that make up the Specialty Equipment Market Association. In the standard award categories — cars, trucks and SUVs — muscle was well represented: The winners were the Ford Shelby GT500, Toyota Tundra and Jeep Wrangler four-door, respectively.

But the surprise winner of the new hybrid category was a brawny choice, too: the Chevrolet Silverado Classic Hybrid, which uses an electric motor to assist its Vortec 5.3-liter V8 engine to boost fuel economy. Unlike its more buzzed-about green brethren the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrids, the Silverado can’t drive on electric alone.

“The Silverado did come out of the blue, in that a lot of other hybrids were getting a lot more press,” said SEMA vice president Peter MacGillivray. “Yet the Silverado has more accessories available for it than any other vehicle.” So while green is good, customization is still king at SEMA.

Read on to find out more about the cars of this year’s SEMA show.