Diddy Loaning Teen Idol Justin Bieber His Lamborghini

If you don’t know who Justin Bieber is then you don’t have any children under age 16. You should count yourself lucky that you’ve missed out on Bieber and his music. The pop sensation is rising up the charts and with fame comes spending time with other famous people. We’re not sure why famous people don’t hang out with non-famous people, but that just doesn’t seem to happen a lot.

The latest famous pairing sent Bieber to hang with Diddy for unknown reasons, but the music mogul promised the 15-year-old Bieber the use of his Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, a $200,000 car, when the young man turns 16. That’s not exactly the car we’d pick for a 16-year-old to toy with. Since Diddy has to take a dusty car cover off the Gallardo Spyder to show it off in the video above, we’re guessing he doesn’t get much use out of it. Oh, famous people…

Vikings Offer Free Parking for E85 Vehicles

Minnesota Vikings fans who own flex-fuel vehicles have an extra incentive to get to each of the football team’s eight home games early. The first 25 flex-fuel vehicles to arrive will get free parking at the premium lot near the stadium, while everyone else who drives will have to plop down the standard $40 to park.

Additionally, even fans who don’t own flex-fuel vehicles, which can run on either gasoline or E85, can register to win a trip to Soldier Field to watch the Vikings take on the Chicago Bears on Dec. 28 for “Monday Night Football.” To register for “Vikings Road Trip, Fueled By E85,” click here; we’re warning you, we live in Chicago and Lake Michigan will undoubtedly be kicking up something fierce by Dec. 28.

The Vikings have partnered with the American Lung Association for the promotions, which are meant to raise awareness of “cleaner-burning E85” and ethanol-based fuel. Minnesota is a large producer of corn-based ethanol; Iowa, which also makes a lot of ethanol from corn, doesn’t have an NFL team.

E85 meets new stringent emissions rules just like regular gasoline. It emits less carbon monoxide than gas, but the fuel produces more acetaldehyde, a toxic pollutant. There are many environmentalists who believe the carbon footprint for corn-based ethanol is much more detrimental than fossil fuels.

National Geographic Peeks Inside Auto Factories

Thursday night is chock-full of good TV shows. Perhaps your tastes swing more toward “Survivor” or maybe you’re like me and can’t get enough of “The Office” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” but you’d better gear up the DVR for a series on the National Geographic Channel.

At 8 p.m. EST Thursdays, the channel will show “Ultimate Factories,” a reality show that looks at how some of the world’s favorite cars are built, piece-by-piece. The Chevrolet Camaro get its moment in the spotlight (well, one of its many moments in the spotlight) on Oct. 15 when the cameras peek inside a GM plant.

The show also focuses on the Lamborghini Murcielago SV, put together by hand in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, which already aired this week but is on again at 3 p.m. EST Thursday; the Rolls-Royce Phantom, assembled in Dingolfing, Germany (Thursday); and the Porsche 911, assembled in Stuttgart, Germany (Oct. 22).

It’s an interesting lineup, ranging from the popular but still relatively inexpensive Camaro to vehicles like the Murcielago SV that most people will never lay a hand on let alone consider buying. We look forward to seeing the differences in how these vehicles go from frame to finished product.

National Geographic Channel to Show How a Lamborghini Is Built (Up to Speed)

Electric Ford Focus To Race on Jay Leno Tonight

Jay Leno’s new show may not be a hit with critics but the admitted car fanatic is hoping to get auto enthusiasts and greenies on his side with a new “Green Car Challenge” segment launching tonight — Friday at 10 p.m. EDT.

The first car to be tested — and driven by actress Drew Barrymore — will be a European Ford Focus seen here that has been converted to an all-electric car. This is one of the cars Ford has been testing in advance of a consumer version to go on sale in the U.S. in 2011.

Ford says the battery powered Focus has 236 lb ft. of torque — almost as much as a V-6 Mustang — 50/50 weight distribution and a number of other race ready parts supplied by Ford’s performance division.

That’s a lot of go while Ford also says the test-car can travel 80 miles on a single electric charge.

The Ford may also have an unfair advantage to future cars in the challenge. It has been tweaked and tested specifically for Leno’s custom race track he had built for the new show. Ford went as far as designing its own version of Leno’s track in Michigan for its testing.

Tune in to NBC tonight to see how Barrymore and the battery-powered Focus handle the pressure.

Eli Manning Back Hawking Cars for Toyota

The Greater New York Toyota Dealers Association has a secret weapon this football season — Eli Manning heading up the “Great Time to Sign” sales event.

A series of 30-second spots feature Manning in a run-of-the-mill Toyota dealership, buying a car from a couple of dealers who are ecstatic to have the New York Giants quarterback in their offices.

This year, Manning is joined by the New York Jets rookie quarterback, Mark Sanchez, with the joke being that the dealers (played by Chance Mullen and Joe Farrell) have no idea who Sanchez is.

While the spots certainly work in their own quirky little way, what do you think the odds are that either Manning or Sanchez ever gets behind the wheel of a Toyota for a night out on the town? After signing a multimillion-dollar contract, I doubt it’s that much fun to run out and buy a Camry.

Lexus IS 350 Gets Fuzzy at U.S. Open

In the midst of early losses by tennis stars Andy Roddick and Venus Williams, 17-year-old Melanie Oudin of Georgia has shocked the tennis world by advancing to the quarterfinals of this year’s U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Wait a minute… we’re not a sports blog. We’re here to cover cars.  

Lexus has designed another sports-themed car, much like it did with the golf-ball-dimpled LS 460 L at the U.S. Open of golf earlier this year. This IS 350, however, was covered in the yellow felt-like material of a tennis ball. Just how did I stumble upon this car? This past weekend I took a trip to New York City, and as part of my weekend expedition, I made a stop by the U.S Open. Once inside the gates, I noticed a bright yellow Lexus IS 350. This was no ordinary paint job. The car was completely covered in tennis-ball material. As a line of people waited to take a photo with the car, I stepped up and snapped a few photos of my own.

What’s next on Lexus’ list of sports-themed cars? A basketball-leather-covered RX 350 or a ES 350 wrapped in the rubber material of a hockey puck? We’ll be sure to keep our eyes open for these in the future. For now, check out more photos below.

2010 Hyundai Tucson iX Gets 'Sexy' Spears Treatment

What do you think of when you see the new 2010 Hyundai Tucson or Tucson iX as it’s called in South Korea?

If you said “a sexy Britney Spears’ song,” you’d be … weird.

Nevertheless, you’d have hit the mark because that’s what Hyundai’s going for in this commercial for the Tucson iX. Set to the Britney Spears’ song “If U Seek Amy,” the ad features flirtacious shots of the Tucson with a lot of Korean lettering flashing in and out. Discerning adults will grasp the song title’s intention and send the young ones out of the room.

Billed as a “sexy utility vehicle” (get it?), the SUV gets the full Spears’ treatment — albeit the radio-edit version. Check the short video out for yourself — it actually features a lot of detailed images of the new SUV that will be going on sale next year in the U.S. — and let us know if you’re now compelled to buy a Tucson.

Video: KDM Hyundai Tucson iX Is a Sexy Utility Vehicle… Just Ask Britney Spears?! (Autoblog)

2010|Hyundai|Tucson

Jay Leno May Have Celebs Race Hybrids on New Show

Jay Leno is leaking some sketch ideas for his new fall show, and one of them is automotive related. Leno, a noted car enthusiast, is prepping a recurring segment that will put celebs behind the wheel of electric or hybrid cars and see how fast they can drive them in a race setting. It’s a very similar idea to a segment from the hit British show “Top Gear,” called Reasonably Priced Car, that puts celebs in economy cars to see how fast they can go. Leno starred in the “Top Gear” segment recently.

Here’s what the L.A. Times said of the possibility: “One idea for a recurring comedy bit includes a 'green-car challenge,' in which celebrities would race electric or hybrid cars. Tom Cruise has already asked whether he could do some practice runs before competing, Leno said. (The host told him practice runs are forbidden.)”

Jay Leno's new show to include a 'green car' segment (LA Times Up To Speed Blog)

Driving in the United Kingdom

I recently tested a Fiat 500 — a car headed to the U.S. next year — in the United Kingdom. There’s obviously a different driving culture there than here; a few of the more noteworthy practices I encountered are highlighted below.

Jay Leno Replaces Rare Car Parts Using 3D Printer

While he may have ceded the “Tonight Show” to Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno will never give up his mantle of being one of the most impressive celebrity car enthusiasts.

How impressive, you ask?

Leno creates his own spare parts for rare, old cars using a 3D printer. He described the process for Popular Mechanics, but here’s the gist of how it works: Leno scans the old part using a NextEngine 3D Scanner, which takes about 20 minutes at a resolution of 160,000 dots per inch.

This creates a 3D model, which he can then print in plastic with a Dimension 3D Printer in roughly three hours. At that point, he can use the plastic model to create a mold that can be used to build the car piece in metal.

Pretty nifty, right? He should put that much time and effort into his monologue.

Jay Leno’s 3D Printer Replaces Rusty Old Parts (Popular Mechanics via Gizmodo)