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)

'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' Opens in Theaters

Long-awaited by car geeks and young men whose parents let them watch too many cartoons in the ‘80s, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” opens nationwide in theaters today. The sequel to 2007’s hit film, “Transformers,” “Revenge of the Fallen” will include many of the same characters as the first, but we’ll point out the highlights for car fans.

For the Autobots, Bumblebee (a 2010 Chevy Camaro Z28) is back, along with Ratchet (a Hummer H2) and Optimus Prime (a Peterbilt Truck). They are joined by Sideswipe (a slick Corvette Stingray Concept), Jolt (a Chevy Volt) and twin brothers — if robots can be brothers — Skids and Mudflap (a Chevy Beat and Chevy Trax, respectively).

Meanwhile, the Decepticons tend to transform into more bizarre vehicles (F-22 Raptors and mechanical scorpions, for instance), but they will include the character Sideways, who turns into an Audi R8.

Early reviews of “Revenge of the Fallen” haven’t exactly been making “Citizen Kane” comparisons, but in case it’s a hit anyway, check out our story in the Advice section on other cars we’d like to see in the next “Transformers” film. 

Conan O'Brien's Questionable Taste in Cars

While we love Conan O’Brien and his new gig on “The Tonight Show,” we’re learning he’s no Jay Leno when it comes to automotive tastes.

First, there’s his self-admitted love of his ancient Ford Taurus SHO, which made an appearance in his first episode as “Tonight Show” host. Then, last night we caught him in a skit with Donald Trump opening a trunk full of The Donald’s new book. The car? It’s a new Acura TL, which has been much-maligned because of its design.

And based on the sales numbers, Conan appears to be one of a very few people who bought one.

After bragging so much about the Taurus SHO, we can only assume the TL is more of a daily driver. Still, Leno was buying a new vintage car every week when he was hosting.

For the record, the staff of Cars.com has plenty of suggestions if Conan blows it and one of us is tapped to host late night’s most famous hour.

"The Tonight Show with Kelsey Mays," anyone?

Check out the video after the jump.

Ohio Turnpike to Accept Credit, Debit Card Toll Payments

If you plan on taking a road trip through Ohio later this year, you’ll find a much appreciated tollbooth feature — one that’ll allow you to pay tolls with credit or debit cards. Select toll booths along the 241-mile Ohio Turnpike will accept the cards.

By accepting credit and debit card at toll booths, the Ohio Turnpike Commission is increasing its ability to serve drivers. Not everyone uses an electronic pass (E-Z Pass, I-Pass, etc.), which automatically deducts the toll money from an account, when driving on a toll road, and finding enough spare change scattered around cupholders can be difficult, especially when you’ve spent all of it on candy from the rest stop’s vending machine.

There are already a few machines set up at staffed tollbooths for testing, but the commission plans to have machines installed at 10 low-volume exits by the end of the year. Eventually, these booths will be unmanned at night.

Indiana is also planning to add credit and debit card to its toll roads.

Ohio Turnpike to let drivers pay tolls with credit, debit cards (The Plain Dealer)

Cars.com Picks 10 Cars for the Next 'Transformers' Movie

Many car fans are eagerly awaiting the June 24 opening of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and all its slick new vehicles transforming into good and evil robots. Thanks to plenty of hype, most of the vehicles are already well-known, but here at Cars.com we got together and thought about what might be missing. What vehicles could make it into the next “Transformers” movie, and which side would they fight for? Check out the story in our Advice section, and feel free to let us know which vehicles you would like to see.

Transformers: 10 Cars We’d Like to See in the Next Movie (Cars.com)

NBA MVP LeBron James Gives Away His Kia

When Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James won his first NBA Most Valuable Player award this season, he also won a free Kia Borrego. This is somewhat akin to the local Subway offering you free sandwiches for a month after being elected president of the United States.

Not to knock Kia, but its cars are more likely to be the vehicles of NBA fans than of NBA players, who are well known for their extravagant taste in cars. Perhaps that’s why Kia, the sponsor of the award and an NBA partner, usually gives the vehicle directly to a charity of the award winner’s choice.

Last year’s MVP, Kobe Bryant, donated his brand-new Kia Borrego to the East L.A. Boys and Girls Club. This year’s Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, has already announced that his Kia will go to the Orlando Day Nursery. James will give his SUV to the Akron Urban League.

Even though Kia would certainly love to see James behind the wheel of a Borrego, giving the car directly to charity avoids headaches for sports agents because of possible conflicting endorsement deals. We’d also guess the Borrego would cramp his style a bit. James arrived at the MVP award ceremony driving a Ferrari amid a police escort. We assume this is his Ferrari 430 Spyder, which cost more than $200,000 before it was customized to fit the NBA player’s tall frame. Check out the video of him taking delivery of it below.

NBA MVPs Don’t Keep Cars (CNBC.com)

Shelby Cobra Coupe May Become Most Expensive Car Ever

While new Pontiacs stand little chance of becoming collectors' items, another American car is expected to set an American and perhaps a world record with its price tag.

The 1965 Shelby Cobra Coupe will be auctioned off in Indianapolis on May 15, before the Indy 500, and it’s expected to command between $10 million and $15 million.

Nicknamed the “American Jewel,” the ’65 Cobra Coupe has a few very good reasons why it could become the world’s most expensive car. The Coupe is one of only six cars like it in the world, and it's the only one of those six to have never crashed.

It also has an iconic story behind it, as the model was the first U.S. car to beat a Ferrari in a competitive international race.

A Look at the Nation’s Most Expensive Car (ABC News)

Honda Teams With Lollapalooza, Austin Music Fest

Honda is teaming up with C3, better known as the promoter of Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Each year, those festivals draw thousands of music fans to Chicago and Austin, Texas. Honda wants to reach those fans through a so-called “eco-partnership.”

Honda will use the events to push its new Insight, which it bills as the most affordable hybrid on the market. The sponsorship includes “integrated green activities,” hybrid vehicle displays and — most tempting of all — a giveaway of a 2010 Insight at each event.

If you want a chance at that free Insight, you can head to Lollapalooza in Chicago from Aug. 7-9 or Austin from Oct. 2-4.

2010|Honda|Insight

As NBA Season Ends, Players' Cars Catch Rides Home

Professional athletes truly do face a different set of problems than the rest of us. For instance, how exactly does one transport a Bentley across the country without putting any miles on the odometer?

Keyon Dooling of the New Jersey Nets is just one example of this difficulty: He plans to ship four “family cars” from New Jersey to Florida.

Now that another NBA season has ended, players on teams who failed to make the playoffs are set to go home. Because many players don’t live in the cities where they play, but still have an affinity for very, very expensive customized cars, they have companies ship the cars back home. And we assume they ship them right back before pre-season.

Audi Becomes Official Sponsor of New York Yankees

Audi announced it will become the official luxury vehicle of the New York Yankees and unveiled a new slogan, “Audi: The official sponsor of Alex Rodriguez’s biceps.”

OK, so I made the slogan up, but Audi really has become an official sponsor of New York’s legendary, divisive baseball powerhouse. This includes the new Audi Yankees Club, an exclusive box seat location in left field with a members-only restaurant where guests can watch the game in “true Audi style.” (Presumably that means Jason Statham sits by you and scowls for nine innings.)

The partnership begins in the Yankees’ new stadium this season and extends through the 2011 season.

All we can say is good luck selling another Audi in Boston.