Tag: Evergreen

Jay Leno checks out the 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4

Jay Leno’s vehicular interests aren’t limited to cars. For this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, he switches from four wheels to two, getting the details on the 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 from Jason Chinnock, the company’s North American CEO.

The Multistrada is designed as a multi-purpose bike (the name means “many roads” in Italian), so it’s proficient in off-roading, city riding, touring, and the sporty style of riding Ducati is known for, Chinnock said. Leno views it as the motorcycle equivalent of performance SUVs like the Aston Martin DBX. Programmable modes change the riding character; they consist of Urban, Sport, Touring, and Enduro. The bike’s suspension pre-load can also be adjusted to accommodate a passenger or baggage.

Ducati launched the Multistrada in 2003 with a 2-cylinder engine, but the 2021 model sports a V-4 making 170 hp. The transverse-mounted engine has cylinder deactivation for the rear bank of cylinders, but for rider comfort not fuel economy. Shutting off two cylinders reduces heat, helping to keep riders from baking while sitting at stoplights. Winglets direct cooling air toward the rider while underway. The Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) allows clutchless shifts up and down despite the manual transmission.

2021 Ducati Multistrada V4 on Jay Leno’s Garage

The 2021 Multistrada is also the first production motorcycle with radar (the unit is located between the headlights), Chinnock says, which enables blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control. Those features are common in cars these days, but not as widespread in motorcycles.

The bike’s various features are controlled through an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster. Creature comforts include a heated seat and heated handlebars.

Ducati has been able to add more features to its newer bikes in part because it’s part of the Volkswagen Group, and can use the massive automaker’s engineering resources. VW was thought to have considered selling off Ducati (along with Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini) as it shifts focus to mass-market electric cars, but the automaker announced in December 2020 that it was keeping Ducati, along with Bentley and Lamborghini.

Click on the video above for much more information on the Mulstistrada V4 and to see and hear Jay and Jason go for a ride.

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June 3, 2021
5 Ford Bronco Sport Easter eggs

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport might be based upon the Ford Escape, but it’s far more cheeky and fun than its urban sibling.

Like recent Jeeps and the larger Bronco, the Bronco Sport hides some Easter eggs. Bronco Chief Designer Paul Wraith told Motor Authority ahead of the reveal of the Bronco and Bronco Sport that the Easter eggs aren’t what most people expect.

“Our Easter eggs are not playful, or cartoonish, or jokey, but are there to provide background or heritage on the vehicle,” Wraith said.

During my week with the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands, I crawled around, opened up, and uncovered every Easter egg I could find. Some of them actually are fun and a others are quite useful.

In addition to these Easter eggs, I spotted some other playful graphics. The center screen plays a video of boulders forming into a bronco upon startup, while the instrument panel has a mountain graphic that resolves into a night sky complete with shooting stars. Under the rear seat is a storage bin with embossed labels for hiking equipment and a medical kit. According to a survey of our staff, however, these don’t qualify as Easter eggs, but I found five others that do.

Here are the Easter eggs I found in the Ford Bronco Sport.

2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

Accessory Ready

“Accessory Ready” is etched into the top of the windshield on the driver’s side. An arrow above it points to a spot on the roof that indicates a mounting point for accessories such as a light bar.

2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

Hooked

The hooks in the cargo bay have lassos embossed on them to indicate this here is where you tie up your cargo, pardner.

2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

That surf life

The outline of a small SUV with a surfboard hanging out the back is printed on the underside of the tailgate glass. We like the return to the good ol’ days when tailgate glass could be opened independently of the tailgate.

2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

Mountains, river, or off-road trail, you choose

The latch panel for the glass that houses the rear wiper motor has a mountain range embossed into it. Or it could be a river, or an off-road path, it’s not really clear. It’s whatever your imagination wants it to be.

2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands

Bucking Bronco

Images of a bucking Bronco can be found all over the Bronco Sport. The Bronco logo in the side of each headlight bezel housing and on the light in the cargo area are Easter eggs in our eyes, while the ones on the steering wheel and stitched into the front seat backs are logos we’d expect in any vehicle.

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May 31, 2021
Jay Leno drives legendary Old Yeller II race car

Max Balchowsky’s Old Yeller II is a classic racing underdog, and not just because it’s named after a famous movie canine. Featured on the latest episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage,” this homebuilt special beat pedigreed Ferrari and Maserati sports cars back in the day.

Built in 1959, Old Yeller II was one in a series of specials built by Balchowsky, a California-based mechanic and race driver, and it was raced locally by legendary drivers like Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby. It’s now in the care of Dr. Ernie Nagamatsu, who appeared in the episode explaining the car’s history and quirks.

Old Yeller II is the ultimate expression of function over form. Its massive grille houses a radiator from a Studebaker truck, chosen by Balchowsky to address cooling issues with the car’s Buick “Nailhead” V-8 engine. The Goodyear whitewall tires aren’t a fashion statement; Balchowsky chose them because they had a softer rubber compound than conventional racing tires of the period.

Max Balchowsky’s 1959 Old Yeller II on Jay Leno’s Garage

As the styling implies, Old Yeller II was cobbled together using parts from many different sources. The Buick engine drives the rear wheels through a Muncie 4-speed transmission, the kind used in period Corvettes, Leno noted. The suspension uses Jaguar XK120 upper A-arms and Studebaker lower A-arms, all with holes drilled into them. That was for “crushability,” allowing parts to deform and absorb crash forces, Nagamatsu said.

That’s not the only clever engineering feature of this car. Balchowsky also installed a nerf bar on the driver’s side, but with lots of clearance between the bar and the driver’s hip. That offered better protection than most race cars of the period, Nagamatsu said. The engine is also mounted far back in the chassis to improve weight distribution, which likely helped Old Yeller II win so many races against purpose-built sports cars.

Watch the full video for more details on this important piece of racing history, and to see Leno drive it on the streets of Los Angeles.

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May 30, 2021