-As you can see by the above shot, last night we ended up as a Decepticon.

-We walked out of the theater last night with one of the biggest grins on our face we've had in a long time.

-Michael Bay did not ruin our childhood.

-This movie will make A TON of money.

-GM Exec VP of Design Ed Welburn drives an amazing yellow '69 Camaro — but he wouldn't wear the blinking Autobot t-shirt.

-We don't think Camaro designer Brian Smith drives an amazing yellow '69 Camaro — but he did wear the blinking Autobot t-shirt.

-For the next few weeks General Motors is the luckiest automaker on earth.

Related:
All of our Transformers coverage [internal]

We managed to liberate the following new commercial from the leaky sieve Death Star fortress that is the marketing side of the General. The spot's for Cadillac and features Ed "Jay Leno Is My BFF" Welburn, chief o' design for General Motors. Although Ed's usually the important guy in the room as he helps manage the design all the new product coming out of the RenCen...err...the design studios. But Ed's not the important thing in this ad for the luxe brand from GM by the Boston-based Modernista!. Actually, the important thing for those of lovers of the car-love is it's the first time we get a gander at the new-for-2008 Cadillac CTS in a piece made for public. So take a look above and tell us what you think below. We'd also like to remind you that yes, many Bothans marketers died to bring you this video. – Ray Wert

Related:
Spy Photo: 2008 Cadillac CTS Spotted In The Wild!; CTS And Violins: More On The 2008 Entry-Level Cadillac...Yawn; More On The 2008 Cadillac CTS Embargo Breach; The 2008 Cadillac CTS Hits The Wild, Giving Us One More Embargo Break For The Detroit Auto Show; more on the 2008 Cadillac CTS [internal]

Above you'll find our man Jay Leno, the lover of cars, and garage-lover of the Jalop riffing on the EcoJet. We learned the man can be pretty darn funny in person — but he also revealed his own secret love of the "amerigasm" as proven by his decision to only collect and build on 'merican cars and trucks. In addition to that bombshell, one of the more interesting points from last night's Leno event introducing his one-off biodiesel-burning supercar was when we learned the idea for the EcoJet originated with some of GM Design VP Ed Welburn napkin doodles. Well, since the General's all about saving things for posterity — they even managed to save the napkin he doodled his ideas for this unveiled-at-SEMA supercar-to-be — or at least the cockpit of said vehicle. We've got that picture below the jump, and a full gallery of the CAD and design team work-ups of the project. As an added bonus we've also got some great shots of Leno in denim-on-denim, and yeah, it's hawt. – Ray Wert

[Jay Leno's SEMA Supercar Behind The Scenes Gallery]

Related:
The EcoJet: Jay Leno's New GM-Outsourced Supercar [internal]

[Jay Leno's EcoJet Gallery]

Turbine-Powered EcoJet Concept Began With Meeting, Sketches On A Napkin

Jay Leno, GM Advanced Design Studio Collaborated on 650-Horsepower Supercar That Runs on Bio-Diesel

LAS VEGAS - What would keep a group of automotive designers up all night? "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno, for starters, but not by his monologue or parade of Hollywood guests. This time it's because the late-night talk show host invited the General Motors Advanced Design Studio to help design a mid-engine, turbine-powered supercar called EcoJet. Leno and Ed Welburn, GM vice president of Global Design, introduced the car today at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show.

EcoJet's genesis goes back to a discussion between Leno, an avid car enthusiast and collector, and Bernard Juchli, the chief mechanic and caretaker of Leno's collection. Leno then turned to Welburn for design direction.

"A couple of paper napkins later, Ed had begun to capture the essence of the car," said Leno. "I've admired the work of GM's Design Studio in North Hollywood, Calif., and asked Ed if the studio's director, Frank Saucedo, and his guys could continue the design study,"

Welburn agreed, and a two-week sketching frenzy commenced as GM's designers began working after-hours with Leno's team on the project.

"EcoJet's esthetics were driven by aeronautical and jet-age influences," said Welburn. "It's a purpose-driven design that conveys power, capability and even danger, with a hint of Cadillac's sophisticated design vocabulary."

Borrowing design cues from jet aircraft and Formula One racecars, the supercar began to take shape under the watchful eyes of Leno and Welburn. A concurrent engineering program defined the vehicle's proportions and mechanics.

Leno relied on Juchli and the entire Big Dog team at his garage to turn the EcoJet vision into a reality.

"We thought we pushed the creative envelope with the '66 twin turbo Toronado project with GM, but this turbine-powered monster is a whole new level of complexity," said Juchli, who constructed the car at Leno's facility.

The 650-horsepower (400 lb.-ft. of torque) Leno original is powered by a Honeywell LT-101 turbine engine that runs on bio-diesel fuel. The engine sits in a modified Corvette Z06 hydroformed aluminum frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and chassis components. The vehicle's shell is an advanced construction of carbon fiber over Kevlar.

EcoJet project partners

* GM Advanced Design Studio, North Hollywood, Calif. - conceptual and build design, engineering, digital design and fabrication support
* Alcoa - chassis and wheel engineering
* Metalcrafters - body engineering and construction
* Honeywell - engine supplier
* Intermountain Turbine - engine builders
* Dana - chassis supplier
* BASF - paint and finishing supplies
* GE Plastics - Lexan windows
* Viper Technologies - wheel construction

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM operates one of the world's leading finance companies, GMAC Financial Services, which offers automotive, residential and commercial financing and insurance. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

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Related:
All our SEMA coverage [internal]

One final bit of fun from yesterdays Camaro launch was the appearance of GM's three Eds, all talking up the new-for-2009 Chevrolet Camaro. Those Ed's were — in no particular order:

Ed Welburn, GM's global vice president of design

Ed Peper, Chevrolet General Manager

Ed Koerner, GM's veep of engineering

Which gets us thinking...maybe GM should follow FoMoCo into the reality show business. They could create a show called "My Three Eds." Wait, that's stupid. Hmm...well, while we think of better ideas, here's the video of Ed Welburn's announcement, where you can gawk for a bit at the huge number of "Camaro enthusiasts" attending the event and also check out the already-a-classic Camaro enthusiast from our first post at the beginning of the video. You'll notice him immediately — he looks like Dimebag Darrell — except Dimebag's dead, man.

Related:
Business In The Front, And The Camaro Is Back II: Classic Camaro Iron; Business In The Front, And The Camaro Is Back! [internal]