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Carroll Shelby to get the TV miniseries treatment thanks to Velocity

Farmer, car dealer, Le Mans winner, sports-car maker, businessman and tuner Carroll Shelby passsed away on May 11. To honor his contribution to the numerous segments of the auto industry he impacted, cable network Velocity will be airing a three-hour, three-part miniseries on Sunday, May 20.

Called "King of the Road: Carroll Shelby," each hour-long episode will chronicle an era in Shelby's life: his journey from a Texas farm to the top step at Le Mans and building the Cobra; his partnership with Ford and the Mustang GT350; and the road that car followed into becoming the Ford Shelby GT500.

Have a read of the press release below, and tune into Velocity at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday for a lesson in the hardest-charging gentleman racer ever.

Continue reading Carroll Shelby to get the TV miniseries treatment thanks to Velocity

Report: Martin Scorcese to produce Silver Ghost film about Rolls-Royce

This could be interesting: Oscar-winners Martin Scorsese and Richard Attenborogh are teaming up to make a film called Silver Ghost, based, in part, on the lives of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. The screenplay was written by Jeffrey Caine (Goldeneye) and playwright Sharman Macdonald, who also happens to be actress Kiera Knightley's mom.

According to Top Gear, the biopic will be set at the dawn of the 20th Century, during the seminal days of the auto industry. But the report says the real hero of the story will be one Lord John Douglas-Scott Montagu, the Second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu and a member of British Parliament who used his position in British society to champion motoring.

While we're not quite sure what all that Barons and Lords stuff is about, reading that in 1899 Montagu drove the first car to enter the yard of the House of Commons made us think he must have been a decent enough chap. According to the report, he even launched a monthly car magazine. And like any good period-film protagonist, he was romantically linked to another key figure in the story, Eleanor Thornton, the woman who inspired the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy mascot that became a defining feature of the marque.

The film is still a long way from the screen, although Scorcese's involvement can't hurt its chances of getting made. Neither would casting Knightley as Thornton, if you ask us.

Report: Tata Nano to rub shoulders with priceless iron in Jay Leno's Garage

It looks as if Jay Leno has welcomed a Tata Nano to his Big Dog Garage recently. The comedian even went so far as to don traditional Indian garb and hire a troop of Bollywood dancers to mark the occasion.

Details are scarce at the moment, but judging from the photos that have shown up on Leno's Facebook page, it looks as if we'll see the machine on an episode of "Jay Leno's Garage" sometime soon. The car boasts a white paint scheme with the Indian tri-color laid over the rear doors and hood. Whether or not Leno actually bought the machine remains unclear.

The comedian took the time to bow for the cameras and place his hands together in the "Namaskar" greeting. We look forward to seeing the full episode. In the meantime, check out the behind-the-scenes photos in the gallery.

Motorsports: Guy Fieri to drive Corvette ZR1 pace car in Indy 500

Guy's an admitted car fan, and he should feel at home in the ZR1; he owns seven Chevrolet models that span the decades from 1968 to 2011, and a Cadillac Escalade ESV. He'll be pacing the field in the 638-horsepower special edition Arctic White coupe on Sunday, May 27 at noon EST.

Video: Hit and Run is speeding towards a theater near you

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of appropriate ages, your requisite dose of big-screen fast driving is here. And it looks pretty darn funny, too.

The movie in question is called Hit and Run. It was written and directed by Dax Shepard, who also stars in the film alongside such notables as Bradley Cooper, Tom Arnold, a couple of girls named Kristen, a custom '67 Lincoln Continental hot rod and a 700-horsepower off-road racing buggy. The comedy (not to be confused with the 1924, 1938, 1957, 1959, 1966, 1975, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 or 2011 movies of the same name) centers around a guy whose past as a bank-robbing getaway driver comes back to haunt him, forcing him and his girlfriend to hit the road.

It tickles us in all the right places, but we'll let you judge for yourself from the trailer down below. Look for it at local theaters from August 24.

Continue reading Hit and Run is speeding towards a theater near you

Motorsports: Patrick Dempsey makes ALMS debut at Laguna Seca

Actor Patrick Dempsey is no stranger to racing. After his wife sent him to a three-day Skip Barber driving school, the actor fell in love with road racing has gone on to compete in Grand-Am for the last several years. McDreamy even got the chance to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2009, finishing in 9th in the GT2 class behind the wheel of a Ferrari F430 GT.

After getting a taste of Le Mans, Dempsey now has aspirations to return to the legendary endurance race, but this time with his own team and his own car. At the 12 Hours of Sebring earlier this year, Dempsey Racing announced that they would be fielding a car in the P2 class for part of the 2012 ALMS season with the eventual goal of competing at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Dempsey and his team took the first steps towards their Le Mans goal this past weekend by debuting their new V8-powered Lola B12/87 race car in the P2 class at the six-hour ALMS race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This was Dempsey's first time driving a modern prototype race car, and he admitted there would be a steep learning curve.

"It feels familiar but so much more intense - the braking, the acceleration, cornering and power, it is all on a much more dynamic level than the GT cars I have driven," Dempsey said after a practice session with the car. "It's an amazing machine and it is incredible to even have the opportunity to race in a car like this at this level, and what better track to start with than Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca."

Dempsey and his team eventually finished 30th overall and fourth in class - not bad for a brand new team with a rookie driver. They plan to compete in several more races this year and will be running the full ALMS season in 2013.

You can see photos of the Dempsey Racing Lola B12/87 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the gallery above.

Video: Mission Motors Mission-R electric motorcycle checks in to Jay Leno's Garage

The crew from Mission Motors took the time to stop by Jay Leno's Garage to give the comedian a peek at the Mission-R electric motorcycle. The machine uses 14-kWh lithium-ion batteries paired with a 120-kilowatt motor, which means there's around 161 horsepower on hand. Mission says the combination can get rider and machine to 60 miles per hour in around three seconds while scooting to a top speed of 160 mph. Not too shabby. The whole package weighs in at around 550 pounds and gives riders a range of 80-100 miles depending on how frisky they are with the throttle.

Mission says the company wanted to pursue a race bike because of the challenges the platform presents. Namely, the machine has to serve up impressive performance while remaining fairly lightweight, meaning there's little space for massive battery packs. Leno is no stranger to electric bikes or motorcycles. The guy has a stable of two-wheel machines, both internal-combustion and EV. Scroll down to check out the video for yourself.

Continue reading Mission Motors Mission-R electric motorcycle checks in to Jay Leno's Garage

Video: Infiniti premieres Sebastian Vettel's kung-fu film debut

We've gotten used to seeing Sebastian Vettel kicks some ass on the race track. After all, he is the reigning Formula One world champion twice over. But in a kung-fu movie? We've got to be kidding, right?

Only we're not. As you may recall, Infiniti - the luxury automaker that sponsors both Vettel himself and his Red Bull Racing team - announced about a month ago that the German driver would be starring alongside action star Celina Jade in a short film. Called Drive of the Dragon, it's the first in a multi-part promotional campaign being undertaken by the Japanese automaker. The flick has made its debut, and you can check it out by scrolling down below. But be warned: cheesiness will ensue.

Continue reading Infiniti premieres Sebastian Vettel's kung-fu film debut

Video: Infiniti premiers Sebastian Vettel's kung-fu film debut

We've gotten used to seeing Sebastian Vettel kicks some ass on the race track. After all, he is the reigning Formula One world champion twice over. But in a kung-fu movie? We've got to be kidding, right?

Only we're not. As you may recall, Infiniti - the luxury automaker that sponsors both Vettel himself and his Red Bull Racing team - announced about a month ago that the German driver would be starring alongside action star Celina Jade in a short film. Called Drive of the Dragon, it's the first in a multi-part promotional campaign being undertaken by the Japanese automaker. The flick has made its debut, and you can check it out by scrolling down below. But be warned: cheesiness will ensue.

Continue reading Infiniti premiers Sebastian Vettel's kung-fu film debut

Carroll Shelby, 1923-2012

It's darn near impossible to overemphasize the impact that Carroll Shelby has had on the automotive world as we know it today. Born in 1923, Shelby took part in his very first race, a quarter-mile drag, in 1952. Later that year, he'd go on to win his first road race in an MG-TC. By 1956, Shelby had garnered enough race wins to earn the title "Driver of the Year" from Sports Illustrated. He would win that award again in 1957.

Carroll Shelby was nothing if not a keen businessman. In early 1957, Shelby opened his first car dealership in Dallas, Texas. Bolstered by his success behind the wheel - Carroll won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1969, driving an Aston Martin - Shelby went on to build the iconic Cobra using a chassis built by AC Cars in England and powered by a Ford V8 engine. Officially homologated in 1962, the Cobra Roadster won its first race in January of 1963.

Driven by legendary drivers like Phil Hill, A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney, the Shelby Cobra and its aerodynamic Daytona Coupe sibling won the Sports Car Club of America's A-production title and the United States Road Racing Championship in '63. The following year brought with it the big-block 427 Cobra, and the machine went on to deal serious blows to Ferrari, the dominant sports car manufacturer of the time.

Shelby began his long-running relationship with the Ford factory in 1965, as the Shelby GT350 hit both the street and the race track. That year, Shelby secured the FIA World Championship of GT cars. In 1966, a Shelby-backed Ford team finished in first, second and third place at Le Mans; this was the first time an American team claimed victory in the historic race, but it would not be the last - Shelby's team would go on to win Le Mans again in 1967. The Ford GT40 ended up in first place four straight years from 1966-1969.

The Shelby GT350 claimed the Trans Am racing title in 1967, and in that year, the very last 427 Shelby Cobra was built. In 1970, Ford ended its partnership with Shelby, and the man would remain mostly quiet in the automotive industry until the 1980s, when Lee Iacocca approached Carroll about building high-performance versions of Dodge products. The Omni and Charger would Go Like Hell for several years, embarrassing V8-powered Mustangs and Camaros along the way.

Carroll Shelby received a heart transplant in 1990 and would go on to reintroduce Cobra 427 S/C continuation cars and 4000-series cars throughout the 1990s. Shelby was also involved heavily with both the Dodge Viper and Ford GT programs. No wonder why Carroll Shelby was inducted into the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

Today, the name Shelby may be most often tied to the latest and greatest GT500 models from Ford, but it's clear that the man has impacted the performance world for decades. While he may no longer be alive, there can be little doubt that Carroll Shelby's influence will be felt by enthusiasts for as long as cars move us from one place to another.

We've collected a couple of videos that we thought were a fitting tribute to Shelby's unending legacy. Join us in watching them by scrolling down below.

Continue reading Carroll Shelby, 1923-2012