Jay Leno’s quirky US$50 million car collection: from a 1906 Stanley Steamer to a Ford GT, the talk show host’s 140,000 sq ft garage holds more than 180 cars, including a US$12 million McLaren F1
Jay Leno’s car collection isn’t like anyone else’s on the planet … quite literally.
In other words, for Leno, each car is a piece of history, and he is one of the world’s pre-eminent historians – with his own museum and team of mechanics to match.
“You don’t buy the car so much as you buy the story,” he told CNN in 2013. And boy does he love the stories.
Jay Leno’s Garage, which was on CNBC until last year and is now available on YouTube, has given fans just a glimpse into his obsession (and his 140,000 sq ft garage) … and it’s truly next level.
Here are seven of his most notable rides.
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1. 1959 Ferret Mk 2 Reconnaissance Car
While it may look like a tank, Leno’s four-tonne Ferret Mk 2 is in fact an urban assault vehicle used by the British military from 1948 to 1971.
“It comes with a 30-calibre machine gun, which is fine for where I live in LA. My neighbourhood’s pretty good, so 30 calibre’s all you need”, he joked on an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage.
2. 2017 Ford GT
“It’s truly a supercar”, Leno said of the model, adding that it “gives you a real sense of occasion”. It has a top speed of 216mph (420kmp/h) and is worth around US$500,000.
3. 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado
Created by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors, the Toronado was the first US car to have a front wheel drive.
“To me, 66 is the purest year,” Leno told the car’s creator on an episode of his show. “67 was OK and then as it got older and older, like all Americans, it got fatter and wider. I love the pop up headlights.”
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4. 1938 Tatra T-87
Leno described this car as one of the “most unusual, most brilliant cars of all time” and as “one of the greatest cars no one has ever heard of”, so he’s clearly passionate about telling its story.
One of the first truly aerodynamic automobiles, it was designed by a Czech engineer who was a contemporary of Porsche. When the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia, they commandeered the cars for their own use – but within the first week, seven officers were killed as they weren’t able to handle its speed, Leno explains.
5. 1906 Stanley Steamer Vanderbilt Cup Racer
This one-time world record holder for speed has to be one of the oldest cars in the comedian’s collection, complete with antique lamps. Leno’s team of mechanics modified the car to keep it road worthy and he’s had it for more than 30 years.
6. McLaren F1
Per Millionaire Garage, McLaren only ever produced 106 F1s – and Leno has one of them. He told CNN it would be the first one he’d save out of all of his cars. Not surprising, given that it’s worth around US$12 million, per the same source.
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7. EcoJet
“As president of the more money than brains club, I like to do interesting automotive things,” Leno said of the one-off EcoJet he designed himself alongside GM. Running on biodiesel and with a cruelty-free interior, not only is it green, but it’s powerful: it uses an engine usually used for attack helicopters, per CNBC.
- A-listers often spend their millions on the flashiest cars they can find, by Mercedes and Aston Martin – but not Jay Leno, whose collection is worth US$50 million but is more like a museum
- The former talk show host and comedian has over 180 cars that have been lovingly restored and laid out in a 140,000 sq ft garage – a collection with some of the rarest automobiles on the planet