13 Coolest Cars in Jay Leno’s Garage
What and how many cars would you buy if you were worth $450 million? How about a quick look in Jay Leno’s garage? According to the duPont Registry, the man has over 181 cars and 160 motorcycles in his collection. He gained fame in stand-up comedy and television, with numerous appearances in TV shows like “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson. The man caught his big break when he got a permanent gig at the show with Carson in the 1980s, eventually succeeding him in 1992 as show host.
From then onwards, the rest — they say — is history. After twenty-two cumulative years as The Tonight Show host and an estimated $320 million (not adjusted for inflation) earnings, the man is among the wealthiest TV presenters, maybe even richer than the legendary David Letterman. Jay Leno is also one of the world’s most renowned car enthusiasts.
According to the South China Morning Post, his collection is worth $50 million. How do you choose a handful of the coolest in a harem of classic cars, rare supercars, vintage motorcycles, and one-of-a-kind automobiles? We’ll do our best, and you be the judge.
McLaren F1
The F1 is one of the most iconic supercars in history, and Jay Leno’s garage is home to one of the 106 examples manufactured. It was the fastest production car of its time and, as McLaren boasts, “remains the fastest naturally aspirated road car ever built.”
Jay Leno’s F1 used to belong to Former Dutch racing driver Ben Pon Jr. He bought it in 1994 for a steal-price of $800,000. For context, a ‘94 F1 was sold at Sotheby’s auction in 2019 for $19.8 million.
Koenigsegg Trevita CCXR
Jay Leno’s Koenigsegg Trevita is an ultra-rare, high-performance supercar featuring proprietary diamond weave carbon fiber bodywork, giving it a shimmering, silvery-white appearance. Trevita” is a Swedish phrase for “three whites,” a nod to the car’s striking appearance. Koenigsegg achieved the look by coating the fibers with a diamond-like finish.
The work was so complex and labor-intensive that just two of the planned three Trevitas were made. Jay Leno’s Trevita is one of the lucky two, which he acquired in 2010.
It’s also one of the most expensive new cars in history, priced around $4.8 million at the time of its release. That money pays for, among other things, a 4.8-liter twin-supercharged V8 engine that makes an astounding 1,018-hp and 796 lb-ft of torque.
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
It may not be the Uhlenhaut Coupe, but the 300 SL is nonetheless one of the coolest cars of all time. Unveiled at the New York Auto Show in 1954, the SL showcased a lightweight tubular space frame and a direct-injection 3.0-liter inline-six producing 215-hp.
It was one of the fastest cars of its era, boasting a top speed of approximately 160 mph. Jay Leno’s SL is the Gullwing model, which he bought and slowly restored to perfection. Mercedes-Benz produced the gullwing coupe from 1954 to 1957 and the roadster from 1957 to 1963.
Lamborghini Miura P400
The Miura is a legend because Lamborghini may never have become the global powerhouse it is today if not for the Miura’s groundbreaking success. The Miura inspired the term “supercar,” setting a new standard for performance cars with its revolutionary mid-engine layout. It used a transversely mounted 3.9-liter V12, producing around 350-hp, impressive in the 1960s.
Jay Leno’s Miura P400 had quite a fascinating journey from its original owner, Dean Martin, to the comedian’s garage. Lamborghini introduced it at the Geneva Motor Show in 1966, producing it until 1973. The P400 indicates the 275 original versions produced until 1969. These can fetch several million dollars at auction.
Blastolene Special
Famous as “The Tank Car,” the Blastolene Special is a one-of-a-kind custom-built car designed and built by Randy Grubb, a talented automotive artist and part of the Blastolene Brothers. The Brothers is a group of custom car builders known for creating unique and extravagant automobiles. The Blastolene’s design pays homage to vintage race cars and military tanks.
The engine is a massive 29.3-liter (1,792 cubic inches) V12 engine derived from an M47 Patton tank. It produced an astonishing 1,560 lb-ft of torque and 810-hp. Jay Leno bought the car in 2003 for a reported $125,000 and added twin turbochargers to the engine, among several enhancements over the years. The Blastolene Special is now estimated to be worth around $350,000.
EcoJet Concept
The EcoJet is a custom-built concept car conceived and co-developed by Jay Leno, General Motors (GM), and Honeywell. The car was purpose-designed to experiment with Jay Leno’s fascination with alternative energy.
Jay Leno brought his passion and team of engineers while GM supplied design and technical support. Honeywell is to thank for the EcoJet’s LT-101 gas turbine engine, not unlike the ones used by choppers. It runs on biodiesel and produces approximately 650 hp.
LCC Rocket
The LCC (Light Car Company) Rocket is a thrilling specimen of “less is more” when it comes to exhilarating driving experience. LCC is a British manufacturer founded by legendary F1 designer Gordon Murray and racer Chris Craft. The Rocket is a minimalist, high-performance sports car created from the ground up to exemplify a driver-focused, road-legal fun machine.
It weighs a paltry 770 lbs, thanks to its tubular steel space frame and lightweight body panels. The heart is a motorcycle-derived 143-hp 1.0-liter Yamaha FZR1000 EXUP inline-4 that sends it rocketing to 60 mph in under 4 seconds.
Bugatti Type 37A
The Bugatti Type 37A is a classic Grand Prix car introduced in the late 1920s. Jay Leno could’ve been drawn to any number of characteristics about this car, from its celebrated period-engineering excellence to its competitive exploits. Bugatti introduced the Type 37 in 1926, offering it as a more affordable version of the Type 35 Grand Prix car.
The Type 37A is the supercharged variant that followed a year later. It shared the Type 35’s chassis, while the “A” in its name denotes its Roots-type supercharger. Its supercharged 1.5-liter straight-4 produced approximately 90-hp, an extraordinary feat in the 1920s.
Chrysler Turbine Car
The Chrysler Turbine Car was an experimental concept powered by a gas turbine engine rather than a traditional internal combustion engine. Chrysler embarked on this exemplary experiment in the early 1960s to explore the potential of gas turbine technology for automotive applications. The engine could run on virtually any combustible liquid fuel, including diesel, unleaded gasoline, and even kerosene.
Chrysler promoted the project by loaning the prototypes to selected individuals and families for feedback on the technology’s performance and reliability. Only 55 were made, many of which were destroyed. Jay Leno acquired one of these rare gems in 2008.
Citroën SM
The Citroën SM is a high-performance luxury car that showcased the company’s advanced hydropneumatic suspension system and a Maserati-derived V6. Citroen produced it from 1970 to 1975. Jay Leno’s love of cars isn’t a newly acquired taste.
He bought his 1972 Citroen SM approximately four decades ago, according to TheDrive, calling it the best car France ever sent to America.
The car had since racked up 110,000 miles at the time of TheDrive report, signaling it meant more than a show car to Jay Leno. It owes its long hood, fastback rear end, and concave rear window to designer Robert Opron.
Lagonda V12
Jay Leno reportedly got his 1939 Lagonda V12 replica approximately 35 years ago. The British GQ wrote that though not an original, “Leno’s replica of the Le Mans Special racer is so well done that it is worth millions.” GQ is alluding to the fact Jay Leno’s Lagonda V12 is a custom-built replica of the original Bentley-designed Le Mans racer of that era.
It was motivated by a burly 4480cc V12 good for 180-hp and over 100 mph top speed. One of the reasons it’s worth millions today is that just a few hundred units were built before production ceased in 1940 due to World War II.
Lamborghini Countach
The Countach is a legendary supercar not far from the Miura’s acclaim — just as iconic and influential. It enjoyed a longer production run from 1974 to 1990. It’s been nearly forty years since Jay Leno bought his 1987 Countach.
According to MotorAuthority, he’s owned the car since it was new and has driven it for almost four decades, racking up more than 70k miles along the way. “That’s impressive for a man with a car collection as vast as the one owned by Leno,” wrote MotorAuthority.
Like the Miura, the Countach successfully redefined the supercar design direction with its Marcello Gandini-styled angular lines, scissor doors, low-slung profile, and wedge-shaped body. It was not like anything previously observed in the industry.
Ford Shogun
The Shogun is as unique as Jay Leno and as radical as his massive collection. It started life as the humble Ford Festiva until Chuck Beck and Rick Titus came up with the crazy idea of outfitting it with a Ford SHO V6 — not under the hood, but at the rear.
A lot of people were enthralled by this concussion, including the legendary Jay Leno. He made his “little” contribution to the madness in the form of nitrous into the mix.
When the curtain came down on the Shogun, the world beheld a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive beast that combined the compact 2,200-lb Festiva with a 370-hp SHO V6. It’s been approximately 26 years since Jay Leno bought the thing. There were seven, and Jay Leno owns one.