Jay Leno is a car guy, through and through, there is no doubt about it, and he has the money to do whatever the hell he wants to do. But the reason we like what he does is that he didn’t completely fall for the concourse shows and the big auctions. Cars go in, get restored, resto-modded, and generally cared for with the intention being that they will be driven at some point. And he is very open about what he’s working on, which is awesome for us. We love to see what gearheads are working on, whether they are rubbing two nickels together to make something work or they have talk-show money to burn. There are some neat projects going on in the shop right now, from an Imperial convertible that is being freshened up to a Merlin-powered Rolls-Royce monster that is sure to be a hit wherever he goes. As he says, “You take a car that’s not worth anything, you put twenty, thirty grand into it…and it’s worth $12,500!” It’s true, but it’s also a form of philanthropy, because with those lost investments, Leno is keeping some important automotive pieces going, one day at a time.
There are a lot of rich guy car collectors out there who lock their rides away never to be seen by the public until they’re auctioned off posthumously. What I love about Leno is that he shares his collection as much as he can. The video histories and test drives he does are much appreciated.
The great “if only” dream!
Can you imagine if Chrsyler had put Briggs Cunnigham’s wonderful creations into production. America would have had their very own Ferrari rival and maybe they would even have been around today fitted with a supercharged Hellcat motor…
I have an 82 928 Porsche that you may like. It is almost factory original. I am currently trying to sell it. I am a disabled vet, and fell on hard times. The Army kinda screwed me, some law passed in 96, I won’t receive a dime in disability until December. I don’t want to sell it, but I really need the money. It recently took second place in a car show. It needs the rack-n-pinion rebuilt, and a new break booster. But, otherwise, it only needs some interior work, and it’s about 99% rust free. From what I know, it has spent most of its life here, in El Paso, TX.