More than just a garage, this place is a museum, a giant archive, an art gallery, a piece of auto history and, yes, a sanctuary. It’s also the playroom of James Douglas Muir Leno, born in 1950 and better known as Jay Leno, the famous host of NBC’s The Tonight Show, who’s passionate about fantastic 2 and 4-wheel toys.
“If Jay spent as much time studying as he does acting and goofing around, he could become a big star some day.”
That’s ironically what his fifth-grade teacher told his parents back in the day.
A Buick… or a hotel?
In the early 1970s, Leno arrived in Los Angeles dreaming of a career in Hollywood. With virtually no money, he got his hands on an old 1955 Buick Roadmaster which he also used as his only sleeping place for about six months. “That’s the car I met my wife with,” he says. A few years later, Leno abandoned the Buick at his mother-in-law’s. Soon, he began climbing the echelons of the Hollywood ladder.
In 1992, much to everyone’s surprise, legendary host Johnny Carson picked him as his successor on The Tonight Show, the popular late-night talk show that started way back in the 1950s. Jay Leno has since become one of the most renowned and highest paid comedians on American television.
While comedy is what made him so famous, cars are what fuels his passion. Leno bought his 1955 Buick back, fully restored it and tuned it up by adding a Corvette suspension and a wicked 600-horsepower V8.
The venerable, juiced-up Buick is now surrounded by over a hundred automobiles, trucks and motorcycles from just about every automotive era, from the dawn of the 20th century to the present day.
Gigantic collection
One would need to write a book to describe Leno’s entire collection. Let’s start in the actual garage where a dozen craftsmen are working to restore his newest acquisitions. Then comes a succession of hangars with decorated walls and ceilings and, of course, cars after cars — each telling a unique story (narrated by one of Leno’s longtime employees).
Standing in front of a 1954 Dodge Coronet Suburban powered by a V8 HEMI Red Ram is a second-generation Chevrolet Corvair — the car that was supposed to curb the success of the Volkswagen in North America. We all know how that turned out. Yet, the rear-engined Corvair had flair with its beautiful red dress.
From the electrically-powered 1909 Baker to the exceptional 2004 Porsche Carrera GT, and from a delightful, 13.5-horsepower 1937 Fiat Topolino to the incredible Tank Car, whose 1,600-horsepower, 30-liter, twin-turbo engine was borrowed from an actual M47 Patton tank, there is something for everyone and every taste!
The greatest thing is that Jay Leno doesn’t hide his cars. He loves to show them and talk about them, especially the amazing stories behind some. The public is always invited for a visit, including on the Internet at www.jaylenosgarage.com. Hundreds of photos and videos await you. Have a nice tour!
Adapted from Auto123
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