Jay Leno’s Personal Car Collection Is Simply Jaw-Dropping

Other than being an amazing host and comedian, Leno is also a renowned figure in the automotive world, with a passion for collecting and restoring classic cars and motorcycles.

His collection has everything from rare classics from companies like Bentley and Lamborghini, to cutting-edge supercars from the likes of McLaren and Koenigsegg.

Leno throughout his career has amassed a net worth of $450 million that has allowed him to own an extensive collection of over 85 cars just in his personal collection, including classic cars, hot rods, modern supercars, and whatnot. Today, we'll be taking a look at some of the most unique ones in his garage

So without further ado, here is a look at Jay Leno's car collection.

Jay Leno's Weirdly Beautiful Classics

1909 Baker Electric: The Baker Electric is a vintage electric car that is almost 115 years old and certainly gives "Back to the Future" vibes. This car was made by the Transfer Company and Detroit Taxicab, who also operated a fleet of nearly 100 cabs used as taxis.

As for Leno's Baker, well it is quite different as he has replaced the old batteries with twelve 6-volt batteries under the front and rear covers of the cab which Leno referred to as a "Giant Phone Booth" in one of his interviews with The New York Times. 

1916 Autocar: The 1916 Autocar surely brings simplicity to Leno's collection, however, it can also be considered among one of the most weirdly beautiful classic cars that he owns. Also, it wasn't a truck that was used for carrying passengers here and there rather it was mostly used for carrying coal out from mines.

However, according to Leno, there is a downside to this 100-year-old truck which is that you cannot start it and immediately move from one place to another. Even if the engine gets fired up it takes a handful of minutes to get the engine chugging.

1911 Christie Fire Engine: In Jay Leno's diverse Big Dog Garage there is also a 1911 Christie Fire Engine, that certainly does not look like a vehicle for the road, rather it resembles a vintage train engine.

This 9-ton behemoth has been featured in a couple of Leno's videos and well in one of those videos he also mentioned that he did not obtain this vintage firefighting engine that easily. He had to work with the vintage firefighting communities and even the firefighters on the East Coast to find this weirdly beautiful piece of machinery.

1937 Fiat Topolino: The iconic Italian Fiat Topolino is one of those vehicles that has a special place in Leno's heart. Although his garage mostly consists of top-of-the-line vehicles, the Topolino is among the few that has a reasonable price as it came for just $500 (original price).

Leno in one of the interviews has also said “You look at it and think, 'I bet it's Italian'--it has a flair, an Italian-ness to the styling. I don't think anyone could come up with a better-looking car today. Don't think of it as a 1930s car. Put it next to a Fiesta, or a Geo Metro, and the eye would go to the Topolino, 'cause it's the prettiest,” which clearly portrays his love for the Topolino.

The Old-school Trucks

1991 GMC Syclone: Leno's once-upon-a-time daily driver was the 1991 Syclone, which he bought brand-new in 1991 for around $25,000 and used for several years.

According to Jay Leno, the reason behind his buying this pickup was that it could beat a Corvette, a Ferrari 348, and even the Testarossa as it was the fastest accelerating production vehicle in the States during that time period.

1934 Ford Pickup Truck: Jay Leno's first car was a 1934 Ford pickup truck. In an interview with Petrolicious in 2015, Leno claimed that he bought the truck for just $350 after he and his dad found it abandoned at a gas station in Reading, Massachusetts.

They ended up buying it on the spot. Leno, however, had problems remembering how they carried the truck home, owing to its filthy condition and because it did not run. He said "I bought a '34 Ford pickup truck and it didn't run and my dad said, 'You've got two years before you get your license, so get busy working on it. I learned how to fix it and make it run."

Classics In Leno's Garage

1928 Bentley Speed 6: The 1928 Bentley Speed 6 is one of the most sporty examples of Bentley's past. Leno’s 1928 Speed 6 is estimated to be valued somewhere between $3.5 million and $4 million and is well worth the price.

The Speed 6 was in production for only four odd years between 1926 and 1930, and only 544 examples were produced during the same period. Also, Leno had upgraded the 6.6L inline-6 engine of the car to an 8L one, along with SU carburetors instead of the 2 that were installed in the original engine.

1934 Duesenberg Walker Coupe: The black 1934 Duesenberg Walker Coup is the most expensive car in Jay Leno's car collection. Its original MSRP was around $25,000 back when it was on sale in 1934. However, the one in Leno's garage is valued at a staggering $20 million, owing to its exclusivity and unique inline-8 engine configuration.

Jay Leno bought the car for around $0.5 million, and surely it turned out to be a worthy investment. It was the only aerodynamic model in its lineup and boasted several advanced specifications for its time.

1959 Lagonda V12: Lagonda does not need an introduction, and the brand was responsible for making reproductions of the fastest cars of the time. Jay Leno’s 1939 Lagonda V12 is valued at $2.56 million, and finding one like this in good condition is next to impossible.

Jay Leno is proud of his 1939 Lagonda V12 and brings this rare specimen to multiple road shows in the U.S. With its super exclusive nature and custom work done by himself, this classic beauty could be worth more in the future.

1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 Kompressor: Leno adores every vehicle in his collection, but he has a particular favorite. Surprisingly, it's not the priciest or most distinctive vehicle in his collection. It is a Mercedes-Benz 600 Kompressor from 1972.

The Mercedes-Benz 600 Kompressor was built with no expense spared. In actuality, Mercedes did not build this car with affordability in mind. They instead chose to employ the finest materials, regardless of cost, to create the most opulent car conceivable. It was the most costly car ever produced at the time.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupe: The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL was modern and way ahead of its competitors. Valued at $1.8 million, the modern coupe with gullwing doors garnered unfiltered attention from enthusiasts globally.

Jay Leno is the third owner of this car, and he installed the engine and gearbox of this car with his mechanical team. As for what it came with, well Leno's red 300SL Gullwing featured an aluminum space frame chassis and a Bosch fuel injection system, a novelty at the time. And as a part of the restoration process he even sourced the ribbed brake drums from Mercedes-Benz.

The Elegant V8s

2010 Mercedes SLR McLaren: The silver 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is just like many other a special car in Mr. Leno's collection and can be considered one of the first few hypercars of the early 21st century. As the name suggests, it was built through a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren, and boy-oh-boy, it was special.

The front engine layout and the inclusion of a monstrous 5.4-liter supercharger meant that it would have a terrible amount of power and would be able to make most of the other supercars feel ashamed if it was in the right hands. This was humongous back in the day, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was made to surpass 200 MPH, and sure it did.

2010 Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita: The 2010 CCXR Trevita is a super-exclusive Koenigsegg car, with only three examples ever produced. Leno owns one of them which is valued at $4.8 million, and we think it is quite fair, especially when because the car was delivered to Jay Leno by none other than Mr. Christian Von Koenigsegg himself. This particular iteration of the CCXR could be run on biofuel as well.

As the name suggests the "Trevita" is colored in three shades of white, with its carbon weave bodywork depicting the insane level of craftsmanship. The manufacturer went the extra mile to infuse diamonds inside the visible carbon fiber bodywork.

2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: The 2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1 is a monstrosity of a car with a shockingly reasonable price tag of $119,995 for the coupe and $123,995 for the convertible.

One of these Corvettes belongs in Leno's garage, but the car does not sit idle there as he has been taking it out for a drive every once in a while and has also tested the yellow ZR1 to its limits clocking in a 204 mph at the General Motors' Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan.

Jay Leno's Collection Of Lamborghinis

1986 Countach: Among a lot of classic cars, Jay Leno owns an iconic Lamborghini from the 1980s, the Lamborghini Countach, which, these days, has gathered an enormous amount of followers. It was a car that would make you work to enjoy driving. At that point in time, its direct rival was the Ferrari Testarossa, but it was very different from the Testa.

It had probably the least visibility if you compared it with other supercars of its time. But it had raw power, and once you become a skilled and experienced driver, you'll never wish to return to the gentle red even though that is far more comfortable to live with.

1967 Miura P400: The 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 is regarded as the foundation of the modern-day supercar. Jay Leno’s orange Miura P400 is valued at $3.5 million, and what makes this breed of Italian supercar super exclusive is that only 764 examples of this car entered production.

Many Miura P400s can be found in automotive museums across the globe. With limited production and segment-leading specifications in 1967, Jay Leno is a proud owner of one.

1969 Espada: Jay Leno has showed of his red 1969 Espada a couple of times in his show, and although it might not be the quintessential of Lamborghini but during its time of production it was among the most famous Lamborghini car out there.

Just like many of the other cars out there, the Espada was bought by Leno in 1986 and was used by him as his only daily driver for several years.

The Rugged Muscle Cars

2015 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R: There are only 137 models made of the 2015 Mustang Shelby GT350, among which only 37 came with the GT350R tag, which is the cranked-up and hardcore variant of the base 2015 model.

Well, Jay Leno owns one of these muscular V8-powered Mustangs. He featured this car in one of his online series "Jay Leno's Garage", where he also got the Ford Performance chief Jamal Hameedi to provide some insights on the car. And lastly, for the price, a new GT350 came for $49,995, whereas the GT350R came for $63,495.

1975 Custom Plymouth Duster: The 1975 Custom Plymouth Duster has been donated to Jay Leno by it's previous owner Paul Annunziata on the condition of it being looked after and never be sold.

Well apart from the story behind it, it should also be noted that the car has been heavily customized, so much so that after it customization it churns out upto 1,000 hp.

Ford GT: Jay Leno has always been a Ford fan, and that shows in his collection of different Ford cars. The 2017 Ford GT is an exclusive car with only a few privileged buyers like Jay Leno across the globe. He was one of the first ones to get the car in America

Priced originally at about $450,000, Jay Leno’s 2017 Ford GT is valued at more than $1 million. In a video, Jay shows off the titanium exhaust he recently installed in the car with the help of Jason Heffner.

Leno's Priced McLarens

2015 McLaren P1: The 2014 McLaren P1, owned by Jay Leno and intricately valued at $1.35 million, was the very first P1 car on the United States market. Jay Leno has been associated with McLaren for quite some time now, and that allowed him to grab a bright yellow P1 before the crowd.

2012 McLaren MP4-12C: Jay Leno was one of the first person in North America to take the delivery of the gorgeous red McLaren MP4-12C. Although not much details about how much Leno actually paid for this car, however, it is know that a new 2012 MP4-12C came with a price tag of $229,000.

1994 McLaren F1: The McLaren F1 is a highly exclusive car that can certainly leave anyone in an awe as it is literally one of the most elegant car in Jay Leno's garage from each and every aspect, literally.

He reportedly bought the black F1 from a former Dutch racing driver Ben Pon Jr. for just $800,000, however, the price of this British sports car has soared up to an eye-numbing $20 million.

Special Mention- The Priceless Car 

2006 Ecojet Concept: Jay Leno’s turbine-engine-powered Ecojet Concept was a result of collaboration between him and GM. It debuted in 2006 and was designed with input from Jay Leno himself. The Ecojet Concept’s chassis was a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 with modified aluminum and magnesium components. The car was meant to be driven on roads and for several road shows as well.

Tesla Model S Plaid: According to Jay Leno, even though he likes driving most of his cars out of his garage, he only drives them occasionally. He also said that he prefers electric cars as his daily driver. So it comes as no surprise that Jay Leno's current daily driver is a Tesla Model S Plaid that he bought in 2021. The 2021 Model S Plaid is one of the fastest and most powerful electric sedans in the world

Tata Nano: The Tata Nano was built to entertain the Indian consumer base that is used to driving two-wheelers and is not able to spend a hefty amount of money to get a car as their next upgrade.

When Jay got his Nano shipped from India to his garage in LA, he made a video of him wearing a traditional Indian dress. He drove it on track since it wasn't street legal, and according to him, it was perfect for the purpose it was made to conquer. The car delivered a fuel efficiency figure of almost 60 MPG is very rare when it comes to the efficiency of cars these days.

Aside from these three cars there are a plethora of other elegant, unique and simply rare cars in his collection including 1913 Mercer Raceabout, 1906 Stanley Steamer Vanderbuilt Cup Racer, 1917 Fiat Botafogo Special, 1931 Shotwell, 1963 Jaguar XK-E V12 Short Wheelbase, 1934 Duesenberg Walker Coupe, and many more.

When did Jay Leno start collecting cars?

Jay Leno's first car was a 1934 Ford pickup truck that he bought for just $350 in 1964 at the age of 14. He ended up trading that truck for a Datsun 1600 soon after. In 1970, he ended up moving to California, and one of the first things he bought was a 1955 Buick Roadmaster, which he still has in his collection. One could say that the 1955 Roadmaster was the beginning of his car collection because he has never sold any of his cars since, except for a Tesla Model S that he sold at an auction in 2021.

How Much Is Jay Leno’s Car Collection Worth?

Jay Leno's car collection is estimated to be worth $52 million, according to DuPont Registry estimates as of July 2022. This figure is considered very conservative by a lot of people. His collection includes over 180 cars and 160 motorcycles, and he is known for rarely selling his vehicles. Leno has explained that he keeps his cars mainly as a way to show off his collection to enthusiasts and to use them as regular transportation.

Does Jay Leno have a YouTube channel?

Yes, Jay Leno has a YouTube channel called "Jay Leno's Garage." The show features a variety of content, including car reviews, interviews with car industry professionals, behind-the-scenes looks at his car collection and garage, and much more. to check out his YouTube channel.

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