Folks Of Interest Jay Leno's Garage

I felt very fortunate to be invited to check out Jay's garage recently. It's over 100,000 square feet of pure automotive heaven. He's much more of a "hot-rodder" than I had anticipated, and seems to have about as much fun and enjoyment as anybody that I've ever seen or met in the hobby. Certainly lots of rare and exotic stuff on display like McLarens, Bugattis, Duesenbergs, Lamborghinis, and the like, but also lots of historically significant vehicles, too.
He obviously enjoys lots of horsepower, and his on-site full-time crew/staff has created some outstanding examples of high-performance "sleepers". It must be the largest collection of steam cars anywhere, too. They know which cars to leave as "survivors", which cars to "hot-rod", and which cars to restore to a concours winning condition, and there certainly are many past Pebble Beach Concours winners in attendance there. Really some neat, neat stuff .....
Eclectic collection of horseless carriages, motorcycles, turbines, muscle cars, hot rods, 'Vettes, one-offs, racecars, and even the very first "old car" that Jay acquired back in the seventies, they are all registered, and get driven regularly, too!
I snapped a few photos, but I need to honor his request to not post them on the internet, so you'll just have to use your imagination. It truly is much more like a "garage", than a "museum", in that the vehicles get exercised rather than simply displayed. No ropes or par***ions anywhere, and the only warning I got was; "don't step in that little puddle of coolant over there". It was an honor to see the joint ....
Picture swiped from The Los Angeles Times.

 

Incredibly lucky man you......tell us more....and invite yourself back please.

 

Can't wait for his new TV show featuring his garage.

 

@Special Ed is the Muntz going to be featured on his youtube videos? I hope so

 

You gotta like this guy he is not only a collector who enjoys his cars he is a real historian as well as an educator.

 

one of the coolest things I have heard him say. was that he builds his cars to 100 point cars then drives them down to 60-70 point cars then does it over again. how damn cool is that.

 

What show?...'splain, Lucy.
I watch everything he's done on Youtube...didn't know he's going to be on TV.

 

CNBC will have a weekly show hosted by Leno soon. It should be like his YouTube show. Saw a article about it about a month back. Can't wait. Wish it was on network TV, but I'll take it. Wasn't a fan of The Tonight Show but love his YouTube car stuff. He's one of us.

 

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102089430#.

 

not going to air until 2015...dangit

 

Not your typical "Gold Chainer". He knows his stuff and drives his cars.

 

Id like to spend a month hangin out with him.
The amount of knowledge he must have would be incredible.

 

Your a lucky guy. I would love to have a tour (if I was in the area)

 

We got to take the tour in 2006 I think, it was during the wrighters strike and Jay was there. Really nice guy, hope the TV show lets everyone get a feel for the size and quality of the collection. Bob

 

@Special Ed - Very cool! ... Thanks for sharing!

 

While I'm looking forward to Jay's CNBC show, I sure hope they keep to the same format used in his "Jay Leno's Garage" YouTube videos (i.e., interviews & test drives) ... vice the "reality show drama" found in CNBC's other automotive show ("The Car Chasers").

Here's some old episodes of "Jay Leno's Garage" with "HAMB-friendly" content ...

• @Deuce Bruce Meyer and the "Bob McGee Hiboy":

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• an interview with author Pat (@pgan) Ganahl:

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• an interview with the late Tom "Stroker McGurk" Medley:

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• Gary Meadors' 1948 Chrysler Town & Country (a bit O/T ... but there's a build thread here on the HAMB):

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• Keith Charvonia's 1951 Kaiser "Drag'n" custom:

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• 1958 Impala custom & Thom Taylor' s "Kustomland" book:

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• Peter Vincent's "The Bonneville Salt Flats" book:

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• Ab Jenkins' Mormon Meteor III:

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that Kaiser episode is cool what a different cool car. I would love to see it in person

 

There is a great build thread here about this car, if you haven't seen it, search it and enjoy.

 

That place is amazing. Got the chance to go through it in the fall of 05. Every car there was licensed and ready to drive if Jay came in and said that was the one he was driving that day

 

I would love to contact Leno and try to get an invite. A couple of times I tried to find his building when I am in the area. I found the area but that's it. Any idea how to contact him.

 

Cool - Thanks

 

Wow, I've always dug Leno, but I'm lovin' that philosophy. How cool is that?

 

I don't think it works like that.

This is Holloywood: don't call us, we'll call you (or not).

Think about it. Jay is not running a museum, he is running a working garage. If he allowed people to just call up and make appointments, there would be so many poeple he would never get any work done.