How Many Cars Does Jay Leno Have?
Most people know Jay Leno from his hit news program The Tonight Show, but his other claim to fame is his extensive collection of cars. Just like David Letterman, Leno uses a lot of his money to buy and maintain quite a selection of rare vehicles, with many of the cars having values of six figures or more.
Altogether his collection of 286 vehicles (169 cars and 117 motorcycles) is worth more than $50 million, all housed in a custom garage bigger than most people’s homes.
Jay Leno bought his first car in 1964 at fourteen years old. He started building his collection a few years later when he got his driver’s license and has managed to get his hands on a wide variety of different makes and models.
Turbine cars
When Jay Leno started liking cars as a teenager, one of the first he had his sights on was the 1963 Chrysler Turbine. It’s one of the most expensive and highly coveted cars in his collection. This, along with an Ecojet designed just for him, are the only two turbine cars that he owns.
Electric cars
Jay Leno owns at least five electric cars. Three of them are from the early 1900s, including the classic Baker Electric, which is incredibly hard to find in today’s market. He even updated his 1914 Detroit Electric for the modern age, giving it Bluetooth and air conditioning.
Steam Cars
Seven steam cars reside in Jay Leno’s garage. Most of these are Stanley Steamer cars. He also owns a 1925 Doble E-20, the first steamer car that only required the simple turn of a key to start. This made them the most efficient steam-operated car.
Giants
These cars have a distinctively longer structure and loud tank engines that can be heard from a mile away. Jay Leno has a few of these classic cars, including the Mercedes Radic and the 1917 Fiat Botafogo.
The most famous giant cars in his collection are the modern Chrysler tank car and the Blastolene Special, designed by Randy Grubb specifically for Jay Leno. The cars cost over $350,000 to build.
Trucks
There are a few trucks to be found in Jay Leno’s collection. Most of these trucks are service vehicles, including an unusual 1911 Christie Fire Engine and a 1946 Shell Oil Truck. These seem like strange choices for a car collector, but given that Leno also owns one of the very odd and limited Davis Divan three-wheelers, it’s not that much of a shock.
Race cars
Jay Leno may not be a racer, but that doesn’t keep him back from collecting these beautiful and iconic cars. He owns seven race cars, including favorites like the 2006 Ariel Atom and the incredibly rare Light Car Company Rocket. Two of these vehicles are from Bugatti, the vintage predecessor of the modern racecar.
Supercars
These cars are known for being high-performance and having some of the steepest price tags. Jay Leno owns fourteen supercars, including the 1969 Lamborghini Miura S, which is highly regarded for being one of the most beautiful supercars ever made.
The most expensive supercar in Jay Leno’s garage is the 2014 McLaren P1. Only 375 of these cars exist today and are worth approximately $1.35 million. He also owns the 1994 version valued at $970,000.
Convertibles
These seem to be one of Jay Leno’s favorite types of cars, given that he has over 30 in his collection. In 2018, he managed to procure a 1966 Lincoln Continental. While Leno makes a lot of restorations to his older cars, this was completely original and might be the most valuable convertible in his collection.
Coupes
It’s clear to see what kind of cars Jay Leno likes the most. He owns nearly 50 coupes in his collection, with models spanning from 2015 all the way back to 1915.
The most expensive car in Jay Leno’s entire collection is his 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Coupe. He initially paid a staggering $1.8 million for it, afterward devoting hundred of hours into restoring the vehicle to make it even more impressive and valuable.
