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 much of his money to buy and maintain a wide selection of rare vehicles, with many of the cars having values of six figures or more.
In total, his collection of 286 vehicles (169 cars and 117 motorcycles) is worth more than $50 million, all housed in a custom garage larger than most people’s homes.
Jay Leno bought his first car in 1964 at the age of fourteen. He started building his collection a few years later when he got his driver’s license and managed to get his hands on a variety of different makes and models.
When Jay Leno started liking cars as a teenager, one of the first ones he set his sights on was the 1963 Chrysler Turbine. It is one of the most expensive and sought-after cars in his collection. This, along with an Ecojet designed just for him, are the only two Turbine cars he owns.
Electric cars
Jay Leno owns five electric cars so far. Three of them date back to 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 modern times, giving it Bluetooth and air conditioning.
Steam Cars
There are seven steam cars in Jay Leno’s garage. Most of them are Stanley Steamer cars. He also owns a 1925 Doble E-20, the first steam car that only required the simple turn of a key to start. This made it the most efficient steam powered car.
Giant
These cars have a much longer structure and loud tank engines that can be heard from a mile away. Jay Leno has a few of these vintage cars, including the Mercedes Radic and the 1917 Fiat Botafogo.
The most famous giant cars in his collection are the modern Chrysler tanker and the Blastolene Special, designed by Randy Grubb especially for Jay Leno. The cars cost over $350,000 to build.
TRUCK
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 truck and a 1946 Shell oil truck. This seems like an odd choice for a car collector, but since Leno also owns one of the very odd and limited edition Davis Divan tricycles, it’s not much of a shock.
Race cars
Jay Leno may not be a racer, but that doesn’t stop him 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 cars are from Bugatti, the vintage predecessor to the modern race car.
Supercar
These cars are known for being powerful and having some of the steepest price tags. Jay Leno owns fourteen supercars, including the 1969 Lamborghini Miura S, considered one of the finest supercars of all time.
The most expensive supercar in Jay Leno’s garage is the 2014 McLaren P1. Only 375 of these cars exist today and are worth about $1.35 million. He also owns the 1994-version worth $970,000.
Convertible
These seem to be one of Jay Leno’s favorite cars, as he has over 30 in his collection. In 2018, he managed to acquire a 1966 Lincoln Continental. While Leno does many restorations on his older cars, this was completely original and perhaps the most valuable convertible in his collection.
Coupe
It is clear to see what kind of cars Jay Leno likes the most. He has almost 50 coupes in his collection,with models ranging from 2015 to 1915.
The most expensive car in Jay Leno’s entire collection is his 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Coupe. He initially paid an astounding $1.8 million for it and then devoted hundreds of hours restoring the car to make it even more impressive and valuable.