Rare Car Collectors

PancakeBoy · Dec 31, 2006, 4:21 PM

Does anyone know which person has the rarest car colection in the world? I think a Arab guy has 2 F1 LM's and there are only 5 in the whole world.

nivlek · Dec 31, 2006, 4:29 PM

does that jay leno person comedian count? hes got lots of cars

PancakeBoy · Dec 31, 2006, 4:30 PM

i thought about him, any particular rare cars that hes got?

astonmartin138 · Dec 31, 2006, 4:35 PM

I found this article on the internet about Jay Lenos collection:
When you walk in, you don't know whether to dive for the bright yellow 1913 Mercer Raceabout, complete with monocle windshield, or ogle his five stunning Duesenberg Js, parked together in a row. Further on, there's a rare 1915 shovel-nosed Franklin with a California-built body by Earl (as in Harley Earl and his father, before the younger Earl headed to Detroit to start GM's Art and Color department).

Is there a theme in his collection? "If there is a theme," Leno says, "it's probably a car that's ahead of its time. Everything here does a hundred with a few exceptions. There are no Model Ts. I like a reasonable level of performance."

Among other vehicles, the Leno garage houses a 1939 Lagonda V-12, a brace of Bentleys, including a handsome Speed Six, a dignified 8-liter sedan and a 1926 roadster with a twin-turbocharged eight-liter Bentley engine. Built especially for Leno by a team of British craftsmen, it'll light up its skinny rear tires in any gear. Ask Leno what the horsepower is and he just grins: "Probably over 500," he says.

No car or bike in Leno's collection is a museum piece; he drives everything and nearly everything runs at all times. Blessed with an assigned parking space at NBC Studios, Leno takes a different vehicle to work every day.

Two full-time mechanics help keep things in shape, although Leno (who once worked at Foreign Motors of Boston, near his hometown of North Andover, Mass., before his comedy career took off), likes to do things himself. He's capable of starting and running even the ancient machinery, like his two Stanley Steamers, which require a delicate combination of priming, heating and lighting--like starting up an old-fashioned furnace.

While Leno isn't averse to modern cars, he doesn't own many. There's a Turbo R Bentley and a pair of mildly modified Dodge Vipers, plus a stealth car--a souped-up Renault LeCar with a Ford (nyse: F - news - people) Taurus SHO motor and a nitrous setup.

Leno likes horsepower, lots of it. While he'd never admit to being a hot rodder, there are vehicles here that could only be called hot rods. Take his Cobra replica. It started life with a pushrod 427 side-oiler. Now it has a gleaming 429 SOHC Ford V-8 under its hood.

"Yep, that's the cammer-motor," he says, lifting the hood, with a knowing leer. "It pulls like a train. I got this engine out of a powerboat. It's a much better engine than the 427. And it runs a lot cooler. You ever heard one-a these things go to eight grand? Oh geez... 'Whee, whee, wheeeeeeeeee!'" Leno expertly imitates the noise. "It's a frightening sound," he says.

Although Leno's a stickler for originality on his Pebble Beach Concours-winning Duesenbergs and his two real Bugattis, he also owns two replica Bugattis: a Type 37A that's all Bugatti parts but they didn't all come from the factory at the same time, and a stunning Type 57SC Atlantic that you couldn't tell from Ralph Lauren's Pebble Beach prize winner, except for the paint color. And who really cares? The real thing (they only made three) is arguably too valuable to drive.

If you want to see Leno get really enthusiastic, just ask him for a ride in his 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II with its 1,000-horsepower Merlin V-12. His eyes light up like Mr. Toad's in The Wind in the Willows: "I mean it's so stupid!" With Leno, stupid is sometimes a compliment. "It's got 1,806 pounds of torque. There's nothing like it. That's real power."

Does it have some sort of tank transmission to handle all that torque? We're surprised to learn it's a Moss four-speed, just like on a 1950s Jag XK120. "It's pretty strong," says Leno, "But you're not dumping the clutch. Once you're rolling, you put your foot down and Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh hhhh!!!!!!; it just keeps pulling like a train."

Leno would rather hang out in the garage than do almost anything else--except write and tell jokes. So his spare time is spent tinkering with his cars, or riding his bikes. He turns up at local car shows, rides one of his bikes up to the Rock Store on Sundays and often invites friends over to look at new acquisitions.

Leno's passionate about his cars, but ask him which one is his favorite and he gives you that sideways look familiar to so many fans of The Tonight Show. "Which one of your children is your favorite?" he retorts.

However, Leno is partial to Duesenbergs. "This car is not a myth," he insists, pointing to a J. "Any 70-year-old car that can keep up with modern traffic in L.A. and drive like a normal car is pretty amazing. At a time when the speed limit was 45 mph, a Duesenberg could go 120 mph."

How does he decide what to buy next? "I just see something. If it catches my eye, it's like a pretty girl...But I'm quite happy with everything I have. I don't lust for new things. But, if I do see one and think, 'Oh, that's nice...' Well, that's cool, too."

And his wife, Mavis, is tolerant of this passion? "Yes. It's cheaper than hookers and cocaine," he jokes. "Most guys in Hollywood have 20 girlfriends and one car and I have 20 cars and one girlfriend. She always knows where I am. I'm here in the garage.

"'What's that fragrance?'" Leno says in a fake falsetto voice? "'It's gasoline, honey. It's not cheap perfume.'"

"Having these cars is great fun," Leno says. "And there's a sense of history to all this stuff. We don't really own these cars, we just keep them for the next owners."

PancakeBoy · Dec 31, 2006, 4:40 PM

how rich is leno, or does he just spend every penny he has on cars and nothing else?

SKR34 · Dec 31, 2006, 4:51 PM

Leno is quite rich. He actually changed the tranny of one of cars from a FWD to a RWD. He also owns a Y2K Jet Bike.

nist7 · Dec 31, 2006, 5:06 PM

nice find astonmartin138. Jay Leno is one of those rare collectors who really appreciates cars. Btw pancakeboy, Leno is more that just about money. I would rather spend an hour just talking to Leno about cars than driving the F1 LMs of your typical Arab.

astonmartin138 · Dec 31, 2006, 5:11 PM

I agree that Leno is a truly inspirational car collector - but I still can't help wondering why he has so little modern compared to his masses of classic. I know many people prefer classic cars, but surely EVERYONE likes a little slice of today now and again. Classic Jags, Astons and Lotuses just make my heart melt due to their sheer greatness, but I still admire modern day technology and what it brings. Lotus Europa - Great. Excellent even. Lotus Exige. WOW. If I was Leno (and I am not obviously!) I would still keep quite a collection of modern cars for when your 70's Corvette is leaking oil like colinders leak water, your classic Bentley won't start, and your old Nissan is rusting quickly...

PancakeBoy · Dec 31, 2006, 5:15 PM

Thats why i prefer other collectors from leno, i just dont like classic cars.

astonmartin138 · Dec 31, 2006, 5:16 PM

I do like classic cars - but I prefer modern ones as I said.

PancakeBoy · Dec 31, 2006, 5:19 PM

i just dont like classic period. I like the attitudes of the arabs, they just buy all the super cars from the 80s on wards.

astonmartin138 · Dec 31, 2006, 5:28 PM

The classic period is nothing to be ashamed of in any country, as the below area states:
UK -
Jaguar E-Type
Lotus Europa
Aston Martin DB5
GERMANY -
VW Beetle
Porsche Speedster
BMW M5 (Original)
U.S. -
Chevrolet Corvette (Original)
Dodge Charger R/T (Original)
Plymouth Superbird
JAPAN -
Nissan Skyline (Original)
Toyota Crown (Original)
Mitsubishi Lancer (Original)
I know there are way more countries to consider, but I feel a little odd right now and can't think straight!

PancakeBoy · Dec 31, 2006, 5:31 PM

I dont mind classic japanese cars its just cars with huge chrome bits and spare wheels on the side.

Like this

Merc · Dec 31, 2006, 5:39 PM

i doubt jay leno drives all of his cars.... They just sit in a showroom and look pretty... He wouldnt be able to afford ensuring all of them either....... And he probably gets classics since theyre rarer than the modern cars you see today... He also probably likes the feeling that hes one of the very few that has a perfect conditioned car from the 50s.... But still, im pretty sure he appreciates modern cars considering he built one.

Heretic · Dec 31, 2006, 7:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merc

i doubt jay leno drives all of his cars.... They just sit in a showroom and look pretty... He wouldnt be able to afford ensuring all of them either....... And he probably gets classics since theyre rarer than the modern cars you see today... He also probably likes the feeling that hes one of the very few that has a perfect conditioned car from the 50s.... But still, im pretty sure he appreciates modern cars considering he built one.

Leno is one of those rare collectors who loves to drive every vehicle he ownes. He is a true entheusiast in every sense of the word. While I have never met the man, I have bid against him on ebay. It seems we were both interested in an old harley. This was a few years ago, and I think we were both bidding on a 1936 harley (I did not win the bidding).

Dec 31, 2006, 4:21 PM	#1
PancakeBoy Tokai Talbo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Playing in the band GLAY at a huge gig in Tokyo in front of a Beautiful crowd, as Hisashi Tonomura Posts: 1,077	Rare Car Collectors Does anyone know which person has the rarest car colection in the world? I think a Arab guy has 2 F1 LM's and there are only 5 in the whole world.

Dec 31, 2006, 4:35 PM	#4
astonmartin138 Resident Piston Head Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: England, UK Posts: 6,662	I found this article on the internet about Jay Lenos collection: When you walk in, you don't know whether to dive for the bright yellow 1913 Mercer Raceabout, complete with monocle windshield, or ogle his five stunning Duesenberg Js, parked together in a row. Further on, there's a rare 1915 shovel-nosed Franklin with a California-built body by Earl (as in Harley Earl and his father, before the younger Earl headed to Detroit to start GM's Art and Color department). Is there a theme in his collection? "If there is a theme," Leno says, "it's probably a car that's ahead of its time. Everything here does a hundred with a few exceptions. There are no Model Ts. I like a reasonable level of performance." Among other vehicles, the Leno garage houses a 1939 Lagonda V-12, a brace of Bentleys, including a handsome Speed Six, a dignified 8-liter sedan and a 1926 roadster with a twin-turbocharged eight-liter Bentley engine. Built especially for Leno by a team of British craftsmen, it'll light up its skinny rear tires in any gear. Ask Leno what the horsepower is and he just grins: "Probably over 500," he says. No car or bike in Leno's collection is a museum piece; he drives everything and nearly everything runs at all times. Blessed with an assigned parking space at NBC Studios, Leno takes a different vehicle to work every day. Two full-time mechanics help keep things in shape, although Leno (who once worked at Foreign Motors of Boston, near his hometown of North Andover, Mass., before his comedy career took off), likes to do things himself. He's capable of starting and running even the ancient machinery, like his two Stanley Steamers, which require a delicate combination of priming, heating and lighting--like starting up an old-fashioned furnace. While Leno isn't averse to modern cars, he doesn't own many. There's a Turbo R Bentley and a pair of mildly modified Dodge Vipers, plus a stealth car--a souped-up Renault LeCar with a Ford (nyse: F - news - people) Taurus SHO motor and a nitrous setup. Leno likes horsepower, lots of it. While he'd never admit to being a hot rodder, there are vehicles here that could only be called hot rods. Take his Cobra replica. It started life with a pushrod 427 side-oiler. Now it has a gleaming 429 SOHC Ford V-8 under its hood. "Yep, that's the cammer-motor," he says, lifting the hood, with a knowing leer. "It pulls like a train. I got this engine out of a powerboat. It's a much better engine than the 427. And it runs a lot cooler. You ever heard one-a these things go to eight grand? Oh geez... 'Whee, whee, wheeeeeeeeee!'" Leno expertly imitates the noise. "It's a frightening sound," he says. Although Leno's a stickler for originality on his Pebble Beach Concours-winning Duesenbergs and his two real Bugattis, he also owns two replica Bugattis: a Type 37A that's all Bugatti parts but they didn't all come from the factory at the same time, and a stunning Type 57SC Atlantic that you couldn't tell from Ralph Lauren's Pebble Beach prize winner, except for the paint color. And who really cares? The real thing (they only made three) is arguably too valuable to drive. If you want to see Leno get really enthusiastic, just ask him for a ride in his 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II with its 1,000-horsepower Merlin V-12. His eyes light up like Mr. Toad's in The Wind in the Willows: "I mean it's so stupid!" With Leno, stupid is sometimes a compliment. "It's got 1,806 pounds of torque. There's nothing like it. That's real power." Does it have some sort of tank transmission to handle all that torque? We're surprised to learn it's a Moss four-speed, just like on a 1950s Jag XK120. "It's pretty strong," says Leno, "But you're not dumping the clutch. Once you're rolling, you put your foot down and Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh hhhh!!!!!!; it just keeps pulling like a train." Leno would rather hang out in the garage than do almost anything else--except write and tell jokes. So his spare time is spent tinkering with his cars, or riding his bikes. He turns up at local car shows, rides one of his bikes up to the Rock Store on Sundays and often invites friends over to look at new acquisitions. Leno's passionate about his cars, but ask him which one is his favorite and he gives you that sideways look familiar to so many fans of The Tonight Show. "Which one of your children is your favorite?" he retorts. However, Leno is partial to Duesenbergs. "This car is not a myth," he insists, pointing to a J. "Any 70-year-old car that can keep up with modern traffic in L.A. and drive like a normal car is pretty amazing. At a time when the speed limit was 45 mph, a Duesenberg could go 120 mph." How does he decide what to buy next? "I just see something. If it catches my eye, it's like a pretty girl...But I'm quite happy with everything I have. I don't lust for new things. But, if I do see one and think, 'Oh, that's nice...' Well, that's cool, too." And his wife, Mavis, is tolerant of this passion? "Yes. It's cheaper than hookers and cocaine," he jokes. "Most guys in Hollywood have 20 girlfriends and one car and I have 20 cars and one girlfriend. She always knows where I am. I'm here in the garage. "'What's that fragrance?'" Leno says in a fake falsetto voice? "'It's gasoline, honey. It's not cheap perfume.'" "Having these cars is great fun," Leno says. "And there's a sense of history to all this stuff. We don't really own these cars, we just keep them for the next owners." __________________ "I saw something sticking out so made assumptions. I'm not a technical person." TheBrownTruth

Dec 31, 2006, 4:51 PM	#6
SKR34 Terminal Lance Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The bush outside your house, looking through your window Posts: 4,760	Leno is quite rich. He actually changed the tranny of one of cars from a FWD to a RWD. He also owns a Y2K Jet Bike. __________________ Harrison Ford For President!

Dec 31, 2006, 5:11 PM	#8
astonmartin138 Resident Piston Head Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: England, UK Posts: 6,662	I agree that Leno is a truly inspirational car collector - but I still can't help wondering why he has so little modern compared to his masses of classic. I know many people prefer classic cars, but surely EVERYONE likes a little slice of today now and again. Classic Jags, Astons and Lotuses just make my heart melt due to their sheer greatness, but I still admire modern day technology and what it brings. Lotus Europa - Great. Excellent even. Lotus Exige. WOW. If I was Leno (and I am not obviously!) I would still keep quite a collection of modern cars for when your 70's Corvette is leaking oil like colinders leak water, your classic Bentley won't start, and your old Nissan is rusting quickly... __________________ "I saw something sticking out so made assumptions. I'm not a technical person." TheBrownTruth

Dec 31, 2006, 5:16 PM	#10
astonmartin138 Resident Piston Head Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: England, UK Posts: 6,662	I do like classic cars - but I prefer modern ones as I said. __________________ "I saw something sticking out so made assumptions. I'm not a technical person." TheBrownTruth

Dec 31, 2006, 4:29 PM	#2
nivlek Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: toronto Posts: 1,964	does that jay leno person comedian count? hes got lots of cars

Dec 31, 2006, 4:30 PM	#3
PancakeBoy Tokai Talbo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Playing in the band GLAY at a huge gig in Tokyo in front of a Beautiful crowd, as Hisashi Tonomura Posts: 1,077	i thought about him, any particular rare cars that hes got?

Dec 31, 2006, 4:40 PM	#5
PancakeBoy Tokai Talbo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Playing in the band GLAY at a huge gig in Tokyo in front of a Beautiful crowd, as Hisashi Tonomura Posts: 1,077	how rich is leno, or does he just spend every penny he has on cars and nothing else?

Dec 31, 2006, 5:06 PM	#7
nist7 Bruce Lee wannabe Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 2,665	nice find astonmartin138. Jay Leno is one of those rare collectors who really appreciates cars. Btw pancakeboy, Leno is more that just about money. I would rather spend an hour just talking to Leno about cars than driving the F1 LMs of your typical Arab.

Dec 31, 2006, 5:15 PM	#9
PancakeBoy Tokai Talbo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Playing in the band GLAY at a huge gig in Tokyo in front of a Beautiful crowd, as Hisashi Tonomura Posts: 1,077	Thats why i prefer other collectors from leno, i just dont like classic cars.

Dec 31, 2006, 5:19 PM	#11
PancakeBoy Tokai Talbo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Playing in the band GLAY at a huge gig in Tokyo in front of a Beautiful crowd, as Hisashi Tonomura Posts: 1,077	i just dont like classic period. I like the attitudes of the arabs, they just buy all the super cars from the 80s on wards.

Dec 31, 2006, 5:28 PM	#12
astonmartin138 Resident Piston Head Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: England, UK Posts: 6,662	The classic period is nothing to be ashamed of in any country, as the below area states: UK - Jaguar E-Type Lotus Europa Aston Martin DB5 GERMANY - VW Beetle Porsche Speedster BMW M5 (Original) U.S. - Chevrolet Corvette (Original) Dodge Charger R/T (Original) Plymouth Superbird JAPAN - Nissan Skyline (Original) Toyota Crown (Original) Mitsubishi Lancer (Original) I know there are way more countries to consider, but I feel a little odd right now and can't think straight! __________________ "I saw something sticking out so made assumptions. I'm not a technical person." TheBrownTruth

Dec 31, 2006, 5:31 PM	#13
PancakeBoy Tokai Talbo Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Playing in the band GLAY at a huge gig in Tokyo in front of a Beautiful crowd, as Hisashi Tonomura Posts: 1,077	I dont mind classic japanese cars its just cars with huge chrome bits and spare wheels on the side. Like this

Dec 31, 2006, 5:39 PM	#14
Merc Experienced Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New York Posts: 751	i doubt jay leno drives all of his cars.... They just sit in a showroom and look pretty... He wouldnt be able to afford ensuring all of them either....... And he probably gets classics since theyre rarer than the modern cars you see today... He also probably likes the feeling that hes one of the very few that has a perfect conditioned car from the 50s.... But still, im pretty sure he appreciates modern cars considering he built one.

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