October, 2004, Cruise News

STORY LINE:    MR. LENO’S TOY STORE  See the Picture ------->   Top Hat John and Jay Leno

I, like most of you reading this story, first met Jay Leno on the  TONIGHT SHOW … watching him do his thing on late night television. My first personal encounter with Mr. Leno was a simple hello and hand shake at the 100^th Anniversary automobile parade that took place in 1996, where Mr. Leno drove the lead parade car with a following of dignitaries in selected aged auto’s … and I was a passenger in the KRIEWALL ENTERPRISES 1890’s swing bike vehicle that lead the old cars to the State Fair Grounds. 

Jay Leno is a relatively private person. He is as real and as much a genuine person as he is a car person. He takes his “funny” work very seriously as the host of the TONIGHT SHOW working some 16 hour days, and, ‘hobbies’ with his car ‘stuph’. As this small pictorial essay shows, Mr. Leno enjoys his car hobby as each of his ‘pieces’ is a driver … although some of the cars are a bit valuable to be daily driven or maybe even a bit much too powerful to be typically street reigned in.

THROUGH mutual acquaintances, I made contact with Mr. Leno and he graciously arranged  for guest seating on the TONIGHT SHOW followed by a personal museum visitation tour. From his way cool 670HP ‘BIG BLOCK’ Chevrolet powered ’55 Buford with C4/C5 Corvette components, to the Duesenberg, Bugatti and motorcycles, Jay Leno loves his automobiles/wheeled vehicles, and for that matter most anything wheeled with some form of engine power.  As to what his favorite car might be, it is not a matter of favoritism-as it is his personal interest in alternative  power technology: steam and aero engined cars. 

A comment and ensuing topic with Mr. Leno  regarding aero powered vehicles; back when if you wanted to go fast … put an airplane engine in a car. The 1915 Hispano  Suiza with an 18.5 liter (63CID per liter)aluminum aircraft engine for power, or the 1934 Rolls Royce P2 chassis with a 12 cylinder Merlin. Both in the collection.  Mr. Leno references steam power a blacksmith technology and has a number of various steam powered cars in the collection. Interesting to note is that steam powered cars  are ‘instant on’ and virtually have no relegated top speed other than the drivers objection to lift-off  … sort of like a land based flying machine for people afraid of heights.

A somewhat well publicized vehicle in Mr. Leno’s toybox is the ‘homemade’ 190-inch wheelbase, aluminum hand formed bodied, 5 ton, V12 air cooled powered GIANT Indianapolis racecar looking street rod. Powered by a Chrysler Continental HEMI-OHC, it’s 1,800CID big and currently 990HP … currently because in the not to distant future twin turbo’s and Bosch FI will raise the output to somewhere around 1,600HP.  Potential top speed is 145mph … today. Got a slide rule, figure with double the power … what futured terminal velocity should be expected.    

Motorcycles, Mr. Leno enjoys riding open air and likes the look of engines outside and open. Styling is an integral part of looking good, 2-wheelers are styled to sell … “People like Harleys and Vincents because they look good.” Nothing like having the ultimate top speed motorcycle, as Mr. Leno possesses the caged rights to a helicopter jet-engined powered two-wheeler.

To sum up Mr. Leno and I quote  … “I like anything that rolls and explodes.”