Jay Leno Brings Fight to Keep Classic Cars on the Road to California Capitol
As we previously reported, the former Tonight Show host's massive vintage car collection is no joking matter to the comedian. In order to make sure that he can keep trucking along in any one of the estimated 181 cars and 160 motorcycles he owns, he announced in early March that he was partnering with California State Senator Shannon Grove to help pass what has become known as 'Leno's Law.'Officially introduced to the California State Senate as Senate Bill 712, the legislation would allow classic car enthusiasts like Leno to skip the biennial smog check inspection that the state currently requires of all collector vehicles that were manufactured after 1975.
On Tuesday, Leno headed to the California State Capitol in Sacramento to help plead the case on behalf of all classic car aficionados, and pull on some nostalgia-specific heartstrings—all with his trademark sense of humor.
'I know there's nothing more annoying than Hollywood people involved in politics,' joked Leno by way of introduction. He went on to explain that because of the age of the vehicles, there are few facilities that are equipped to even perform a smog check on his many, many cars—which only leads to more headaches.
'I put more miles on it looking for smog stations than I do driving the thing,' said Leno. Though it was meant to be said in jest, there is a truth behind what he's saying. While older cars such as the ones Leno loves so much do have a tendency to produce more smog, Leno and his fellow car collectors argue that their vehicles are more like works of art and spend most of their time parked in a garage on display versus being driven.
They're also lamenting the huge loss it would be to the history of the state to see the hot rods and other classic cars that have long been part of its culture disappear.
While the bill did pass, it's just the first step in what will likely prove to be a long road ahead. But for tonight at least, Leno can take his favorite tank for a spin around the neighborhood and rest easy.
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Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Yahoo
Ford CEO Jim Farley Delivers Jay Leno's Mustang GTD
Famed fire survivor and not-a-Ferrari owner Jay Leno just took custody of his brand-new Ford Mustang GTD, the American carmaker's attempt to muscle in on the European exotic market. And I do mean brand new. The car only just started rolling off the assembly lines of the company that invented assembly lines, and Leno's GTD is serial number 12, matching his Ford GTs. The Mustang was delivered straight to him by no less than Ford CEO Jim Farley himself. As seen on the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Farley walks the one-time talk show host through the Mustang GTD and what makes it special. Farley says that this is the "ultimate Mustang ever built," and it's not hard to see why: This front-engined American machine lapped the Nurburgring in just 6:52.072. It managed that using the optional Performance Pack, which adds a front splitter, underbody flaps, and a Formula 1-style DRS spoiler that grants it 2,000 pounds of downforce at 180 mph. The Mustang GTD is the street-legal version of the race-spec Mustang GT3 that took a podium finish at Le Mans in 2024. As Farley keeps on pointing out to Leno, though, the GTD comes with a bunch of features the race car didn't even get. And yet, as Leno takes it for a spin on the streets of LA, he notes, "You could drive this every day... In a complimentary way, it's like a Miata. It's extremely light and nimble on its feet." It's calm enough, when you want it to be, to act like a normal car. Read more: These Are The Best Engines Of All Time, According To You Finer Details On the rear of the GTD there's an etching of every generation of Mustang, a proud lineage that the GTD is now at the apex of. The paddle shifters, gear knob, and serial plate are 3D printed out of titanium, because as Farley says, every last detail of the car is focused on "weight and performance." He didn't mention that the titanium literally comes from decommissioned F-22 fighter jets, but, just so you know, it comes from decommissioned F-22 fighter jets. Inside the cabin itself, there's a little rear window just to see the suspension dampers in action. Farley points this out during the actual drive, though Leno jokes that he can't look without crashing. I don't know that any production car has ever let me look at the suspension, uh, suspending, but that's certainly a way to signal that this is no normal car. Most touching of all: Everyone who actually built the car signed it underneath the hood, a testament to the fact that this is a low-volume model with only a small team working on it. Only 1,000 GTDs will ever be made. Leno has other Fords that were signed this way, and he says that he's always open to signatories or their relatives swinging by the garage to see it. Exotic, But Also Homegrown American Farley says that the Mustang GTD is a "high-performance exotic car," rather than a more traditional muscle car. That said, it was important to Ford that the Mustang remained recognizably a Mustang. So where, say, the Chevrolet Corvette has gone mid-engined, the GTD still has a great big stonking V8 right at the front of the car. It's a supercharged 5.2-liter engine based on the company's Predator line, making 815 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. That's good for a top speed of 202 mph. Stopping all that power are ceramic brakes with 17-inch rotors. The GTS also boasts $4,000 worth of microchips onboard for the computers to perform all their wizardry, a lithium-ion battery in place of a paltry old 12-volt, and you even get a concierge service, meaning a specialist flies in to do any work the car needs. If you'd like a signed Ford Mustang GTD yourself, it's easy! You just have to apply for one (so Ford can judge whether you're special enough, I guess) and fork over $327,960, at minimum, before you put any extras on it. That prices it a little bit above a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, one of the European exotics the GTD is meant to directly challenge. Worth it? Whichever side of that answer you fall on, you know you want one. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Motor Trend
09-07-2025
- Motor Trend
Dancing with the Star: Driving Jay Leno's 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
[This story first appeared in the Fall 2011 issue of MotorTrend Classic] Everyone has his own particular 'barn find' fantasy of opening the door to an automotive vault (garage/barn/tomb) and finding his dream machine quietly lying in wait. And of course in this fantasy world, the owner no longer wants it and is willing to practically give it away. For some, that dream car is a Ferrari of one stripe or another. For others, maybe a Bugatti, Packard, or Duesenberg. Jay Leno's 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, is a former race car turned cherished driver rather than a pristine showpiece. Leno appreciates its historic and mechanical significance, enjoying its analog experience and robust performance without plans for full restoration. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next This story is about another iconic, automotive high watermark: a Mercedes-Benz 300SL coupe, aka the mighty Gullwing. And only a guy like Jay Leno, one of the world's most engaging and best-known motorhead collector/enthusiasts, could find it, buy it, give it a gentle clean up and sensitive mechanical recommissioning, then take it out any time he likes and drive the wheels off of it. 'I found this car locked up in Anaheim,' Leno says. 'It was raced extensively in the '60s, and the guy damaged the engine. He claimed to have sent the engine to Mercedes to be rebuilt and, well, you know how that goes. We opened up the engine that came with the car and saw evidence of fresh parts and assembly lube, so we hoped for the best. On the dyno, it ran great and made good horsepower, and so far so good. 'The car had a wonderful Southern California hot-rod appeal. It was painted this candy red by hot-rod and show-car legend Junior Conway and has a custom leather interior by the late Tony Nancy, another local hot-rod, show-car, race-car icon, plus it has a rollbar of unknown origin. We of course kept all that and cleaned the car up visually and mechanically. It's a joy to drive and runs great. It's fun to take to car shows because I don't worry much about it. People always have lots to say about all the missing hunks of paint, but if their kid bumps up against it, he's certainly not going to hurt it.' Imagine that—a beater Gullwing. Or, more accurately, a driver Gullwing. Leno worked at a Mercedes-Benz dealer when he was a kid, and adds, 'You can't imagine the impact this car had at the time. Just look at the specs: born of a race car, overhead-cam engine, mechanical fuel injection, independent suspension, those outrageous doors. It was every bit as exotic in its day as any Ferrari, Lamborghini, or McLaren road car is now. It's really the first postwar exotic car, if you don't count the earliest Ferraris, which had more cylinders, but weren't any more technically advanced than the 300SL was. And the quality—other cars just weren't built like this back then. Everything is well engineered and beautifully made. 'And, fortunately, you can buy nearly every part on it. Stuff's expensive, but they have it through the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center. Buy a new fender for this car, and it fits with very little work. Buy a replacement panel for an old Maserati, and then the body shop has to get to work trimming and hand-fettling it so it'll come close to fitting. That's the difference with a classic Mercedes.' Jay offers me the pilot's seat. I flip down the steering wheel, then Twister my large frame inside. I sit relatively tall, with short legs, and the Gullwing proves a made-to-measure fit for me. I just have to remember to duck a bit when closing that special door. 'Know how to cold start one of these?' he asks. Of course not—unfortunately, I don't own one. It's simple: First you activate the fuel enrichment via a knob on the dash; ditto the auxiliary fuel pump. A twist of the key, and it fires right off and thrums with purpose. The exhaust system consists of a well-worn muffler and a large thin-wall single tube exiting the driver-side rear of the car. It rasps and bellows in relatively polished, old race car tones. We idle for a minute to warm the fluids, engage first gear, and pull away with no drama whatsoever. This engine feels torque-rich (it's got to be more than 203 pound-feet), and the fuel injection meters in the fuel with relative precision, so it's crisp. After a half mile or so, Jay clicks off the enrichment and aux pump. The engine clears its throat and feels ready for action. I drive conservatively as there's not much temp on the gauges yet, but after a while, Jay points to the far side of the tach and says to give it some revs. Sure, boss, if I must. We find a relatively traffic-free, country-type road not far from Leno's Burbank, California, Big Dog Garage and give the Gullwing some stick. No wonder this car took the world—and most racetracks—by storm in its day. This thing is fast by any standard, even now, although it wouldn't take on a new ZR-1 or its spiritual successor, the SLS AMG 63. No matter. Go deep with the throttle in lower gears and the exhaust system snorts and bellows, the rear end squats a few degrees, and this baby really goes. Most cars of the day didn't stand a chance against it. The view through the curved windshield is breathtaking—the prowed fenders and hood look classic and terrific. You know you're at the wheel of something special. The view out back is good, too, thanks to lots of glass area. I'm keenly aware of every car around me, and how close it is to our position. I'm worried for the welfare of Big Red's fabulous fenders, even if its owner isn't overly concerned. The Gullwing is a wonderfully analog car. There's no computerized inter-ference. You know the throttle pedal is connected to the intake system and the engine, and that the four-speed manual transmission's shifter is moving actual mechanical gears in the transmission, which sits just below it. There's no asking some computer for permission to drive fast. The brake pedal actuates the brakes. This is not only a car, it's a machine. And a refined, sporty one. The SL has a wonderfully supple ride quality—never mushy, always in control, with no danger to your dental work on less than butter-smooth roads. One contributing factor is the relatively high-profile rubber, from when tires were more than glorified O-rings wrapped around an oversized wheel. Leno points out this example's factory steel wheels and hubcaps, which look absolutely right on this car. 'A lot of Gullwings were factory-fitted with Rudge knockoff wheels, and many have since been retrofitted with them. The knockoff aspect is cool, but did you know they're actually heavier than these?' Jay knows his stuff, and appreciates the steelies-and-caps' lower unsprung weight, if less racy look. The suspension is nicely calibrated for controlled compliance rather than hair-trigger responses. Because of the SL's prodigious power, it's not only easy to make speed in this car, but also to carry it. The steering is linear and true, with meaty weighting, no kickback on rough stuff, and meaningful feedback from the road surface. There's a bit of body roll, but once the car takes its set, it tracks true and consistent. There are plenty of brakes, even though they're drums. (I need to go to Florida in a few weeks—wonder if Jay would let me take the Gullwing? This is a superlative machine for covering big miles when you have lots of time, and especially when you don't.) 'I wasn't really lusting after a Gullwing,' says America's most popular late-night talk-show host, 'because the car always looked heavy to me. I didn't realize how quick they are until I drove one.' Unlike some high-strung exotics, the SL proves a vice-free, yet thrilling drive. It's precise yet forgiving, and completely and properly Germanic. 'That's one of the things I love most about old cars: The driving experience among them is so different,' Leno explains. 'Drive a new BMW or Audi or whatever big luxury sedan, and if you couldn't tell the difference visually or by the badges, you may or may not know which was which. They're all pretty quick, quiet, smooth, comfortable. They all have the same gadgets on them now, and the differences in driving experience has been largely homogenized out of them. You want to try something really unique, drive a steam car or a turbine—that's different!' With a 300SL Gullwing, every drive is an occasion. And let's not forget, its beauty inspires a shortness of breath in most serious car fools, including your author. Will Jay ever 'restore' and repaint and replate this car back to pristine original or concours levels of finish? Who knows? He says it's not part of any current plan; too many other projects in the shop at the moment. We bet it'll stay just as it is. Because Jay Leno likes it that way. And so do we. Ask The Man Who Owns One Jay Leno, big-game car and motorcycle collector; host of 'The Tonight Show' on NBC. Why I Like It: 'It really is the first postwar exotic road car. Look at the specs and the quality. There was nothing else like it back in the day.' Why It's Collectible: Same stuff Jay said just above. An all-time high automotive watermark, a landmark design, born of racing, yet elegant and functional as a road car. Alloy-bodied versions and those with racing provenance or mega-celebrity ownership are worth even more, and trade hands privately, quietly, and expensively. Restoring/Maintaining: Bring money. Everything is available. Beware: According to Michael Kunz of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, Gullwings are tough and relatively vice-free cars. Watch for a lack of or improper maintenance records, hobbyist repairs, improper shade-tree improvements, frame damage, body/door fit (accident damage), fuel in oil (need for injection-pump rebuild), rear axle leaks. Make sure the engine is a proper injected 300SL and not a later junkyard replacement out of a mid-'60s Mercedes sedan, installed as a cheap quick fix for a blown factory 200SL engine. Expect To Pay: Concours ready: $685,000; solid driver: $500,000; tired runner: $375,000 Join The Club: Gull Wing Group International; Also check out the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center Our Take Then: 'Docile enough for daily driving, yet possessing phenomenal power and roadability, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL may have what it takes to create a new concept in motoring the world over.' —Gunther Molter, MotorTrend, April 1954 Now: Few postwar cars in the world are more desirable, and a good one will score you a front-row invite to nearly any car show or serious concours. An all-time blue-chip collectible classic that'll happily keep up with modern roads and traffic. Our thanks to Jay Leno. Tour his garage, car, motorcycle, and automobilia collection, and lots of other fun stuff, at
New York Times
09-07-2025
- New York Times
Locomotive 4207, on the Rails for 60 Years and Still Hauling Commuters
When New Jersey Transit's locomotive 4207 rolled off the assembly line, the Beatles were still touring, Johnny Carson was just three years into hosting 'The Tonight Show' and America had yet to see its first Super Bowl or eat its first Dorito. Sixty years later, 4207 is still hauling New Jersey commuters where they need to go — making it not just the oldest locomotive on NJ Transit's roster but the oldest in regular passenger service in the entire country. It may be an anomaly in American railroading, but not at NJ Transit. The commuter rail agency, the nation's third busiest, operates more than 20 similar GP40 diesel engines — also called 'Geeps' — the oldest of which were originally built as freight locomotives for the New York Central Railroad in 1965. The trains are almost two decades older than NJ Transit itself, yet there is no retirement party on the horizon. 'No matter what, you're always going to have a GP40 around here,' said Fred Chidester, the agency's recently retired deputy general manager of equipment. 'They are the backbone of our operations.' Compared with NJ Transit's streamlined electric locomotives, the boxy Geeps look and sound a world apart. Their utilitarian design features plenty of right angles, and you can hear the howl of a Geep engine a mile away. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
