Inside Jay Leno’s Treasure Trove of Collector Cars | Investing Magazine (2024)

Jay Leno was on the air for decades as one of our favorite late-night talk show hosts. One thing you might not know about Leno is that he is an avid car collector. His net worth is $350 million, and he spends a sizable fraction of that on expensive, rare, and collector cars. He has even teamed up with automakers to make his own specialized vehicles.

Leno’s 136-car collection was valued at $50 million recently, and it’s likely to increase in price as the years go on. He has vehicles that the average car collector can only dream about, and his collection is constantly growing and changing. On this list, you’ll see some of the coolest cars in his garage.

Model Year: 1937
Original Value: $43,000*
Current Value: $40 million-$114 million*

Jay Leno is one of the few people in the world who owns an exact copy of the Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic. His replica was made by a German car enthusiast who specializes in making identical copies of antique, rare cars. The 1937 Bugatti Type 57 SC’s Competition variation was called “Aerolithe,” which is based on the Greek word for “meteor.”

1937 Bugatti Type 57 SC @Celebrity Cars / Facebook.com

The 1937 Bugatti Type 57 SC was the first model year for the Type 57 SC, which would go on to have just 96 produced. Under the hood was a 3.257-liter DOHC Inline 8 engine. The designer was Jean Bugatti himself.

Model Year: 1996
Original Value: $12 million*
Current Value: $23 million*

Back in 2017, Leno was asked which of his collection was his favorite, and he said that his 1994 McLaren F1 was the crown jewel of his collection. This car was valued at $12 million when he bought it, and the price has nearly doubled, with one ’94 McLaren selling for $23 million at auction.

1994 McLaren F1 @nicholaskiim / Youtube.com

Leno stated in an interview with Wired that people are surprised that the futuristic-looking McLaren was actually a nineties-era car. He stated simply that, “When a car looks right, it[‘s] right.” The ’94 F1 was the first McLaren to be deemed street-legal in the U.S.

Model Year: 1955
Original Value: $2,200*
Current Value: $2.35 million*

In 2015, Leno purchased this 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Coupe for his garage. He was intent on restoring the coupe, and he was thrilled to be able to purchase it after it was, according to him, “out of reach” for so long.

1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Coupe @Greg Sanchez / Facebook.com

The Gullwing was always ahead of its time, and it makes sense why Leno would covet it so highly. When it came out in the fifties, it had many never-before-seen features to it, including fully independent suspension, tubular space frame, and, of course, those very unique doors. Leno’s currently-under-construction Gullwing will likely keep its famous red paint job.

Model Year: 1937
Original Value: $763.07*
Current Value: $44,000*

This is perhaps one of the oldest cars in Jay Leno’s collection. The 1937 Fiat Topolino is on display in his garage, and he actually had plans to auction it off in 2012. This isn’t his only early Fiat; he also owns a ’59 Millecento and a 1917 Fiat Botafogo. The Topolino is, like many Fiats, very tiny.

1937 Fiat Topolino @Linda Niemeier / Pinterest.com

It has a 569cc I4 engine under the hood and the curb weight is 1,213 pounds. 520,000 of these cars were made from 1936 to 1955, making this one of the earliest editions of the Topolino still in existence to this day.

Model Year: 2017
Original Value: $505,570*
Current Value: $1.2 million*

Jay Leno was one of the first Ford customers to take delivery of his super-cool, fast Ford GT. The 2017 Ford GT was one of 45 ever built, and the price increased to $1.2 million as time went on (though Leno got it for a little over half a million). This Ford GT is worth so much because it is a powerhouse.

2017 Ford GT @car_bu_bu / Twitter.com

The sportscar gets 647HP and weighs in at 3,705. Under the hood is a 5-liter V8 engine. The specs on the 2017 GT are amazing. The GT has a top speed of 216MPH and a 0 to 60 time of 2.9 seconds.

Model Year: 1966
Original Value: $7,495*
Current Value: $5.5 million*

When it comes to classic cars, Leno has admitted that he has a particular fondness for his 427 Shelby Cobra. This 1966 Ford classic was the subject of a contest between Leno and Elon Musk, the head of Tesla Motors. Leno challenged Musk’s Tesla S P85D to a race with his elderly Cobra.

427 Shelby Cobra @joe nahman2 / Pinterest.com

The Tesla has a 0 to 60 time of 2.6 seconds, while the Cobra has a 0 to 60 time of 4.5 seconds (still impressive for that era). Leno was obviously kidding, though it would have been an interesting race. The dark-blue Cobra debuted in 2012 at Pebble Beach before Leno bought it.

Model Year: 1906
Original Value: $260*
Current Value: $7,473*

The 1906 Advance Steam Traction Engine is part of Leno’s “Steam Room,” which is the section of Big Dog Garage that holds his collection of steam-powered vehicles. This 1906 Engine dates back to a time before there were cars, and Leno said that he acquired this engine because he isn’t just interested in cars; he’s also a history buff.

1906 Advance Steam Traction Engine @Jay Leno's Garage / Twitter.com

Leno took Hemmings on a tour, explaining that his 1906 Engine held technology that England especially guarded “like it was NASA.” Leno’s 1906 Engine weighs thirteen tons (26,000 pounds) and has a top speed of 4MPH. The only gear change available is reverse. There are no brakes.

Model Year: 1909
Original Value: $850*
Current Value: $20,000*

In 2007, Jay Leno showed off his 1909 Baker Electric vehicle, which was one of the earliest variations of a zero-emissions car. Thomas Edison owned one of these vehicles. Leno did a photoshoot for the New York Times behind the steering tiller of the antique car. The 1909 Baker Electric was built by Baker Motor Vehicle Company, which was a big-name Brass Era manufacturer.

1909 Baker Electric @Robert Werrbach‎ / Facebook.com

The 1909 Baker Electric is the oldest model from Baker in existence today. Though it has zero emissions, this car is far from aerodynamic and, certainly, it is not road legal. It has a top speed of 25 miles per hour, and there is no steering wheel, only a tiller.

Model Year: 1954
Original Value: $3,979*
Current Value: $136,950*

This beautiful blue 1954 Jaguar XK120M Coupe had its body restored in Jay Leno’s factory. This was Leno’s first-ever collector car, and, other than his 1955 Buick, he has never owned a car longer than he has this 1954 Jag. The XK120M Coupe would later get a sibling: the XK120, which was bright-white.

1954 Jaguar XK120M Coupe @justnewsviews / Facebook.com

The XK120M first debuted at the London Motor Show. It was so popular there that the founder of Jaguar, William Lyons, bowed to public pressure and agreed to put it into production. A total of 12,055 XK120 cars were made. Only a fraction of these had the “M” designation.

Model Year: 1917
Original Value: $1,230*
Current Value: $1 million*

Leno took his 1917 Fiat Botafogo Special for a drive around town, and the sheer loudness of the car impressed/annoyed everyone. His 1971 Botafogo was originally built in Argentina by Adolfo Scandroglio, an Argentinian racer. The car’s top speed is 146 miles per hour, but it has, concerningly, a little trouble stopping and requires about a quarter-mile to brake properly.

1917 Fiat Botafogo Special @Marco Giugiaro‎ / Facebook.com

The car’s power comes from its 21.7-liter engine, which was used in a WWI aircraft. The design of this Botafogo Special was based on the Fiat Special Mephistopheles, which was owned by Lord Eldridge, a senior officer in the British Army.

Model Year: 1963
Original Value: $50,000-$55,000*
Current Value: $415,000*

Also one of the louder cars in Jay Leno’s collection, the 1963 Chrysler Turbine, according to the comedian himself, can run using tequila. The Turbine Car was designed by Elwood Engel as a concept car from 1963 to 1964. It uses an A-831 gas turbine engine. 133 of these vehicles were made, but Chrysler destroyed all but nine.

1963 Chrysler Turbine @Streetmusclemag / Facebook.com

Two of the Turbine Cars are at Chrysler’s factories, five are in museums, and the rest are with private owners. The Turbine never went into production because its engines didn’t meet emissions regulations, so Chrysler couldn’t get a government loan to build them.

Model Year: 1931
Original Value: $12,900*
Current Value: $4 million*

Jay Leno is a huge fan of Bugatti. He knows pretty much everything about the history, and he reminded everyone, when walking fans on his YouTube channel through his Bugatti Type 51, that Bugatti was one of the greatest racecar builders in the world in the twenties and thirties, too.

Bugatti Type 51 @Jay Leno's Garage / Youtube.com

The Type 51 has a supercharged 8-cylinder engine that Leno described as one of the “finest sounds” in car history. The Type 51’s engine design was “borrowed” (or stolen, depending on who you ask) from Harry Miller, an American racecar constructor. The engine got an unprecedented 185 horsepower as a result.

Model Year: 2005
Original Value: $495*
Current Value: $135,000*

Leno acquired/created this 1932 Bowtie Deuce Roadster LS7 Hot Rod in 2005. He made some changes under the hood to the Bowtie, adding in a GM small-block LS7 engine. He also replaced the frame with that of a 1932 Chevy, which means that this technically qualifies as a hot rod.

1932 Bowtie Deuce Roadster LS7 Hot Rod @Jay Leno's Garage / Youtube.com

Leno’s Bowtie came about from a partnership with GM. The engine was tuned up to get 580HP and 470 pound-feet of torque, which it owes directly to the parts under the hood, which all came from a sixth-generation Z06 from Corvette (not the first time Leno has put Corvette parts into a hot rod).

Model Year: 1958
Original Value: $1,895*
Current Value: $7,500*

Jay Leno’s 1958 Saab 93B sounds, according to Hagerty, like “an angry hive of bees.” He stated in an interview that the ’58 Saab was one of his favorite cars, despite its humble appearance. The Saab runs on a three-cylinder, 0.75-liter engine that gets just thirty-eight horsepower.

1958 Saab 93 @jaylenosgarage / Facebook.com

The car has a four-speed transmission and front-wheel drive. Tom Donney Motors sold Leno the 1958 Saab 93B fifteen years ago. Leno had invited the owner, Tom Donney, out driving many times, and he fell in love with the Saab and asked to purchase it for his collection. The Saab was one of the first cars he featured on Jay Leno’s Garage.