A lively discussion unfolds at the Audrain Concours featuring Jay Leno, who shares insights about the event's charm compared to Pebble Beach. The conversation touches on Leno's stand-up performance, local charity efforts, and nostalgic car stories, including his favorite vehicles and memorable experiences. The episode also dives into the history of car racing in Newport and the significance of personal connections to cars, highlighting the unique stories behind each vehicle. Leno's humor and passion for cars shine throughout, making for an entertaining and informative listen.
Originally released on Patreon. Watch more bonus SCR content at https://www.patreon.com/SpikesCarRadio
Live from Audrain, Spike, Jonny, and Jay Leno discuss their car obsession and how to perfectly restore a car. Jay shares his car collection wisdom, and talks the perfect 1950s Buick. The guys debate automotive history, what makes a car truly collectable, and the meaning behind the Horsey Horseless.
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"...I tell you my favorite concourse story. I'm in Pebble Beach and I'm a judge..."
A concourse is a special car show where really old and fancy cars are displayed and judged. People come to see these beautiful cars and see which ones are the best.
A concourse is a prestigious car show where classic and vintage automobiles are judged based on their condition, authenticity, and overall presentation. Events like the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance attract car enthusiasts and collectors from around the world.
"...a guy's got an Auburn and the judges come around and they got, you know, the checkbook..."
Auburn is a brand of cars that was popular a long time ago, known for making fancy and stylish vehicles. They were especially well-liked in the 1920s and 1930s.
Auburn was an American automobile manufacturer known for its luxury cars in the early 20th century. The brand is particularly famous for its stylish designs and innovative engineering, especially during the 1920s and 1930s.
"...there's still stuff hidden. Mars Anderson Museum in Brooklyn is one of the oldest car museums and the guy stopped buying cars like 1906 or something. So, it's just really cool old stuff..."
A barn find is when someone finds an old car that has been sitting unused in a barn for many years. Car lovers often get excited about these finds because they can fix them up and make them nice again.
A barn find refers to a classic or vintage car that has been discovered in a barn or similar storage place, often forgotten and left to deteriorate over time. These finds are often considered treasures by car enthusiasts, as they can be restored to their former glory.
"what do you know about that race? like why did it start in 1900? I know this guy Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt obviously very with rich young car enthusiast..."
The Vanderbilt Cup was one of the first big car races in the U.S., starting in the early 1900s. It was named after a rich guy named Vanderbilt who loved cars and wanted to promote racing.
The Vanderbilt Cup was an early automobile race held in the United States, starting in 1904 and named after the wealthy automotive enthusiast William Kissam Vanderbilt II. It was significant in promoting the automobile industry and motorsport in America.
"...imagine you could just buy every Porsche GT3 and give come on you guys just buy one for everybody and you all go racing. I mean, that's that's where it was."
The Porsche GT3 is a special version of the Porsche 911 sports car that is built for racing. It has a very powerful engine and is designed to be very light and fast on the track.
The Porsche GT3 is a high-performance variant of the Porsche 911, designed for track use while still being street-legal. It features a powerful naturally aspirated engine and a focus on lightweight construction and handling.
A burnout happens when a car's tires spin quickly while the car isn't moving. It creates a lot of smoke and shows off the car's power.
A burnout is a driving maneuver where a vehicle's wheels spin while the car remains stationary, creating smoke from the tires. This is often done to demonstrate power or as a form of entertainment in motorsports.
"...and watch it and the car would be going 60 miles an hour."
'60 miles an hour' means the car is going fast enough to cover 60 miles in one hour. It's a way to measure how quickly a car is moving.
'60 miles an hour' refers to a speed measurement indicating that a vehicle is traveling at 60 miles in one hour. It's a common speed limit on many roads and is often used to gauge how fast a car is going.
"...maybe a Ford GT is worth more than a Ferrari or maybe not. It doesn't matter. You're just you're just looking at cars..."
The Ford GT is a fast sports car made by Ford. It's famous for its cool looks and speed, often seen in car shows and races.
The Ford GT is a high-performance sports car produced by Ford, known for its sleek design and powerful engine. It has a rich racing heritage and is often compared to other supercars like Ferrari.
"...maybe a Ford GT is worth more than a Ferrari or maybe not. It doesn't matter. You're just you're just looking at cars..."
Ferrari is a famous brand that makes very fast and expensive sports cars. They are known for their speed and style, and many people dream of owning one.
Ferrari is an iconic Italian sports car manufacturer known for producing high-performance vehicles that are often associated with luxury and racing. Their cars are highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts.
"Well, you know, I got a 66 Lincoln. I'm not really a Lincoln guy, but this woman calls me. She's 94 years old."
The Lincoln Continental is a fancy car from the 1960s, known for being very comfortable and stylish. It was a popular choice for people who wanted a luxurious ride.
The Lincoln Continental is a luxury car that has been produced by Lincoln since 1940. The 1966 model is known for its elegant design and spacious interior, making it a symbol of American luxury during its time.
"...he's got a 67 Imperial. I'm not really All right, let me go look at it. So, I go look at it..."
The Chrysler Imperial is a fancy car that was made a long time ago, known for being very comfortable and stylish. The 1967 version is one of the last models made before the car line was discontinued.
The Chrysler Imperial was a luxury vehicle produced by Chrysler from 1926 to 1983. The 1967 model is known for its distinctive styling and spacious interior, representing the height of American luxury cars during that era.
"...to buy the Belvedere black and white with the fins and I'd sit in my dad's lap..."
The Plymouth Belvedere was a type of car made by Plymouth, especially popular in the 1950s for its stylish design and tail fins.
The Plymouth Belvedere was a full-size car produced by Plymouth from 1951 to 1970. It was known for its distinctive styling, especially the tail fins that became popular in the 1950s.
"...I remember seeing my first Ford Mustang and feeling that way and just thinking about it for months and months..."
The Ford Mustang is a popular sports car that many people love for its speed and cool design. It's been around for a long time and is often associated with American car culture.
The Ford Mustang is an iconic American muscle car that has been in production since 1964. Known for its performance and distinctive styling, it has become a symbol of American automotive culture.
"...s girlfriend down this count." I had never seen a Countach. So I went down there and I saw it on the"
The Lamborghini Countach is a famous supercar that looks very cool and was popular in the 70s and 80s. It's known for its unique shape and fast speed.
The Lamborghini Countach is a legendary supercar that became an icon of automotive design in the 1970s and 1980s. Known for its sharp angles and scissor doors, it represents the pinnacle of exotic car performance and style.
"...you'll see my 1925 doble steam car right in front of it. I can watch a"
A Doble steam car is an old vehicle that runs on steam instead of gasoline. It was made in 1925 and is famous for being very advanced for its time.
The Doble steam car was a pioneering vehicle from the early 20th century, known for its innovative steam engine technology. It was designed to provide a smoother and quieter ride compared to gasoline-powered cars of the time.
"Yeah. Johnny. >> He had an SL. >> He had a white Corvette."
The Mercedes-Benz SL is a fancy convertible car that is stylish and fast. It's known for being very comfortable and has a lot of high-end features.
The Mercedes-Benz SL is a luxury roadster that combines performance with elegance, known for its retractable hardtop and advanced technology. It has a long history of being a symbol of luxury and high performance.
"...he had a white Corvette. Yeah. Did he switch every day or did he just drive?"
The Corvette is a fast sports car made by Chevrolet. It's famous for its cool looks and speed, making it popular among car enthusiasts.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a high-performance sports car known for its sleek design and powerful engines. It has been a symbol of American automotive engineering since its introduction in 1953.
"I think, has a Mercedes 280 SL that he doesn't talk about."
The Mercedes 280 SL is an older sports car known for its stylish look and good performance. It was made by Mercedes-Benz and is considered a classic today.
The Mercedes 280 SL is a classic sports car produced by Mercedes-Benz in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is part of the W113 series, known for its distinctive pagoda-style roof and elegant design.
"going that fast. >> And he was tight with Corolla forever. So if you wanted to be a car guy, he"
The Toyota Corolla is a small car that many people trust because it's known to last a long time and use less gas. It's very popular around the world, which is why it often comes up in car discussions.
The Toyota Corolla is a compact car known for its reliability and fuel efficiency. It has been one of the best-selling cars globally, making it a significant player in the automotive industry.
Car
Yanko Stinger
"In 1966, it beat Porsche at CCA Racing uh with the Yanko Stinger, and it was their attempt to make a European car."
The Yanko Stinger is a special version of a Chevrolet car made for racing. It was built to be fast and compete with European cars.
The Yanko Stinger is a modified version of the Chevrolet Corvette, designed for racing and performance. It was known for its powerful engine and was part of an effort to compete with European sports cars.
"It had 180 horsepower, four-speed transmission. You know, it was it it was a pretty good car."
A four-speed transmission is a system in a car that helps it change gears. It has four different settings to help the car go faster or save fuel.
A four-speed transmission is a type of gearbox that allows the driver to select from four different gear ratios. This can improve acceleration and fuel efficiency by allowing the engine to operate at optimal RPMs.
"It had 180 horsepower, four-speed transmission. You know, it was it it was a pretty good car."
Horsepower is a way to measure how powerful an engine is. More horsepower usually means the car can go faster and accelerate better.
Horsepower is a unit of measurement for power, commonly used to describe the power output of engines. In automotive terms, higher horsepower typically indicates better performance and acceleration.
"...because Unsafe Speed was really about the Volkswagen. The gas tank was right in front of your face or right here in your..."
Unsafe Speed means driving too fast for safety. It can cause accidents, especially if a car is not designed well. This term is important when talking about how cars are built to keep drivers safe.
Unsafe Speed refers to a condition where a vehicle is operated at speeds that exceed safe limits, often leading to accidents or hazardous situations. In the context of automotive safety, it highlights the importance of vehicle design and engineering to prevent such scenarios.
"book and it's that's the first chapter is the Corvair. The second chapter is about parking uh you know ..."
The Chevrolet Corvair is a small car from the 60s that had a different design than most cars. It's talked about because it had some safety issues but also had a lot of fans.
The Chevrolet Corvair was a compact car produced in the 1960s, notable for its unique design and rear-engine layout. It has been the subject of both praise and controversy, particularly regarding its safety.
The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a small sports car that is very popular among car lovers. It's known for being fun to drive and is often seen as a great value for the performance it offers.
The Mazda MX-5 Miata is a lightweight two-seat sports car known for its agile handling and fun driving experience. It has a strong enthusiast following and is often praised for its affordability and simplicity.
The Mazda Miata is a small sports car that is fun to drive and easy to handle. It's popular because it gives you a great driving experience without costing too much.
The Mazda Miata is a lightweight, two-seat sports car that has gained a reputation for its engaging driving experience and affordability. It is often celebrated for its balance and handling, making it a favorite among driving enthusiasts.
"...manufactured vehicle in history is the Honda 50 Cub. They sold 50 million. Find"
The Honda 50 Cub is a very popular small motorcycle that many people have used for transportation. It sold a lot of units, making it one of the best-selling vehicles ever.
The Honda 50 Cub is a small motorcycle that became one of the best-selling vehicles in history, with over 50 million units sold. Its popularity is attributed to its reliability, ease of use, and affordability, making it a common choice for transportation worldwide.
">> Yeah, first generation. >> Our collectible Prius guy. >> He's excited."
The Toyota Prius is a car that uses both gas and electricity to help save on fuel costs. It's known for being good for the environment and has been popular for many years.
The Toyota Prius is a hybrid vehicle that combines a gasoline engine with an electric motor to improve fuel efficiency. It was one of the first mass-produced hybrids and has become synonymous with eco-friendly driving.
"...the Prius. You know, we >> Somebody offered me an EV1 for half a million dollars. I didn't take it."
The General Motors EV1 was an early electric car made in the 90s. It’s important because it helped start the conversation about electric vehicles, even though it didn't last long.
The General Motors EV1 was one of the first electric vehicles produced in the modern era, introduced in the 1990s. It is significant for its role in the development of electric cars, despite being discontinued after a short production run.
"have this thing called Radwood now, which is '9s cars. Yeah. And I went to one and I just thought I was at the Walmart parking lot, you know, it's all cars."
Radwood is a car event that focuses on cars from the 1980s and 1990s. It's a fun gathering for people who love those older cars and the memories they bring back.
Radwood is a car show and community that celebrates vehicles from the 1980s and 1990s, often featuring unique and nostalgic cars from that era. It emphasizes the culture and lifestyle associated with these vehicles, attracting enthusiasts and collectors alike.
"...u're right about the the Prius like like you know Volkswagen bugs like those were Priuses of their day kind of"
The Volkswagen Bus is a classic van that many people love for its unique look and space inside. It became famous in the 60s for being used by families and travelers.
The Volkswagen Bus, also known as the VW Type 2, is an iconic vehicle that became a symbol of the counterculture movement in the 1960s. Its spacious interior and distinctive design made it popular for families and road trips.
"favorite >> I think Taurus shows, you know, that high performance frontwheel..."
The Ford Taurus is a regular-sized car that many families used to drive. It was known for being comfortable and good for everyday use.
The Ford Taurus is a mid-size car that was popular in the 1980s and 1990s, known for its comfort and practicality. It played a significant role in shaping the modern sedan market in America.
"...out as collectibles. >> I think the the the Tesla Roadster that's going to definitely be a"
The Tesla Roadster is a fast electric car that was one of the first to show how powerful electric vehicles can be. People talk about it because it changed the way we think about electric cars.
The Tesla Roadster is an all-electric sports car that was Tesla's first production vehicle. It is significant for its impressive performance and range, helping to establish Tesla as a leader in electric vehicle technology.
"of you'll see a bunch of like with the Model S. You'll see classes like oh that's the P90. That ..."
The Tesla Model S is a fancy electric car that can go really far on a single charge. It's talked about a lot because it has many cool features and is very safe to drive.
The Tesla Model S is a luxury all-electric sedan known for its high performance, long range, and advanced technology features. It has set benchmarks in the electric vehicle market and has been praised for its safety and innovation.
"...ou know, it's so funny. I always see the the Ford GT40. >> Yeah."
The Ford GT40 is a famous race car that won many big races in the 60s. It's known for being very fast and is a big part of car racing history.
The Ford GT40 is a legendary race car that dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1960s. It is celebrated for its engineering and performance, making it a significant part of automotive racing history.
"...ing. 66 Triumph of Bonavville [laughter] go by 73 911 RS Jay Leno."
The Porsche 911 is a classic sports car that many people admire for its speed and style. It's been around for a long time and is known for being one of the best cars to drive.
The Porsche 911 is a high-performance sports car that has been in production since the 1960s. Renowned for its distinctive design and engineering excellence, it is a symbol of automotive performance and luxury.
">> That gentleman was second. >> The Honda S2000. >> What do you think the Honda S2000?"
The Honda S2000 is a small sports car that is fun to drive and has a powerful engine. People like it because it feels great on the road and is very sporty.
The Honda S2000 is a two-seat sports car that was produced from 1999 to 2009, known for its high-revving engine and precise handling. It has a strong following among car enthusiasts for its performance and driving experience.
"...number one favorite car? >> Well, I you know, the McLaren F1 is pretty good. I mean, you [clears throat]"
The McLaren F1 is a super-fast car that was made in the 1990s and is famous for being one of the best cars ever built. It's very special and hard to find today.
The McLaren F1 is a supercar that was produced in the 1990s and is celebrated for its exceptional performance and engineering. It features a unique three-seat layout and was once the fastest production car in the world.
">> Yes. I slept in a car. >> My 55 Buick Roadmaster. >> He was homeless. I flew to LA. One day I"
The Buick Roadmaster is a big, comfortable car that has been around for a long time. It's known for having a lot of space inside and a classic look.
The Buick Roadmaster is a full-size car that was produced from the 1930s to the 1990s, known for its spacious interior and classic styling. It represents the luxury and comfort associated with Buick's brand heritage.
"them, [laughter] >> he owns one. I mean, the ram side, the trouble with it was the engine was in"
The Dodge Ram is a big truck that can carry heavy loads and is great for work or play. It's well-liked for being strong and reliable.
The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck known for its ruggedness and capability. It has been a popular choice for both work and personal use, often praised for its powerful engines and towing capacity.
"... Wasn't there a second one, Johnny? That >> Well, Maverick Ford, the new Ford platform is selling great Slat..."
The Ford Maverick is a small truck that is easy on the wallet and good for everyday use. It's popular because it can do a lot of different things without costing too much.
The Ford Maverick is a compact pickup truck that was reintroduced in 2021, aimed at providing an affordable and efficient option for consumers. It has garnered attention for its versatility and hybrid powertrain.
Select text to request an explanation
Spikes Car Radio starts now.
Here we are. Welcome to the show
everybody.
>> Hey. Hey.
>> We're broadcasting. We're recording.
>> On the road. This is taking the show on
the road like when Johnny would go to
Vegas. [laughter] Yeah.
>> Well, we were at Pebble Beach uh a few
weeks back and now we're here on the
East Coast. Is it fair to call this
event like the East Coast Pebble Beach?
Is that a fair
>> I guess it's fair to call it that. I
mean, to me, I think it's Pebble Beach
1978 when it wasn't so crowd. I mean,
there's so much room here. You can
really move around the cars. You can
talk to people. I I love Pebble Beach,
but it's gotten so big and so crowded. I
can ask a question. I It's like that all
the time. Whereas here, you can take
your time and take a picture and talk
and and uh Yeah, it's great. I
>> I think for more normal people, however,
Pebble is still pretty fun.
>> No, it is. No, it it is fun. It is f It
is great, but it's just uh
>> it's not as commercial here.
>> I think I would call this, you know,
I've never been to this event, but if I
were to give it a separate name, it
would be Jay Leno week.
>> Everywhere I go, it's Jay Leno. Jay Leno
opens it with stand up.
>> I can't help with that. [laughter]
>> Show you how desperate they are.
>> But you you you did open it up uh with a
standup gig, right? Yeah, we did. We do
two hours. You know, the Audrain gives a
lot to local charities here with Boys
and Girls Club and cancer. You know, it
is funny. A city like Newport, it seems
like everybody's a gazillionaire. It's
not. You have like 15% of the population
goes hungry. Isn't that unbelievable?
>> Yeah.
>> Is that unbelievable? I mean, a city
like this. So, there's an awful lot. We
do stuff with the food bank and it's
great fun. It's great fun. And it's a
really nice New England community. It's
different. Everybody's suspicious. Yeah.
Hey, the Hollywood guys coming in.
[laughter]
>> I'm not a Hollywood I I grew up not far
from here. I was born in Fall River,
Massachusetts. I fished the waters of
Tverton, Rhode Island, under the bridge.
Thank you very We have a small audience
for those at home that are crowded
around us.
>> Say hi, everybody. We can probably hear
you. This is a place I get New England
compliments.
>> Oh,
>> here's a New England. I had this
actually. I'm on Malboro Street. This
guy says, "Hey, Jay Lo, my friend met
you in California." Yeah. He said,
"You're not an a-hole."
[laughter]
I said, "Oh, thanks a lot." He goes,
"No, he said that really. You weren't."
Oh, thank you. Thank you. You know,
[laughter] just all that New England
hair. What's
>> Larry David gets the opposite of that.
Hey, there you are. You're the
You're that guy.
>> I was going to say back to Jay for a
second. Uh, the mayor of Newport
yesterday proclaimed October 2nd Jay
Leno Day.
>> Wow. How about that, lady? [laughter]
>> Well, I So, is this
>> I believe it was the governor, but
that's all right. No, the governor was
there.
>> Well, the mayor [laughter] was being
indicted. That's right. He couldn't make
it.
>> Is that Buddy Cian? Where? Who is Buddy
Ci?
>> Buddy.
>> Buddy Cancy was provident. He brought me
a job as spaghetti sauce on the Tonight
Show. [laughter] You just gotten out of
prison. Hilarious. Cuz all all the
Everybody in New England goes to prison
and they run again [laughter] when they
get out to show that you're tough. Show
that you can take it. [laughter]
>> That's a real politician right there.
>> That's right. That's right. Yeah. I
remember Buddy Siani. Yeah. So, uh, what
is it? October 1st is Jay Leno Day or
October 2nd?
>> October second.
>> How do we celebrate Jay Leno Day? What
does that mean?
>> In a myriad of ways. [laughter]
Yeah.
>> I heard you celebrated it by taking
Johnny to your home, your new guilded
age mansion. I spent I spent Jay Leno
Day at Jay's house, which was really
cool.
>> And what is that like, Johnny?
>> Well,
>> a modest cottage.
>> So, [laughter] we're driving I never
I've never been in Newport before. So,
we're driving down, you know, the summer
cottage row and I'm marveling. The
houses are incredible. And then I see
one and I go, "Look at that place." And
David goes, "Uh, that's Jay's." And I
started laughing. I go, "Okay, I'll stop
once we get in." He goes, "No, Jay
laughs at it, too." [laughter]
>> Oh, yeah. It's hilarious. I wish my
mother. My mother was from Scotland. Oh,
Jamie, what a ridiculous house. My
mother [laughter] would just think it
the most ostentatious. Oh, Jamie, look
at
>> Yeah. I I told you when I got the
Tonight Show, it was the Tonight Show
starring Jay Leno. And for the first two
weeks, my mother, oh, starring Jay Leno.
Oh, Mr. Big Shot started. [laughter] I
go, "Mom, that's what they do in
Hollywood." Oh, starting you can't do.
So, I said I said, "Mom, so I changed
the Tonight Show with Jaylen." Mother,
that's much better. You don't need to
say you're started and everything.
>> There you go. That's exactly right. My
mom used to get down on me for cleaning
my car. You LA people cleaning your cars
all the time.
>> [laughter]
>> Why do you clean your cars all that?
What do you call them? Details.
>> Yeah. [laughter]
>> She uh then called me a year later and
said, "You were right about cleaning
your cars." And I said, "Why?" The salt
had eaten uh the underside of her car
because she never washed it right there.
And she learned her lesson. There you
go. So, she learned something.
>> Thank you. Good night, everybody.
>> And that's our show.
>> Yeah. We have a lot of folks here. This
is really good. Um Johnny, um you're
here judging.
>> Yeah. Let me uh just so everyone knows.
Yes. Uh Johnny Judge right there. So
yeah.
>> What is Jay? Have you ever done that?
Have you ever judged a concourse like
this?
>> You know, I did judge. I would never do
it again because you know why he won?
Cuz he's a friend of Lenos. I [laughter]
don't know. I DON'T KNOW THE GUY.
>> I NEVER MET THE GUY. It's unbelievable.
It was always a reason why
>> you think somebody crooked. I have no
friends. This will work out great.
>> I tell you my favorite concourse story.
I'm in Pebble Beach and I'm a judge and
a guy's got an Auburn and the judges
come around and they got, you know, the
checkbook and one of the judges says,
"Hey, your clock's not working." The guy
goes, "Oh, well, hang on. Let me get my
restore." And he he calls him on the
phone, goes goes to voicemail, goes,
"Well, suggest, I'll tell you what. I'll
go down the row. If it's fixed by the
time we get back, we won't deduct any
points. But if it's not fixed, I got to
deduct." Yeah, that's no problem. That's
no problem. So, he's kind
judges come back about 20 minutes later.
He got a deduct for guys just screaming
where the then the restoer shows up with
a sandwich and a you know he's got a
Coke or something in his hand. He goes
the clock doesn't work. You know you
you're supposed to get this thing and
the guy said did you wind it? What?
[laughter] Did you wind it? I thought
it's electric. No, it's a W. It's the
1928 or whatever. It's a wind. And all I
had to do was turn the bezel.
[laughter]
>> And there it was.
>> And it was. Yeah. Just just made That's
I always That's I like people who know
their cars. That's to me that's fun.
>> We were told though, we're not looking
for ticking clocks. That's not what
we're judging on.
>> Yeah. What are you doing? Like how do
you feel confident? If someone asked me
to do it, I go, I'm just not qualified
to do it.
>> I've always judged.
>> We've always said that about you.
[laughter]
People say it in the comment section all
the time. That's why you're on the show
and you. But so what do you have to do?
like what is it? What did what did they
tell you in the judges meeting?
>> We were told basically like, you know,
when you see your class, just flip over
the judging sheet and just first
impression, write down what you think
the top three are and then flip it back
over and then talk to the other judges.
And they were saying, you know, nine
times out of 10 that will be the
finishing order anyways, right?
>> And so this is we're judging, you know,
just what they look like. It's a
>> How many judges are there?
>> 64.
>> 64.
>> 26 classes, I think, of cars. Boy, there
are 64 people here right now. [laughter]
>> That's the judge for every car.
>> Who wants a medal?
>> See, I thought there should be a written
test, [laughter]
>> you know, because you have a lot of
owners who buy a car, they give it to a
restoration shop, they the restoration
promises it'll win.
>> Yes.
>> It doesn't win. The guy's all pissed.
They don't They haven't enjoyed the car,
they haven't used the car, they don't
know the history of the car. I mean, to
me, I I I used to give out the rattle
can award for the person who [laughter]
use the least amount of money, right?
Because you got a lot. See, in
California, you got two or three guys
that have hundreds of cars. You come
back here and you got hundreds of guys
that each have one car, right? And then
you talk to them, they realize, oh, they
bought it in high school and then they
got married and they had kids, so they
put in the garage and they're going to
restore it when the kids get out of
college. I mean, that's the kind of
stuff I [laughter] like, you I mean to
me that there's there's a bond with the
car and they got a story and it really
makes it a lot of fun and and and they
know the car inside out who designed it
what they what year they know went to a
generator on September the 17th instead
of an alter alternate instead of a gener
you know so to me that that's what I
would do if I
>> well that's we were told though that's
part of it is you have to talk to each
owner try and find the owner not the
mechanic and get their story and make
that part of your judging as well
>> you know um this event is very new to me
and the odd I've been doing a deep dive
I watched the that Gilded Age show on
HBO.
>> Oh, I love the Gild
>> with my wife. We love We [laughter] love
the Gilded Age, right?
>> And luckily, I wrapped it up right
before I came here.
>> My house was in there.
>> It was which which episode?
>> Oh, it's just And you say they go buy it
and you see it.
>> It's not really a house. It's a mansion.
It's a It's a much different thing.
>> It's a lovely home for two people.
>> This is almost as big as Jay's house.
[laughter] It's close
for two people.
>> Can I just ask you one house question?
Yes.
>> Like, all right. I I live in a compared
to your that house. I live in a small
house, a real house, like a house,
right?
>> And dust is still a problem. Like in a
in my closet, [laughter]
dust
in your mansion. Do you have like a dust
guy?
>> No, it's so windy the [laughter] dust
just blows away.
>> It's a serious question.
>> I'm in the ocean. The one that the salt
takes the other half.
>> Do you shut down like half the house and
just live in one side of it?
>> Oh, no. No. Hardly at [laughter] all.
No. No.
>> You're not going to tell me.
>> No. No. It's fine. There's no gas.
>> Do you do any of this stuff yourself
around your M?
>> I do. I enjoy working on it.
>> What was the last thing you fixed there?
>> Uh, a leaky faucet. Just put a gasket
in. I
>> That's good, right?
>> Place a couple of the You know, you
can't Here's one of my pet peeves. If
you ever worked on a toilet, especially
old houses, they're brass and you have
the brass ball and they get a hole in
them and you can solder it up and you
can use it again. You buy these stupid
plastic things at Lowe's or Home Depot
and you know they just sort of they kind
of float but not really. They don't they
don't work. They last maybe two years
and got to get them.
>> Yeah.
>> I wish somebody
>> But doesn't that feel good? Don't you
feel now connect I fixed a towel rack
last week and they're just in love.
>> So did I. So funny.
>> So did I.
>> I remember when this was a car show
years ago when [laughter] I first
started.
>> We're going to get there. As you know,
we like to do a little preamble for
about 10 minutes and we're right at that
point. Let's get to the beginning. All
right.
>> Of Newport and its relationship uh to
cars because Newport, as I've learned,
has a lot of interesting first.
>> The first car races are right here in
Bel.
>> Exactly. Right. And that was uh
September 6th uh of 1900.
>> That's right. Well, that's what's fun
about Back East. You go to California,
like my wife, I go to her old
neighborhood, her school is not there.
The hill it was on is not there. It's
been leveled and there's 60 houses on,
you know, you can't find you can't find
anything pre-1948. You come back here
like we moved to Andover in 59. We're
still the new people, [laughter] you
know, we're the new people, you know,
like the pilgrims are here before,
[laughter] you know, but I mean there's
a barn in my town like built in 1691 or
some crazy thing. So that's what's kind
of fun about here. And there's still
stuff hidden. Mars Anderson Museum in
Brooklyn is one of the oldest car
museums and the guy stopped buying cars
like 1906 or something. So, it's just
really cool old stuff and it's it's fun
to see and visit.
>> Yeah. I mean, in my town in West
Bridgewater, I remember in school
reading all the names that of the people
that came over on the Mayflower and they
were the same names in the the first
grade class, [laughter] right? Like
there's Linda Adams. Wow. How
interesting. Um but getting back to this
race.
>> Yeah.
>> Um
>> what do you know about that race? like
why did it start in 1900? I know this
guy Vanderbilt.
>> Vanderbilt obviously very with rich
young car enthusiast who could afford to
buy whatever he wanted and he
>> uh Nick has one of the original Renault
racers from the period and I think he
bought seven or eight of them and gave
them to his friends and they would all
race against one another. Yeah. I mean
it's like imagine you could just buy
every Porsche GT3 and give come on you
guys [laughter] just buy one for
everybody and you all go racing. I mean,
that's that's where it was.
>> It sounded like it was a mishmash of
vehicles, too, because reading about it
last night, there was a motorized
tricycle of some kind in the race.
>> Anything that rolls, explodes, and makes
noise was pretty much eligible. And you
had the DD own tricycle.
>> I mean, nobody knew what was going to
catch on. I mean, in 190 five and six,
>> electric was a third, gas was a third,
and steam was the third, and nobody knew
which one was going to win, right? So
everybody is always hedging their bets.
You know the Stanley brothers, the local
company bought Stanley because steam is
the way to go and they had it like two
years and then the internal commuting is
making such strides. Loco just gave it
up and sold it back to the Stanley
brothers for 10 cents on the dollar
because steam was pretty much done at a
time. It had run the it had run the
world from 1811 to 1911. Everything was
steam. I mean, you still have steam
powered ships now, but as a car, the
mode of transportation fell out on 1911.
>> And so, how long was racing going on
here in Newport after that?
>> I think for the first five or six years
until the neighbors went, okay, that's
[laughter]
>> Yeah. Right.
>> I mean, it's just like today. Enough of
it. Oh, yeah. We have some some
teenagers coming over. Okay. Then
they're doing burnouts and riding their
Plus. Cars got faster and they got more
dangerous. Yeah.
>> You know, you had situ, you know, nobody
could guess the speed of a car. So they
would stand in the road and watch it and
the car would be going 60 miles an hour.
Now remember, nobody had gone much more
than 12 miles an hour in their life. So
you see something coming at six and
boom, they would get hit and people just
got run over in the streets. They just
or they thought they could run across
the road because nothing could come at
that speed. Cars have always been fast.
They just couldn't stop or go around
corners. But that 1907 Renault, I drove
that. I think I took the 65 or 70 and
it's like, oh my god.
>> And there's no seat belt.
>> No, no seat belt. There's no barely a
seat.
>> Cars are relatively new.
>> Stopping as a suggestion.
>> I forget the year, but there was it was
like 19
>> 20 something before an airplane went
faster than a car.
>> Yeah, that's right.
>> You know, cars had a land speed record
of like over a 100 miles an hour and
planes were stuck at 80 for a long time.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. It took him a while. You know, I
was happy that you called me about the
horsey horseless.
>> That's right. when we were Johnny was
talking about it there and uh
>> the horsey horseless was a a horse's
head [laughter] you could buy to put on
the front of your car.
>> Oh, wait. So, it was just the head. You
didn't buy the vehicle with it.
[laughter]
>> It was a company
>> the company that did make the whole
vehicle, but the idea was it wouldn't
internal combustion engines scared
horses.
>> Mhm.
>> But if but they had a horse's head on
the horse would go, "Oh, okay. But draw
can you just draw me a line just because
I don't know much about this event in
this week which I'm growing to love and
I didn't even know it was over six days
you know draw me a line for the
beginnings where that race was to to
today like where did I know the Audrain
Museum gets founded in maybe 2014
somewhere around then
>> yes that was I think it was a bank or
something before that but the races were
>> you know there were 84 mansions that
were just demolished right
>> because they thought no nobody wants
these big stupid I
beautiful houses. When you see the ones
that are left
>> Yeah.
>> 84 of those are just wrecked. So,
somebody said, "Whoa, whoa, hold up
here." Cuz even back in the 80s, my
house was being turned into
condominiums. And luckily, the guy went
broke and somebody else bought it and
had the wherewithal to bring it back as
a house. But that's kind of where it
was. You couldn't give land away here.
It's really cheap. When I when I bought
my house in 2016 or 15, it was the most
expensive house ever sold in Rhode
Island. Now it's it's not even not even
the top 20.
>> Do you have like a Downtown Abbey staff
downstairs? [laughter]
>> Yes.
>> Of folks that come up and Mr. Leno.
>> Yes, he does. Yes,
>> he does.
>> No, no, he [laughter] we had uh No, he's
like See, I don't understand how this
thing runs.
>> My house was called Hurricane Hut
because in 1938 there was a huge
hurricane. An unbelievable hurricane. In
fact, it it took a boulder the size of
an automobile. It threw it over the
house and it killed two staff members
that were trying to escape, trying to
leave the property in a car and crushed
them. I mean, just unbelievable. Wow.
>> And there was a there was a big metal
peacock on the lawn
>> and that got swept out to sea. Okay.
Well, the lady who who owned it in 1930,
she sold the place. She went back in
1950 to see the new owners 20 years
later
and she saw the peacock on the lawn and
said, "Where'd that come from?" And the
woman said, "Oh, we had a hurricane
about a year ago and it just showed up."
So, it got washed out to sea, stayed
under the sea for 25 years, whatever it
was, and then and the next hurricane put
it back.
>> Also, I saw the peacock statue. It's
about 4 feet tall. It probably weighs
300 lb.
>> It's made of like brass or bronze or
something copper.
>> So, um,
>> when did you get involved in this event
with Donald? Well, it's because Donald
Osborne like, you know, again, I'm just
trying to untangle my own knowledge
about this and folks that don't know
about this event. He he's ahead of the
Odd Drain Society, I guess. The the car
museum.
>> Yeah, I guess that's true. Yeah.
>> And then and the museum spawned this
event. Is that how it works?
>> Did we spawn? I'm trying to think.
[laughter]
>> Yeah, I don't remember spawning. And if
we I did, don't tell my wife. But no,
actually Nick is really Nick Shaw is
really the guy behind this and uh behind
the museum and he loves cars
>> and uh you know I love it when guys can
take their hobby and make it a business.
So it's not like a like a business at
all.
>> That's what this is.
>> Yeah. And it probably breaks even every
year. It might make a few but it raises
a lot of money for charity and it and it
brings an awful lot of business into
town and more people come in. And you
see this place got popular again once
people realized they could work from
home. Co really helped the real estate
prices here because people realized
>> oh I I could talk to New York from from
my co-free Long Island Rhode Island you
know that kind of thing. So that that
was another reason.
>> And this is uh Friday. This is an event
called the gathering. The cat feels like
the quail a little bit.
>> Feels like the upscale kind of relaxed
fun champagne.
>> What's the right crowd with no crowding?
[laughter]
>> Is that what this is? Like what what is
today about?
>> Well, today, you know, it's fun just to
go to a car show that's not judged. You
just look at cars and you ask people
about their car. And if you you don't
want to show up because I don't want to
get third place. I think my car, you
know, so so you don't judge anything.
It's exactly it's exactly it's my
favorite kind of car event because it's
not about judging a car. You you might
like this one more than that one. That
guy might like that one more than yours.
And maybe a Ford GT is worth more than a
Ferrari or maybe not. It doesn't matter.
You're just you're just looking at cars
and it's it's such relaxed atmosphere.
There isn't that people put pulling, you
know, blades of grass out of the tread
with tweezers because the judge is
coming, you know. So that that's what I
like about it. Yeah, it's cool. Are you
gonna show something?
>> I'm not showing anything right now.
>> Do you ever show cars anymore?
>> Once in a while I do. Yeah. Yeah.
>> I mean, I know people are coming through
your place in uh
>> I I did pebble a bunch of times and we
went with with a couple of the dudes and
but I like to restore them up to 100
points, drive them down to 10 points
[laughter] and then then restore them
again. Bounce
>> them back. I mean, that's the fun part.
>> Yeah, it is perfect.
>> But you don't you don't keep cars on the
East Coast. Your cars are all in Berlin.
>> Mine are all in California. I'd like to
be [clears throat] able cuz I would be
somebody's touching my car, you know.
>> Yeah. But how do you not load the
mansion up with some stuff like an old
[laughter] series 2A or something
mansioning?
>> Well, yeah, but you I'm right on the
ocean. It's I'll come back and think
it'll be like a piece of
>> I know, but you're a car guy. Like
something some I mean, I would buy five
cars just for that place.
>> I'll tell you something. I
>> Nick has 400 cars and I can [laughter]
He has no idea I've snuck them out in
the middle of the night.
>> First of all, yeah, Nick has more cars
than Jay. He does. Yeah.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> Well, when he a few minutes ago when he
was talking about there are three guys
in LA with 100 cars. I'm like, okay.
Seinfeld, Jay, who's the third guy.
Who's the other guy?
>> So, he's got 400 cars.
>> Uh, more but yeah, around there.
>> No, but it is different. It is different
here. Here you do find a lot of guys
that have
>> one car and it's it's a family heirloom.
It was their grandfather. I mean,
there's collectors, too, that just like
to collect. But here, you just get more
of that because, like I said, I like to
meet regular people that
>> sanded the car themselves in the garage,
you know, and another 600 with sandpaper
and blah blah blah. And the paint isn't
perfect, but boy, it's good enough. It's
good enough.
>> We were we were chatting this morning
with a judge who I I won't say his name,
but I was saying, "What what are you
looking
>> Well, I didn't want to give away his
special sauce." What he's
>> It's not
>> how he judges a conqueror. was pretty
interesting though. This Concore in
particular, he was looking for someone
who had a connection to the car like
that. Yeah.
>> Not the guy's guy who
>> but we were we were told we were just
like talk to the owner and make sure
that that story comes into your thinking
when you're judging the car.
>> Well, my favorite thing about I guess 15
years ago, we took a camera crew and we
sort of had the judges speak off camera.
No, tell us about the worst
losers and just just like millionaire
guys. One guy, his car came in second.
He took the trophy, put it under the
rear wheel and ran over [laughter] on
the judging stand. Another guy went back
to his room, urinated on the ceiling.
[laughter]
He just trashed the whole hotel. You're
kidding.
>> Oh, where's that guy?
>> Oh, [laughter] yeah. When When you're a
gazillionaire and you come in second
Oh, I It was like It was like the
funniest thing. We couldn't give any
names, but they were all true stories.
That's fantastic. Just Oh, yeah. Really
funny. Really funny.
>> That's really good. Are you worried
about that today, Johnny? Do you think
>> Well, I was going to say if anyone has a
car on Sunday, uh if you get second
place, I'll come up with some ideas for
you. [laughter]
>> Well, I mean, from what what we're
hearing this morning from Jeff, it was
just, you know, or like someone's true
love and passion for a thing that
they've had
>> that they weren't bringing. Well, let me
just finish. you know, a car like you
were saying that was a family heirloom
that they had a connection to, that
they've had spent time with, that they
were passionate about, and they wanted
to talk about. Let me tell you the
story. And stories with car collecting
is really big. I I've always thought of
you as a stories car collector. Like
whenever whenever I would talk to you
about cars in your collection, you would
tell me this great story about how you
found it.
>> Well, you know, I got a 66 Lincoln.
I'm not really a Lincoln guy, but this
woman calls me. She's 94 years old. She
was Marilyn Monroe's roommate. They came
out here in the 40s to be movie stars.
Wow. Marilyn got famous. She didn't, but
she was incredibly beautiful.
>> So, she said, "My husband bought me this
car. I So, I go over to look at it. She
comes down the stairs like Loretta
Young. She's got the cheekbone. She's
94. From the back, you'd think she was
18." I mean, if you looked at it, you
go, "What are you about? 53?" No, she's
94. I mean the just beautiful bone
structure, very classy, you know, and
and she she got this car and she would
go Beverly Hills, nail salon, country
club, hair salon, supermarket, and home
and do that three times a week. And she
put a,000 miles a year on this car for
like 50some years. And it's it's brand.
It's perfect. Had it serviced at the
dealer, you know, you know. So I would
go over to see her and when I got it it
it I went through it and cleaned it up
and you know brought the paint out a
little bit more and went back to take
her for a ride and she looked like she
was 18. She was so excited. I mean she
was just you ever look at an old woman
and you see the beautiful girl that was
in there. You know what I mean? That's
what I love cuz this woman was 94 but
she she when she saw the car she smiled
like I realized I I fall in love with
this chick. You know what I mean?
It was really funny, but she really
loved the car and she had it 60 years
almost.
>> See, that's that's what he's looking
for, John. He's looking for those
stories.
>> Well, we Jeff was saying that he's
excited because one of the cars that
guys owned it for 51 years, right? You
know, which is pretty good. That's, you
know,
>> I had a guy call me. He was a movie
producer. Hey, that kind of movie, you
know, was [laughter] with
>> from the 20s.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Well, what he did was
>> he made African-American films
>> for African-American audiences. Okay.
>> And he had like uh he had like the black
Clark Gable. He had that who's that
famous black cowboy that just died? He
was like 102 or something. He had that
guy and he had all these pictures, you
know, and so I go over and he's got a 67
Imperial.
>> I'm not really All right, let me go look
at it. So, I go look at it and he said,
"I bought this car and he said, "Well,
you see what I got in the" And he opens
the garage door next to me and he's got
spare windows, spare bumpers, spare
fenders, every part he needed if he ever
damaged the ever damaged the car.
>> Yeah.
>> And he takes me through his house and
it's a brand new 1948 house
>> and there's a picture on the wall of a
beautiful woman, you know. I said, "Oh,
that woman's very beautiful." "Oh,
that's my wife." I said, "Well, she's
very beautiful." I said, "She, oh, yeah,
she's still with us." And then he goes,
She don't look like that no more.
[laughter]
I said, "Oh, no. I I" I said, "I
understand." [laughter] He knocks on
door. Can you come out, honey? No, I'm
not right now. I You know, she didn't
want to come out, but it just it just
made me It was just a great story, you
know, just that kind of guy.
>> Is that your Imperial? The the white
one?
>> No, the the the one that looks like Mr.
uh Dale, the gold one. The gold one.
Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> All right. Let me ask you some other
questions. What was the first car you
saw that made you fall in love with
cars?
>> Me?
>> You?
>> Him?
>> Him?
>> Oh, well, actually the first You can
answer two.
>> The first was actually I remember as a
kid
>> and there's a picture of a a 1956
Harley-Davidson
with these with the with thericcolored
windshield, you know, tinted at the top,
clear in the center, and then the and in
the center there was one of those decals
of a girl with a [laughter] with a
two-piece bathing suit like this, you
know. I said, "Mom, look at this
picture." And she never mind look at
that. You know, [laughter] it wasn't
she's in a bathing and I don't care
about the girl and I'm looking at the
bike. Never mind. She just took it away
from me and that [laughter] was but I
said oh I always wanted to find that
bike. It just seemed like a cool
>> So it was a motorcycle for us that
really got you going. Yeah. Me too. Me
too. Mine was a Hodaka Combat Wombat.
>> Oh yeah, the wombat. Yeah.
>> My uncle had it and he left it in the
garage with a wink and he said you can
start it up every month. Keep it going.
Wink wink. And it became my bike. Well,
I came home from the hospital in 49
Plymouth and I went with my dad to
Crabtree Motors in 1957 to buy the the
Belvadier black and white with the fins
and I'd sit in my dad's lap and he would
steer, you know, of course now the that
happened. The child's services were
taking you away from my parents,
[laughter]
but back in those days,
>> letting your kids sit in your lap while
you steer the car, you know, was kind of
cool. So, those are the those are too.
>> They don't I've been doing that with my
kids a lot. Yeah, my kids ride
motorcycles, so they don't have their
driver's license. They're fine.
>> Mine was uh My dad's from Montreal and
uh we were back, it must have been like
' 82 or ' 83, and we were in Oldtown
Montreal. Yeah. And it has like just big
big gray cobblestones. That's what the
streets are made out of. And there was
an orange count
just sitting on these gray cobblestones.
And I just in my mind, I would stood
there for 12 hours. Probably my dad, he
let me look at it for like half hour,
but it it like rewired my brain. I was
just like, "This is possible." Like you
could have a spaceship on Earth,
>> you know? And that's
>> it's funny when you that feeling is like
obsession. I remember seeing my first
Ford Mustang and feeling that way and
just thinking about it for months and
months and riding my bike to the local
car uh used car lot to go look at it. It
wasn't even one of the better Mustangs
like the 72 Mach like Yeah. You know
that big hulky kind of ugly one. It was
that. And I was and I'm 12 and I'm just
thinking I got to save my lawnmowing
money to get that car that that that
place got closed down by the FBI in my
hometown.
>> They were welding cars together
>> which [laughter] it was like how does
that even work? I couldn't even
understand that. Yeah.
>> I have a story too. Yeah. I was in
Hollywood and I was I had to hitchhike.
I didn't have a car or anything
>> and someone said to me, "Well, Rod
Stewart visits his girlfriend down this
count." I had never seen a Countach. So
I went down there and I saw it on the
street. I looked in, there were crumbled
up bags of potato chips on the carpet
and I went, "Boy, that's living."
Driving to Countach and eating potato
chips. [laughter]
That would be the coolest thing. Just
eating potato chips in a cage. I just
thought that was like
>> You had one of the coolest existences
though. I mean, I had it for a few years
when we were doing Seinfeld. We had
three years where we were only at work
and we would just drive cars to work and
drive home from work. And it's there's
something about that drive when that's
the only fun thing you do.
>> You're doing the Tonight Show
>> for 22 years,
>> right?
>> Did you drive a different car every day
on that drive?
>> I think of steam cars and all kinds of
crazy stuff to
>> So, was it every day that you would
change? In fact, if you watch that
famous uh Donald Trump tape where he
says, "Grab him." You know, uh you'll
see my 1925 doble steam car right
[laughter] he's standing he's standing
right in front of it. I can watch a
Trump thing with my steam car.
[laughter]
>> Well, now we're going to have to go back
and take a look. Yeah, my steam car's
right there. Yeah. Yeah.
>> If only Billy Bush had known about
[laughter] the steam car, not gotten
saved his career. Saved his career.
That's great. Did you know and Johnny
would I remember I think I was on that
lot a little bit when Johnny was hosting
the show. He would
>> Different Johnny. Yeah.
>> What do you mean that? No, not you.
Yeah. Johnny.
>> He had an SL.
>> He had a white Corvette.
>> And he had a white Corvette. Yeah. Did
he switch every day or did he just
drive?
>> No, he drove one and he drove the
Corvette. You know, Johnny was a a
mid-American guy. He he not a Ferrari
guy or flashy like that. A Corvette was
>> aspirational. Even when Johnny made
those suits, the Johnny Carson suits.
>> Yeah.
>> They were sort of mid-range. They
weren't high-end. Yeah.
>> They were Montgomery Ward. They were,
you know, you know, sort of nice normal
department store kind of suits, you
know. So that's what he did. So, he
liked his Corvette. And in fact,
Johnny's father bought a 1939
Chrysler. And when you watch this
special called Johnny Goes Home in 1982
or 83, uh, they find the car and NBC
buys it and gives it back to Johnny,
exact the same one his dad had. And you
see pictures of Johnny polishing the car
when he's 12, Johnny taking it to his
prom. And then, and this was kind of a
nice surprise, Johnny passed away. And
then to reading of the will, he left me
his 39.
>> No way.
>> Chrysler. His dad. His dad's car. So I
got it at the garage and I take it out
of the house.
>> Oh, I've never seen that.
>> Oh yeah. This
>> I'd really love to see that. You have to
bring that by the show sometime.
>> Jeff Sats was his nephew who worked on
the Tonight Show and Jeff learned to
drive.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> But yeah, so I I you know, Johnny was
kind of a quiet guy. He was not like a
flashy
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. I left you this, you know. Yeah.
He didn't tell me he was leaving the I
had no idea. Right.
>> So, that was kind of cool.
>> He was a tennis player, too, Johnny.
>> Yeah, he played some [laughter]
>> Are any of the dead spike? Any Come on.
Are any of the the the current late
night host car guys? I know Seth Myers,
I think, has a Mercedes 280 SL that he
doesn't talk about.
>> I don't know.
>> But I don't know any of the other guys
are doing that thing.
>> No, I don't think so.
>> Yeah, maybe it's just cuz they're in New
York.
>> Well, they have lives.
>> They have lives. Gimmel's in LA. I don't
think he has a car.
>> I don't No, I don't think he's not not a
big car guy. I took him for a ride in my
73 911T early on and scared the hell out
of him hitting an exit pretty hard. He
He wasn't He was pretty afraid. I wasn't
going that fast.
>> And he was tight with Corolla forever.
So if you wanted to be a car guy, he
could have a big car guy.
>> Maybe that's Adam took over the whole
car thing. Went in the other direction.
While you're here, okay, I want to ask
you some more questions, Jay, because
you're you're really you're the uh the
king of the car world.
>> Not really, but go ahead.
>> You have a castle now, so you're the
king of the car.
>> October 3rd. But you're one of these
guys, you know, there's so many of us
out there and so many people who listen
who have cars, one or two or small
collection, and they don't know how to
make decisions about what to do and what
not to do. It comes up a lot. I mean,
we've had billionaires on the show. It
doesn't matter an amount of money, they
still get lost. We had someone recently
with a cracked dash on a 73 and we're
like, "Okay, that's something we need to
fix." How do you make a decision on what
to restore and what to leave as is?
>> Oh, well, that's interesting. Um, well,
if something is too far gone, obviously,
right, you start, but I try to keep it
like I've got a couple of Corv which I
really enjoy. It's it's a great car.
It's the most misunderstood car. I think
it's one of the greatest American cars.
In 1966, it beat Porsche at CCA Racing
uh with the Yanko Stinger, and it was
their attempt to make a European car. It
had 180 horsepower, four-speed
transmission. You know, it was it it was
a pretty good car. I mean, the whole
Ralph Nater thing, you know, it's so
funny. The time Ralph Nater wrote that
book, they sold more copies of the book.
I mean, they sold more Corv than they
did copies of the book.
>> And Corv was only one chapter, but
because GM was so insensed
>> that this young 28-year-old
uh
>> attorney was going after them that they
tried to catch him in a scandal. They
had a hooker sent up to his room or
whatever and later is like Mr. Asexual.
Yeah. [laughter]
Yeah. No thank you. It's like so so he
he didn't fall for it. And then then it
hit the fan when why is the biggest
corporation in the world going after a
28-y old lawyer. What does he know? You
know, and that's when it blew up because
>> Unsafe Speed was really about the
Volkswagen. The gas tank was right in
front of your face or right here in your
chest. The engine was in the back. It
had the swing axles. It was way way more
dangerous than the Corvette.
>> You're sort cuz that's I've read that
book and it's that's the first chapter
is the Corvair. The second chapter is
about parking uh you know prindles and
how you have to standardize that, right?
>> And he he's talking about the 60 uh to
64 Corv, not the when they redesigned it
in ' 65. So GM
>> screwed themselves. I know that's
>> no one would have ever heard.
>> The cover up is always worse than the
crime. [clears throat] It's it's that
way with everything. Yeah. Do you think
um there are cars right now that are
coming out that in 30 years will be
collectible?
>> Yes.
>> Like what? Like the GTD? Maybe the
Mustang?
>> No. The Miata.
>> The Miata.
>> Well, you know when the Mustang came
out, I remember
>> I remember
>> one guy's really happy.
>> That's Miata guy.
>> Whenever you say the word Miata, he
applauds.
>> I remember car
collector saying the Mustang would never
be collectible cuz they sold millions of
them. Right.
>> Well, that's precisely why they're
collectible. You know, we're a
disposable society. The most
manufactured vehicle in history is the
Honda 50 Cub. They sold 50 million. Find
one because we Americans, you drive
[laughter] it in the ground, we throw it
away, and then we cry too yet 10 years.
Oh, I want another one of those. You
know, I I I was in England once and
staying my aunt's house, and the vicer
comes to see me. He's got a 1961
Bentley, you know, one of those Honda
>> and I said, oh, it's beautiful. Do you
ever store it?
>> No. I bought it new. You bought it new
in ' 61. Yeah, I'll take care of it. You
know, we don't do that in America. We
throw it in the garage. We get something
else. We get something else.
>> But yeah, I think the Miata will be I
think
>> there's a Miata right there, Johnny.
Look to your right. There's a What? Why
is that on the lawn? That's an
[clears throat] NA. That's the first.
>> Here's one you'll give me about first
generation Priuses. They will seem so
cute.
>> Oh, wow.
>> And so simple compared to
>> That's a pretty crazy prediction. You're
saying first generation Priuses?
>> Yeah, first generation.
>> Our collectible Prius guy.
>> He's excited.
>> Pri girl. Pri girl. [laughter]
>> I I love the Prius. You know, we
>> Somebody offered me an EV1 for half a
million dollars. I didn't take it.
That's the general That's a general.
>> Yeah. Because
>> that's the birth of electric cars.
Really? Rebirth?
>> Yeah. But you know something like you
have this thing called Radwood now,
which is '9s cars. Yeah. And I went to
one and I just thought I was at the
Walmart parking lot, you know,
[laughter] it's all cars. I I What did I
miss? Well, my dad had one and every
Sunday we go for ice cream and he take
me to the games and Oh, and there's a
reason why people bond with certain
automobiles.
>> And you're right about the the Prius
like like you know Volkswagen bugs like
those were Priuses of their day kind of
just cheap.
>> I don't know.
I'm not there yet.
>> What is the first year for the Prius?
Does anybody even know? Prius guy, what
is the first year?
>> 2003. 2003.
>> God, how did he know he's really a Prius
guy?
>> I'm a Prius guy, apparently. Wow.
>> Prius. Prius was developed by GM. And
with the failure of the EV, they
thought, well, nobody wants these. And
they sold it to the Japanese.
>> Yes. True.
>> And so the Prius is really an American
invention. Yeah.
>> No, I I love I do love the car. I My
favorite
>> I think Taurus shows, you know, that
high performance frontwheel drive, baby.
>> The SHO super high up. That will be a
collectible. I was I was going to Toys R
Us. You know, you do things in your cars
that make you love your cars. And I was
in my wife's Prius and I was going to
pick up an electric car for my kids for
Christmas and then realized, "Oh, I've
got to bring this thing home." And the
guy brought it out to the parking lot. I
said, "That's not going to fit. It's not
going to fit in that thing." I go,
"Let's try it." Push the seats down,
open the hatch, it just slid right in.
That was the moment. That was the moment
right there that I loved that car.
>> There you go.
>> And drove that home.
>> Do you think we'll see more electric
cars on concourses like this
>> eventually? It's going to It's going to
take Well, yeah. I have a 1909 Baker
electric. I have a 1914 Detroit
electric.
>> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, but I mean the new
stuff you'll see
>> aside from Prius guy, it was a lone
applause break without the 70 other
people joining in. Like what electric
cars?
>> I think a Hummer will be hysterical in
50 years.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> A 10,000 lb [laughter] electric.
>> It's only 8,900 lb.
>> Well, Johnny, you host a whole show
about electric. What cars? Just pick
three that stand out as collectibles.
>> I think the the the Tesla Roadster
that's going to definitely be a
collector. It already is a collect.
Those are fine one.
>> Well over 100 grand now.
>> Yeah. I think I think you'll see a lot
of you'll see a bunch of like with the
Model S. You'll see classes like oh
that's the P90. That was the first sedan
to hit 60 under 3 seconds. That's the
P100. It was 25. That's the Plaid. That
was 1.99. You know, so that you have
that kind of thing. And [clears throat]
as a Rivian fanboy, I think there'll be
uh, you know, original four quad motor
Rivians.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. That will be very collectible.
>> Yeah. I remember when I was in Tonight
Show, we had an intern and he was like
21 years old. He said, "Oh, Miss Leno, I
collect collector. I got a collector
car." I said, "What do you have?" He
said, "A 91 Miata." And I kind of
smiled, but he was born in 1990.
[laughter]
>> So to him that,
>> look, for the record,
>> that's when he was born.
>> Yeah. I love the Miata. most race car in
the world. Terrific car.
>> You know, it's what Lotus could have
been.
>> Lotus invented it. It was their idea.
>> And then Jim Hall, not that Jim Hall,
but another Jim Hall worked for uh for
Mazda said, "Why don't we do a Japanese
version? Just make it reliable like the
Japanese like the Japanese did." Yeah.
Bob Hall.
>> Jim's a brother. Yeah.
>> Like the Japanese did with the uh with
the motorcycle. Hey, Americans like
motorcycles. Why don't you make them
safe with electric starters and you
don't have to they don't leak oil and
you you wind up running the business.
What have you seen here at this event
that you like? Have you seen a car
that's kind of blown you away? And you
>> Oh, I I like it. You know, it's so
funny. I always see the the Ford GT40.
>> Yeah.
>> That's like you never want to meet your
heroes, you know? Yeah. It's the
greatest car. I drove one once. I'm like
I'm like a dog with my tongue out the
window. It's got [laughter] there's no
air condition. Little I'm trying to
drive this thing. It's so hot. It's like
It was like the horrible to drive.
Horrible to drive. It just It just made
me laugh. But I still love it. Yeah.
But, you know, it's like being with the
wrong woman. You know, this is not
[laughter]
>> It's just like that.
>> Exactly.
>> Too hot with your tongue out [laughter]
the side window.
>> Out the window.
>> Exactly.
>> That is I love that car, too. They I've
never driven one.
>> Oh, you know,
it'll it'll it'll ruin it for you. But
>> Well, hang on, though. I I've driven
like the Superformance version, which is
>> No, no, not Super Performance has more
leg room. You drive the Mark III. came
out with I think in was it 67? It was
$17,500
which is really well over $100,000 now.
It had the they tell you do not put
chocolates in the trunk because they
will melt,
>> you know. They had all these kind of
warnings. Don't carry butter. Don't go
to the market, you know. [laughter]
Yeah, cuz it everything will just melt.
I mean, and I love the look of it, but
it is so uncomfortable. What other cars
have you driven that kind of ruined it
for you? For me, Porsche 9006 was
terrible. Really? You're kind of laying
on your side. At least the one I drove
outside my side trying to race is
difficult.
>> Not a good car. Not good driving.
>> Actually, I got 70,000 on mine. I
>> You like it?
>> Yeah, I like Did you put all 70 mirrors
better?
>> Did you put all 70 on there?
>> Yeah, I just Well, mine is an 80 86. I
bought an 87. So, you know, I mean, you
drive $7,000. That was crazy.
>> I was I was playing tennis Tuesday night
and then this guy's like, "What are you
doing this weekend?" I go, "I'm going to
Newport. I'm going to interview Jay
Leno." He goes, "I just saw him driving
his C count.
>> You had just been driving it that
Sunday." Stopped and chatted with him.
You're so nice to everyone. I I don't
understand it, but you are.
>> It's a great It's a great car.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. So, he is, you know, like I've
like I've always when I the second I
moved to LA, I would see you driving
every day either to or or from work or
the Tonight Show.
>> When you go buying a car that's on
>> and you you would yell at me. You didn't
know me or anything, but you would yell
at me what I was driving. 66 Triumph of
Bonavville [laughter] go by 73 911 RS
Jay Leno.
>> There you go. There you go.
>> Yeah. And it was part of the you know
really fond memories and really made me
feel like I was in the right place. I
had left New York to drive a car.
>> Yeah. Right.
>> That was my I was telling you the car
this morning.
>> That's so funny. You know whenever I
have journalists from New York come this
is going like I had journalists come and
show them my motorcycles. I have a a
Bruff Superior motorcycle with a side
car.
>> Yeah.
>> And I said, "You know what that is?" Oh,
yeah. Okay. I guess he's not interested.
Jaylen has a motorcycle with a canoe
attached to it. No, it's not [laughter]
a canoe.
>> It's a side car.
>> Do you have like a couple minutes to
answer some questions?
>> Well, yes, I guess.
>> I'd love to turn it over to everybody
here in the in the audience. There's a
man with his finger. You
>> have a question, sir?
>> I'm going to repeat your question for
you. He's written it down. Go ahead,
>> Mr. Leno.
>> Mr.
son is a huge fan.
>> He's a big fan.
>> What keeps you motivated to keep uh
collecting and touring?
>> Well, what you mean in show business or
>> in show business and with cars?
>> Well, look, I've had real jobs. They
suck. [laughter]
>> You just talk and people give you bags
with 20s in them. [laughter]
>> Yeah. You know, you go, "This is great.
This is a great way to make a living."
Write joke, tell joke, get checked, get
checked. Write joke, tell joke. A lot of
people can't follow that simple.
[laughter]
>> No, it's so good.
>> No, it is. And the joke's fun. Oh, you
get a check and Oh, thank you.
>> Now that you figured out and and others
like you, Jerry and the to just get one
of these and some people and a
pillowcase full of cash comes.
>> That's wild.
>> Exactly.
>> Yeah. You don't need anything but you
and this.
>> Yeah, that's right.
>> Yeah. Very good question. Somebody else.
>> Yes, sir.
>> Uh, who do we have right now?
>> That gentleman was second.
>> The Honda S2000.
>> What do you think the Honda S2000?
>> I think the Honda S2000 Honda guy is
also Miata.
>> Well, I have a Honda 600, which is 1964.
>> 1400 worse.
>> It's 600ccc's.
The red line is 9,400 RPM in 1964.
overhead cams, roller bearing
crankshaft. If this said Porsche on it,
it would be a million-dollar car. Yeah,
it's 57 horsepower. It weighs maybe
1,700 lb, faster than an MG or a
Triumph. And but it just it just
[laughter] it just screams at 9,400 RPM.
It's a fabulous car. When they came out
with the 2000 again, they had the same
problem. It was a high revving engine.
And Americans don't understand high
revving because they think I'm going to
short shift it and save the I don't want
to hurt the engine by revving it. But it
really runs better at higher RPM, but
you can. So they re then they reissued
the 2000 a couple of years later and
lowered the torque and brought it into
5500 to 6,000 RPM and it wasn't as much
fun. But the first generation 2000 I
thought was a great car. Great.
>> Miata guy had a question.
>> I did.
>> Yes. What is your alltime number one
favorite car? Practical or not?
>> What would you say?
>> All time number one favorite car?
>> Well, I you know, the McLaren F1 is
pretty good. I mean, you [clears throat]
can't beat that. I mean, but that's not
practical and anything you do is a
house, you know. [laughter] I mean, it's
so ridiculously expensive to to repair,
>> you know. I was on the freeway at that
>> and I downshifted to third and nailed it
and and I sl tires are spinning. I slid
across two lanes went [laughter] hey,
you know, get back in the P1. It's got
all the safety controls, got ABS, you
know. So, I'll come back.
>> We had I I remember we were in Malibu at
that car show during the co thing and we
went for a drive in that with Tony
Rackley who uh imports cars. It was me
and Tony and Jay Maskless Tony
>> and Jay took us for a ride in that car
with knowing the F1.
>> Yeah. Oh, okay.
>> It was so special. It was so fun.
>> It just screamed. It's just a fabulous
car. It's just, you know, right into my
memory.
>> Gordon Murray is like the ultimate
uh engineer. He's so weight obsessed. He
has that Kenwood uh stereo CD player,
>> but he was he he thought the iron
magnets weighed a couple of ounces too
much.
>> So, he replaced them with aluminum
sprayed with just enough iron filings to
be magnetic and save 4 ounces per
weight. Wow.
>> And put it back in the car.
>> Yeah.
>> How much did that cost you? Ridiculous
[laughter] amount.
>> You know, my thing is I'll just skip a
couple of lunches if I want to
>> get a light.
>> Yeah, that's exactly right. That's the
German way of like Adrian Adrien Newi
says, you know, hey, a gram here, a gram
there. Suddenly got a kilogram. So,
there you go.
>> Yes, sir.
>> You ever?
>> Yes. I slept in a car.
>> My 55 Buick Roadmaster.
>> He was homeless. I flew to LA. One day I
was sitting in my apartment. I said, you
know, I got to get out of here right now
or I'll never get out of here. So I I
said to my ne my neighbors, just take
whatever you want. I flew to LA. I
landed in LA. I picked up the penny
saver. Oh, here's a car. Where's
Winchester? It's six miles from here.
Oh, I'll go buy this car. You know, just
being an idiot. Y
>> So I I take a cab to Winchester. The guy
wants 350. And being the negotiator, I
offer him 345. He took it. [laughter] I
get it. I said, I'll give you 345. Okay.
cuz I knew I'd have to take a cab back
to the airport. I s I bought this this
this Buick and I still have it to this
day. It's a great car.
>> And you spent the night in it.
>> I I I lived in it for the first couple
of weeks.
>> What I used to do
>> couple of weeks.
>> Well, you don't know the story.
>> No. What I used criminal
>> What I used to do,
>> I would search the paper for open
houses.
>> Yeah.
>> And they would have an open house Sunday
like 12 to 4.
>> Okay.
>> I would get there at 3:30.
>> I'd say, "Can I take a look around?"
Yeah. And then I go, "Thank you." And
then I'd slam the front door and get in
the closet. And then [laughter]
the realtor would leave. And they didn't
No houses had alarms back then.
>> So I would live in the house for two or
three [laughter] days.
>> So one day I'm in a house on Cold Water
Canyon owned by one owned by one of the
Beach Boys.
>> Yeah.
>> And it was I was I was there three days.
This is fabulous. I'm sleeping, right?
[laughter] And this realtor comes in NOW
IN HERE. OH, [screaming] MICHAEL.
THERE'S SOMEONE IN THE MIDDLE. I say,
"Sorry, sorry. What are you doing?" I
said, "Can I can Excuse me. Can I get
dressed? Sorry, just mistaken.
>> But you weren't Jay Leto. You're just a
guy.
>> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Right. So, yeah. But no
police.
>> But that was a great I mean, I never I
never stole anything. I never destroyed
anything. I always made the bed and
everything, [laughter]
you know. But it was great. I could do
that. You could do that
>> for a month. You could just live house
to house and in beautiful [laughter]
houses. I didn't stay in crappy track
houses.
>> These are all right. These are all
>> criminal with tapes.
>> Well, you always want a big mansion
that's got a lot of things. Yeah, you
want to have Yeah, [laughter] we could
get out of our hotel tonight, Johnny. If
you want, we could do this over at this
place.
>> He would never notice. Literally, we
could move in. He wouldn't know we're
there.
>> He wouldn't know. I want to chest that.
>> I'll take I'm taking the Elton John
room.
>> I am doubtful about the dust situation,
but I'm going to check it. Somebody else
here. Yes. Best, sir. Guy with the vest.
>> Oh, yeah.
>> Three years ago.
>> Saw some standup.
No, that wasn't me because I was I
wouldn't have had those back here.
>> Yeah.
>> No, it wasn't me.
>> I don't understand the question. Go
ahead.
>> He's talking about the Corvair.
>> He's asking more.
>> Well, the reason they don't talk about
them, [laughter]
>> he owns one. I mean, the ram side, the
trouble with it was the engine was in
the back.
The funny thing about the Corv is it's
right here. I mean, your knee is where
the headlight is. So, if you have an
accident, you're the first one on the
scene because [laughter]
you're you're 12 in from the accident.
>> Yeah. And the engine, the ram side was
was a huge hit with the phone company
because that that ramp would come down.
They wheel those big spools up in there,
but you couldn't load from the back cuz
the engine was back there. So, you'd
have to lift anything up up and over.
So, you couldn't get a motorcycle or
anything like that in. But the ram side
was not a success. The ram side was a
pickup truck. And Americans like their
pickup trucks to look like pickup
trucks. And when you come out with a
radical pickup truck, people don't buy
it. Yeah. I mean, the Cybert truck is
probably the first except next exception
after the Corvette.
>> I mean, there's going to be a new run of
of these uh affordable ones like Slate.
>> Yeah.
>> Wasn't there a second one, Johnny? That
>> Well, Maverick Ford, the new Ford
platform is selling great Slate might
happen. But the Cybert truck, I mean,
they they kind of stopped selling. I
mean,
>> why do you say Slate might happen?
>> Well, I mean, it hasn't happened yet.
And the other thing is, you know, this
administration cancelled the $7,500 EV
tax credit. So they start to get
expensive.
>> Slate's price went from 20,000 to
$27,500,
right?
>> And at that price point, it's pretty
sensitive.
>> And you were saying there was an issue
with battery prices as well.
>> No, battery prices are just continue to
plummet. Um, but it's just the price of
the vehicle went up by 33%. Like, you
know, like October 1st or whenever it
ended, September 30th.
>> All right, one more question. Who's got
the Who's got our final question? Yes,
ma'am.
>> [laughter]
>> The attractive person.
>> There's one. There's one here.
>> We've learned one thing about Jay
Leonard.
>> For [laughter] those of you,
>> he loves women.
>> Oh, yes.
>> What's the question?
>> We talked earlier about like you like
when owners have like behind their car.
So, which one of your cars has the most
sentimental value to you?
>> Oh, so she wants to know the car that
you have in your collection that has the
most sentimental value. Well, I mean, my
55 Buick I like cuz I met my wife in
that car and I dated my wife in that
car, you know,
>> and you lived in it.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [laughter] Well, I'll
tell you funny. You know, my wife and I
first made love in that car when I was
living.
>> So, on our 25th anniversary, let's go
back to where we went.
>> Ah,
>> and we went to this is now Franklin
Canyon. And of course, there's now a
house there.
>> Yeah.
>> It's all houses now.
>> Yeah. Did you break in?
>> So, I said, "No, let's let's park as
[laughter] as close to the house as we
can." So, we start going at it and then
my head hits the horn. It's 11:00 night.
The porch light comes on. A guy comes
on. I'm going Christ sake. [laughter]
Excuse me. Sorry. Sorry. Excuse me.
Excuse me. Sorry about that. Sorry about
that.
>> The great Jay Leno. Everybody,
[laughter]
>> thank you.
>> He's unbelievable. What I love about
you, Jay, encyclopedic knowledge of
ours.
>> Yes. Well, I know
>> it's easy. And then all the sex stories
are fantastic.
>> More [laughter] like more like golden
book.
>> I mean, we interviewed last week and
I've learned more stuff about you.
[laughter]
>> It's unbelievable how how deep your your
car knowledge is and your car
experience.
>> Criminal history.
>> And we just love you. That's our show,
ladies and gentlemen, live from the
Concord at the gathering.
>> Those at home, we'll see you next week
on Spikes Car Radio.
>> See you then.
>> Thanks for listening to Spike [music]
Car Radio. Listen to new episodes every
Wednesday and be sure to subscribe.
Stay to the right, losers.
[music]
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