A recent post by “The Drive” is titled, “Jay Leno’s Citroën SM is the best car France has ever sent to America.” And, they’re not the only ones who have excited it up recently, or at any time over the past 50 years of its existence.
Though it’s vintage, it still has a very futuristic look and feel to it. Under the hood sits a powerful V6 engine that puts out up to 170 horsepower, handled by a 5-speed manual transmission. While Jay showed it off to viewers, he noted that, because it was such a smooth ride, it was licensed by Rolls-Royce.
Blastolene Special Twin Turbo
The Blastolene Special was made using an engine from an actual U.S military tank, hence the nickname “Tank Car.” It weighs a whopping 9,500 pounds and has a unique aluminum body. After Jay bought the 2001 car a couple of years after it was designed, he made several upgrades and adjustments to it, which included installing a six-speed automatic gearbox.
The car, which gets just 5 miles to the gallon, can be seen in the game "Gran Turismo 4," where it apparently ended up “on accident,” and is referred to as the “Jay Leno Tank Car.”
1928 Bugatti Type 37A
Another one of Leno’s half a dozen Bugattis is this 1928 Type 37A, which is worth nearly $3 million, despite its original price of around $1,000. But this particular Bugatti comes with a unique backstory, like many other cars in the entertainer’s collection. This car was at one point owned by racecar driver Pierre Veyron.
In its heyday, the supercharged vehicle could get up to 122 mph, though Leno says he’s only seen it run up to 117, maximum, which likely has a lot to do with the fact he kept it in its original state.
Dodge Coronet
Leno showed off his 1966 Dodge Coronet on his show back in 2016. One of the most noticeable features of the car was actually its lack thereof. It’s a simple, to-the-point ride, with a big V8 that powers it up to 426 hp.
In its heyday, Coronets were used as police patrol cars, hence the black and white paint job he used to keep it as close as possible to its original state. Of course, the entertainer’s model wasn’t used by police but is instead a clone, built to look and act just like the ones used by law enforcement.
Chevy Corvette Stingray
Actor Josh Duhamel joined the comedian a few years back to cruise around in his 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The sleek, sporty silver car is powered up by a fuel-injected V8 and restored to the exact factory version that it was in when it was built in 1962.
The central feature of this car that makes it different from other Corvettes, and vehicles in general, is its split rear, one-year-only rear window. Aside from that, there are a few other minor things, like the gas cap being held down, and the interesting side view mirrors.