One-of-one Hollywood Bugatti that wasn’t supposed to exist somehow ended up in Jay Leno’s $100,000,000 garage
Published on Feb 28, 2026 at 6:07 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Feb 25, 2026 at 9:52 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
This one-of-one Hollywood Bugatti wasn’t even supposed to exist, yet it has somehow made its way into Jay Leno’s $100,000,000 garage.
It’s no secret that Jay Leno has an impressive array of cars.
But a car that was driven by Hollywood actress Katharine Hepburn? That’s an impressive addition.
Believe it or not, the fact that this car was driven by a legendary leading actress is not the most notable thing about this car.
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Why this one-of-one Bugatti in Jay Leno’s garage is so special
This Bugatti T38A made its big screen debut back in 1933, when it was driven by Katharine Hepburn’s character in Christopher Strong.
The romantic drama was Hepburn’s first starring role, and featured the car in at least three scenes.
It would go on to appear in 1934’s The Gay Divorcee, which starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and 1935’s Remember Last Night?
So you might be thinking, ‘Oh, so this Bugatti appeared in some movies, that’s cool’.
But that’s only the tip of the iceberg – what truly makes this car one-of-a-kind is the fact that it’s the only one to have gotten a custom body built in the US.
The body was made a whole other company – the Murphy Body Co.
It got to the US by the way of another company, American Miller.
In the decades since 1933, the car has gone through several owners before ending up in Leno’s possession.
And here’s the thing – this car was never supposed to exist.
It all began when Ettore Bugatti noticed how well American Miller cars were performing at an European race.
He traded in a Type 35 Bugatti and a 38 chassis for two Miller Specials.
The lucky recipient was racer Leon Durray, who got Murphy Body Co. to build the car’s body.
And this was all before Katharine Hepburn had ever sat herself down in the driver’s seat.
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This isn’t the only fascinating car in Leno’s collection
Let’s face it – Jay Leno has a car collection that is hard to beat.
There’s a reason his collection is the third most popular with Google searchers, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo and Bill Gates.
His collection is estimated to be around $100 million, and that figure alone is staggering.
On the older side of things is his Ford Model T from 1925, which he once used to teach his producer how to drive.
Then there’s the incredibly rare 1992 Lotus Carlton, which was never officially sold in the US and was almost banned by the British government.
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Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
