'Jay Leno of the East' owns the largest private car collection in South East Asia and is renowned for his amazing garage and enthusiasm

JP Chin has been dubbed the ‘Jay Leno of the East’, and his largest private car collection in Malaysia makes it easy to see why.

The Malaysian tech and finance tycoon has spent around 30 years filling his museum with everything from tiny kei cars to million-dollar hypercars.

But Chin isn’t interested in simply stacking expensive vehicles in a warehouse.

Almost every car has a story, a memory or some quirky reason for earning a place in his collection.

‘Jay Leno of the East’ naturally has quite a few Japanese cars

Chin’s passion for cars goes back to his childhood, when his family couldn’t afford a new car.

His father, he explains, never owned a new car during his lifetime, which motivated Chin to work hard and eventually build his wealth in technology and finance.

That background also helps to explain why his collection isn’t limited to the usual lineup of supercars in a billionaire’s garage.

Take the Nissan 240Z.

Chin remembers working at his father’s coffee shop as a young man when he saw someone arrive in an orange 240Z.

He immediately fell in love with it and dreamed of owning one.

He has been chasing a 240Z for years, although rising prices pushed him toward a 280Z for the time being.

When Nissan launched the 400Z, its resemblance to the original 240Z convinced Chin to buy a limited Proto Edition, of which only 400 were made.

Then there are the cars he collects because they could become tomorrow’s classics.

His collection includes the Autozam AZ-1, Suzuki Cappuccino and other kei cars, along with a Toyota Supra limited to just 20 examples worldwide.

His private car collection has a few unusual inclusions

The Malaysian tycoon also owns his fair share of headline-grabbers.

Chin owns a McLaren P1, one of only 375 built, as well as Bugatti’s Chiron and Divo.

He even acquired a Bugatti engine after the company moved away from its internal-combustion era, displaying it alongside seats and a grille as part of his collection.

There are also Ford GT40 replicas, Porsche 911s, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, classic Jaguars, movie cars and even Porsche and Lamborghini tractors.

Chin owns around 200 vehicles in total, although he considers roughly 140 to 150 of them genuine collection cars.

Crucially, he has driven almost everything in his private car collection at least once, proving that he’s not interested in having a garage queen collection.