Jay Leno owns 281 cars but he will never own a Ferrari
- Jay Leno holds an enviable collection of 218 incredible cars and motorbikes
- He has models by Rolls-Royce, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, and more, but absolutely none by Ferrari
- This is not a mistake, and Leno has taken a firm stance for a very specific reason
Published on May 30, 2024 at 6:04 PM (UTC+4)
by Andie Reeves
Last updated on May 31, 2024 at 7:24 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Jay Leno is about as well known for being a television host as he is for his car collection.
His garage is jam-packed with cars and motorcycles.
But what might come as a shock is not one of them is a Ferrari.
This is not a mistake though; Leno has taken a firm stance for a very specific reason.
READ MORE: Hidden underground garage with secret aircraft elevator is a petrolhead’s dream
Leno’s garage holds an enviable collection of 218 incredible cars and motorbikes.
It’s a combination of classics, like the Dodge Viper, and unique builds such as Batman’s ‘Tumbler’ which was built for the Batman Trilogy.
He also loves rare cars, which is why he spent several millions of dollars designing his one-off EcoJet supercar.
Leno is particularly fond of Lamborghinis, including a Miura that he got for free.
One of the psychological reasons for car collecting is because cars can be seen as a status symbol, so naturally collectors gravitate towards luxury brands.
Leno has cars by Rolls-Royce, Bugatti, Mercedes-Benz, and more, but absolutely none by Ferrari.
He recently opened up to Cars and Culture with Jason Stein about the reason for this.
Ultimately, he doesn’t like the hoops Ferrari makes its customers jump through before they can buy.
Ferrari is very strict about who can purchase one of its cars, even blacklisting celebrities who don’t adhere to the company’s rules.
And buying one is not as simple as walking into a dealership.
“I just never liked dealing with the dealers,” Leno said.
“I don’t want to give a guy 25 grand in an envelope. I don’t want to have to buy two Mondials.”
That said, he has nothing against the cars themselves.
In fact, he recently took a yellow Ferrari 296 GTB for a test drive on his YouTube channel.
His favorite dealership to work with, though, is McLaren.
The manufacturer offered him a free horsepower upgrade a few months after he’d bought his MP4-12C.
It makes sense that McLaren treats Leno well, considering he also owns a P1 and an F1, one of the most valuable and iconic models the automaker ever produced.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Andie is a content writer from South Africa with a background in broadcasting and journalism. Starting her career in the glossy pages of Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, Andie has a broad portfolio, covering everything from sustainability solutions to celebrity car collections. When not at her laptop Andie can be found sewing, recording her podcast, taking board games too seriously or road-tripping in her bright green Kia.
