Just another example of what a class act Leno is; A few years ago we were on our way back from a show and we overheated. While we were waiting for the car to cool on the side of the freeway, a brand new Porsche pulls over right in front of us and who steps out of the car, none other than Jay Leno. He asks us if we needed any help and we told him we were just waiting for the car to cool. He took my buddy's phone number and told us he would drive up the freeway to let us know where a gas station was so we'd know where to go once we got the car cooled down. He takes off and sure enough, he calls us a few minutes later and tells us where to exit for a gas station. The best part is, a couple hours after we get home and get everything sorted out, my buddy's phone rings and its Leno asking if we got home okay. This just shows what type of person Leno is, we were passed by thousands of people that day on the freeway but only one of them decided to stop and see if we needed help. This guy's all class in my book.
of course he's a good person - he's a CAR guy for cryin' out loud. I like these kind of stories about a guy I like a lot. Never met him, likely never will - but my opinion from day one....years ago on Johnny Carson show, is that he is just a regular Joe (Jay?) with an amazing penchant for creating humor out of the obvious and the daily grind. dj
I remember his debut on Carson with that suit of his. Here's one I haven't heard anybody remember anywhere, he did a bit part on 'one day at a time'. Said his dad called him Bernnerd instead of Bernnard. Jay shows up in car places we'll never hear about because like us, the hobby has him instead of the other way around.
Jay writes a monthly column for Popular Mechanics. The subject matter is assuredly about cars and he weaves an awesome story each time. From what I can tell, Jay has a lot of "old America" in him.
I have also had the privlege of having a tour of Jay's "garage". To be honest it is a little overwelming at first theres a lot interesting stuff to look at (not just the bikes or cars). Bob does a great job telling each cars little story. I met Jay as I was leaving. He came in an old denim shirt and a pair of oil stained jeans to work on a car he had recently purchased.I give him a lot of credit to have the resources to have such a nice collection and the interest in the hobby to still do work himself. Tad
Thats a great story! You should remeber him in your will. It will be a total surprise to him that he gets rewarded for helping a stranger along the road. Kind of like Milner got rewarded with 150 million in Howard Huges will in the movie Howard and me"!
Jay IS a car guy and always has been. I had a shop in the Boston area and bought a lot of parts for M-Benz. Foreign Motors was a great supply for OEM bits. Jay was always friendly and funny as hell. He would not likely remember me, this was many years ago, but he was a regular guy and his great success is well deserved. As they say, "It couldn't happen to a nicer guy".
I really want to meet Jay Leno one of these days! As far as high-visibility car guys go, he really IS the one I'd like to spend some time with, if only just 15 minutes! He has three Hudsons, plus a '66 Hemi Dodge Coronet 500, that I'd love have him take me around the block in.
The Jalopy Journal
