Story: Eirik Knutzen  
Photography: Shawn Mortensen

At a nondescript, industrial complex indistinguishable from thousands of similar structures in the San Fernando Valley, a heavy-duty security door rolls open to admit a shiny, forest green 1918 Stutz Bearcat. Jay Leno is behind the wheel. It is his day off and he’s about to do his favorite thing—play with his toys, a rolling stock of 80 classic cars and more than 80 vintage motorcycles.

Wearing faded blue jeans and a denim shirt with a Harley-Davidson logo, the 52-year-old host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” uncorks his solid, six-foot frame from the exotic automobile. His hair is almost completely gray, but the comedian seems considerably younger than his age. There is grease and oil on the television star’s huge hands from the night before, possibly earned while rebuilding a Stanley Steamer’s boiler. Including the repair and body shops in his compound, Leno’s superb squad of big-boy toys is arranged over 57,000 square feet of garage space. Some of the vehicles are rare indeed—including a 1916 Crane-Simplex, a 1915 Franklin, a 1957 Buick Convertible, Dean Martin’s 1966 Lamborghini, and the burgundy 1931 Deusenberg of Evalyn Walsh McLean, the last private owner of the Hope Diamond. There are Bugattis, Delahayes, Lagondas, Porsches, McLarens, Jaguars, Hispano Luizas, Bentleys, and Rolls-Royces everywhere. Each and every one has a history.

Today, his vehicle of choice is his favorite cycle, the MTT Y2K Superbike, a high-gloss jet black road rocket powered by a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter engine and capable of speeds upwards to 266 mph. Anxious to demonstrate the millennium bike’s prowess, Leno dons a leather jacket and a helmet and fires it up. Suddenly, gray smoke belches out of the tailpipe and catches the undercarriage on fire. With a sigh, the comedian shuts down the engine and slowly dismounts, just in time for one of his mechanics to put out the fire. “This machine is hilariously fast on the street,” he explains. “It’s fine running on jet fuel at the shop, but tricky with diesel fuel on the road. When the fuel separates, it sometimes catches fire.” 

There is something very “real” about the veteran comic who was born in New Rochelle, New York on April 28, 1950, to a Scottish mother and an Italian father. While one of his favorite subjects is the art of comedy, his first love is mechanical things. And he gets all revved up just talking about them.

M lifestyle: Does money and fame allow you to live out your wildest childhood fantasies through classic cars and motorcycles?
Jay Leno: Sure. Since I was a kid, I’ve been interested in anything that rolls, explodes and makes noise. I like mechanical watches better than electric watches and I like automobiles for the same reason. It wasn’t until I got fairly successful that I could afford to indulge in it. I’m one of those people who said, “Here’s some money, give me that shiny thing.”

M lifestyle: What launched your passion for mechanical things?
Jay Leno: Only cars and motorcycles made an impression on me as a kid. In 1956, I was six years old when a friend of my parents came over to show off his big Harley. I was eight and saw a Jaguar XK 120. Oh, my God, it knocked me out. I have one just like it in my collection that I bought almost 23 years ago … in addition to several Harleys.