They say that boys love their toys, and for the former host of TV’s Tonight Show, Jay Leno, the toys he loves most are cars.
With more than 150 vehicles, Leno has one of the most impressive private car collections in the world. All in working order, his vehicles range from vintage early 1900s roadsters to classic sports cars to American muscle cars.
Leno was in Toronto on Sept. 10 as the featured performer at UJA’s 2015 campaign launch. At the end of his stand-up routine, Leno turned serious and advocated on behalf of UJA. To encourage donations, Leno offered donors a tour of his famous garage in Los Angeles. Being that I love vintage cars, support UJA and was planning a trip to southern California in any event, I gladly signed up. Having just returned from that trip, I can say that the tour of Jay Leno’s Big Dog Garage was undoubtedly the highlight.
The garage is actually more of a museum. While Leno was not present, his surrogate, Bob Sales, led the tour. When I asked Bob what his title was, he humbly replied, “Old guy.” In fact, Bob was an incredibly knowledgeable mechanic and historian. As we strolled by car after car, Bob listed off the make, model, production year, vehicle details and car trivia. Who knew that the difference between a convertible and a roadster was that a convertible has side windows?
More interestingly, Bob talked about the history of the cars and their former owners. There was the 1920s Duesenberg (the luxury car famous for the phrase “she’s a doozy”) owned by a woman who also happened to own the Hope diamond, and it was used to chauffeur her to the Lindbergh baby kidnapping trial in 1935. There was a 1961 Russian Volga gifted to Leno by former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and a massive early-20th- century steam-powered tractor that needed three people to operate and three hours to get started.
The collection included Porches, Packards, Bugattis, Bentleys and McLarens to name a few. Amongst the highlights of the collection was a vintage Corvette, with a VIN number of #1, a 1925 Dople steam car formerly owned by Howard Hughes, and a Lamborghini formerly owned by Dean Martin.
Bob also pointed out a 1955 Buick Roadmaster – one of the less impressive looking cars in the collection, but one with great sentimental value. It was Leno’s first car and as a poor, struggling performer, it was home to Leno when he first came to Los Angeles.
Perhaps that modest 1955 Buick Roadmaster was the main point of the tour, a testament to a man who remembers what it means to be in need and the importance of giving back to community.
Leno loves his toys but he also knows how to leverage those toys to promote charitable causes like UJA. In the true spirit of tzedakah, Leno not only gives, but also encourages others to give. For me, it was that humble car that stood out and reinforced a powerful message: be appreciative for what we have, but also remember where we came from and the importance of giving back to the community.
Joel Cuperfain chairs the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto’s professional advisory committee.
