Tag Archives: Jay Leno

2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302

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I’m posting this video from Jay Leno’s Garage as a counter-point to Motor Trend’s review of the awesome Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE from this morning. Jay gets to go over the finer details of what all was changed on the Boss 302 Laguna Seca edition with the Mustang head engineer Dave Pericak. As I mentioned in the 1LE video, I really enjoy the fact that GM and Ford took the time to give real suspension tuning and chassis balance to their core muscle cars. Keep the naturally aspirated engine response, cram as huge of a wheel and tire package as you can under the fenders and change the spring and damper rates so the cars have some agility. The term muscle car doesn’t have to mean settling for handling compromises for straight line speed. The 1LE and the Boss 302 are proof.


Source: Jay Leno’s Garage on YouTube

1932 Morgan Three-Wheeler

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The updated version of the Morgan 3-Wheeler was without a doubt one of the most interesting cars to make it’s debut in 2012. The basic design remained the same but with some modern running gear including the transmission out of a Mazda MX-5. Everybody talked about how the new car payed homage to the old one, but now we get to see an original car thanks to Jay Leno. Leno’s 3-Wheeler’s parts were made in 1932 and then it was assembled in 1946 after the war and shipped to Australia. His car is a deluxe model with the same Matchless MX-4 V-Twin that powered the Brough Superior which was a British made motorcycle that was thought to be the best in the world during it’s time. Other options include the 3 speed transmission with a reverse gear and the barrel body that allowed the carrying of a spare tire. Very cool old little car.


Source: Jay Leno’s Garage on YouTube

Jay Leno’s 1981 Honda CBX

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This is a kind of special episode of Jay Leno’s garage because this week they feature the first vehicle Jay ever bought new, the 1981 Honda CBX. The CBX is another classic that didn’t sell well when new but has since become a collector’s item. The inline-6 cylinder engine along with the air suspension made it a great sport tourer but those features also made it intimidatingly complicated. The inline-6 actually made a return to motorcycles this year on the BMW K-series sport tourerers. The natural balance of the configuration make is smooth and powerful for putting away a ton of miles on the highway. It’s pretty cool to see that Honda put together the same formula before the world was ready for it.


Source: Jay Leno’s Garage on YouTube

Vintage Corvettes with Jay Leno

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GM’s Vice-President of Design, Ed Welburn, drops by Jay Leno’s garage with four vintage Corvettes from the General Motors Heritage Center. They start with the first Corvette ever made, the 1953 with the Blue Flame inline 6. Next they move to the chairman of GM’s personal hardtop 1958 Corvette with the dual four-barrel carburetor 283 cubic inch V8. The third car they look at is the rarest Corvette in existence, the 1959 Corvette Stingray Racer. It’s a tube-frame race car that raced here in America winning some national championships. Welburn had the car restored when he became the VP of design but kept the interior original since it had a lot of history including a drive by Elvis. The last car they look at is a fully loaded split window 1963 Corvette Stingray loaded with fuel injection and knock-off wheels. The episode is a very cool look into some very special Corvettes that could only be brought to you by Jay Leno’s special relationship with GM.


Source: Jay Leno’s Garage on YouTube

1968-69 Lamborghini R485 Tractor – Jay Leno’s Garage

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I guess we’re just going to have a “Weird Things Made by Well Known Car Makers” day here on Flux Auto. This week’s episode of Jay Leno’s garage features one of less than 20 Lamborghini R485 Tractors that was imported to the US. The 4-ton monster is powered by a 5.0 liter 4-cylinder diesel engine that makes 85 horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque that uses the same starter as the Lamborghini Countach. The owner, Bill Scott, tells us how Ferruccio Lamborghini got his start working on tractors after World War 2 and how famed test driver, Valentino Balboni, began working for the company as a mechanic for these tractors. It just goes to show how stupid it is for people to have stigmas against blue collar work. As long as their is a need for physical goods, we will always need people who are skilled and creative with their hands. When your car breaks down, you’ll want the guy with the dirtiest hands to fix it. When it comes time to bring new ideas into the real world, you’d be wise to ask the same guy his advice.


Source: Jay Leno’s Garage on YouTube