Whether you're into cars and motorcycles, celebrities, or just don't live under a rock, you already know about Jay Leno's extraordinary car collection that consists of more than 180 flamboyant automobiles. Lining his massive garage is everything from rare classics to iconic muscle cars, ludicrously expensive sports cars, and around 160 motorcycles, too. But by far the best attribute about Jay's collection is that he likes to drive his cars and stretch their legs a bit, so they don't eventually become rusty garage queens.Owning such a vast car collection is every gearhead's dream, and if we're honest, that dream isn't just limited to gearheads. So, hypothetically, if Leno were to offer you just 10 cars that you could take for a test drive of your choosing, your options would be nearly limitless. For this list, we'll be deciphering that exact conundrum and taking our picks for the 10 cars in Jay Leno's garage we would love to get behind the wheel of first.
10 1972 Citroën SM
Okay, hear us out. Out of all the over-the-top sports cars in Jay's collection, we'd be doing the world an injustice if we weren't to include a luxury car in the mix. So, you'd expect us to choose something along the lines of a Rolls-Royce, or perhaps a Maybach, but we'd prefer the 1972 Citroën SM.
See, back in the day Citroën was one of the most innovative car companies the world had ever seen, they were the first brand to equip their cars with all-around disc brakes, and of course their remarkable hydropneumatic suspension with the DS. And when they released the SM in 1970, they continued breaking bounds with headlights that swiveled as you turned around bends, an always re-centering steering wheel, a Maserati-sourced V6 engine, and a sleek silhouette that demanded road presence.
9 1954 Jaguar XK120
The XK120 is a very important car for Jay Leno as it was the first sports car he got behind the wheel of, and evidently the first sports car he bought, and this paved the way for his collection to grow. Jay's Jaguar is not completely stock either, instead of the factory 3.4-liter six-cylinder engine, his XK120 is fitted with a more powerful and robust 3.8-liter six-cylinder engine that produces more than 200 hp.
This was more than sufficient to get it moving, and because the XK120 was a cabriolet, you could lower the roof down and really enjoy that gnarly Jag growl that their engines made, even back in the day.
8 2007 Ariel Atom
Not only is the Ariel Atom one of Leno's most exciting cars to drive, but it's also one of the most exciting cars to drive period. This little road-legal track car weighed less than 1,500 lbs and was powered by a four-cylinder supercharged Cobalt engine that put out around 300 hp.
It might not have been the ludicrous 500 hp V8-powered version, but it was far from being dull. It had no windshield, no anti-lock brakes, no traction control, no assisted steering, and was only fitted with a 5-speed manual gearbox. This was the epitome of a pocket rocket back in its day, and that title still lives up to today's standard.
7 2015 McLaren P1
The McLaren P1 was the F1's spiritual successor, and also one of the most potent warriors in the plug-in-hybrid supercar wars from the 2010s. Leno's P1 is finished in a striking yellow paint job, and he claimed it was the best car he had ever driven back in 2014.
The combined power output of its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 and McLaren E-Motor was more than 900 hp, and every single drop was sent purely to the rear wheels. This meant that the P1 could obtain a 0-60 of 2.8 seconds, go far beyond the 200 mph checkpoint, but also slide its way through corners sideways.... well that depends on how brave and skilled you are of course.
6 2004 Porsche Carrera GT
The Carrera GT is in a class of its own, and potentially fatal to drive fast. So, if that's your type of scene, this would be the perfect car for you. The Carrera GT is also of course the car in which Paul Walker was a passenger when he died, and even Jay spun out driving the super Porsche a few years back.
The GT was such a violent vehicle since at its core it was a 600 hp mid-engined V10-powered rear-wheel-drive supercar that had no traction or stability control, and came with a mandatory stickshift. But don't mistake us, the Porsche is a very dangerous risk worth taking - just listen to that exhaust howl.
5 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder
On paper, the 918 Spyder sounds and looks like any overpowered modern Porsche, especially when you hear it's finished in silver, but there's much more to it. Just like the P1, the 918 was a hybrid supercar that produced a net total horsepower figure of 887 and 944 lb-ft of torque, and it made one exuberant sound to match its absurd lime green accents.
Jay's 918 was finished in a color Porsche calls Liquid Metal Silver, and that color option costs more than $60,000, but we'd argue it's worth every single penny, and it's truly like nothing you've ever seen before. So in person, the 918 sounded great, and looked splendid, but how fast was it? 0-60 in 2.5 seconds quick, and 214 mph fast - or in other words, bonkers fast.
4 2017 Ford GT
The Ford GT nameplate has been with us since the dawn of time itself (1964). Leno is a big fan of the GT, therefore he owns a 2005 Ford GT finished in red with white stripes as well as the current-generation 2017 Ford GT that's painted black with orange stripes and a complementary orange interior - both of these cars have the same serial number, #12.
Unlike the rowdy supercharged V8 GT from the 2000s, Jay's 2017 GT was powered by a 647 hp, 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 mounted amidships as before. Although this caused mixed opinions among hardcore GT fanatics, its performance figures were insane: a sub-3-second 0-60 time and a top speed of 216 mph.
3 2010 Koenigsegg Trevita CCXR
The word Trevita is a Swedish abbreviation that means "three whites" in English, and this limited-edition Koenigsegg deserved that title since its white body was constructed out of pure carbon fiber, and when the sun hit the bodywork, it would shimmer as if it was constructed out of millions of small diamonds. So, it definitely grabbed people's attention if they drove past it, but what's almost more remarkable is its 4.7-liter supercharged V8.
That Swedish-built engine produced more than 1,000 hp and 800 lb-ft of torque, now combine that with a carbon fiber monocoque that weighed less than 3,000 lbs, and you were left with a stunning supercar that could reach 60 mph from a standstill in 2.9 seconds and reach a top speed just above 254 mph.
2 1969 Lamborghini Miura S
The Lamborghini Miura broke automotive boundaries when it was released in 1966, and it was seen as the world's first supercar ever. Now, Jay doesn't own any normal Miura, he owns the S variants; which meant more power, and more advanced technological components. Only around 338 examples of the Miura S were ever built, and they're selling for around $2 million today.
On top of its gorgeous styling and extreme exclusivity, the main reason why we want to get behind the wheel of this old Lambo is its naturally-aspirated 3.9-liter V12. It pushed out 370 hp via a 5-speed standard transmission, if you are brave enough you'd be able to send this supercar from the '60s running up to a mind-boggling 177 mph.
1 1994 McLaren F1
Jay's McLaren F1 is considered to be one of the best ones to ever grace the roads of Planet Earth. When Doug DeMuro paid a visit to Leno's garage he filmed his honest review of that black McLaren F1, and he considers it to be the greatest car ever made. The F1's V12 engine was built by BMW, and it had a displacement of 6.1-liters and a power output of 618 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque.
The combination of such a monstrous amount of power and an aerodynamic body resulted in a top speed of 241 mph, and it still holds the record for being the fastest naturally-aspirated production car to date. One last remarkable feature the F1 had was a 3-seat configuration. This meant that the driver's seat was mounted in the middle of its cockpit, and the two passenger seats were placed behind it. This isn't just the car we would most love to drive in Jay's collection but of all time.