Jay Leno is a man who loves his cars and loves to show them off on his “Jay Leno’s Garage” YouTube Channel, primarily focusing on the classic cars in his collection.
His latest upload showcases a rare beast indeed. It’s a 1968 Pontiac Firebird, but this one is special as it has a six-cylinder overhead cam developed by John DeLorean as an answer to the Jaguar XKE. This is one of the rarest cars in Leno’s collection.
A Long Search And Find For Leno
Leno opens the video stating he has been looking for one of these for a long, long time, so of course, he is over the moon to have one. He gets straight to the point with the overhead cam, showing the six-cylinder Pontiac Motor Division engine, and was perhaps the first post-war cam six in the United States. It stemmed from DeLorean’s love of the XKE, and he was able to take his idea of a similar car for America to Pontiac, and this is what he and the company came up with. Leno’s Firebird has the Sprint option which had a four-barrel and more options, and it was originally owned by a man in the US Navy.
A Rare Car With A Few Modern Touches
Leno knows how rare the car is and has given it a slight “restomod” vibe since he bought it. The video includes a few highlights from his restoration vlogs on the car, stretching back to March 2019.
Some of the changes Leno has done include new 15-inch wheels, Wilwood disc brakes, Hotchkiss suspension components thanks to John Hotchkiss. However, plenty of original features have been either kept or restored, such as the iconic hood tachometer, which was such a standout feature of this car.
A Superb Handling Car
Something else that Leno loves about this car is the way it drives. As it isn’t lugging a huge V8 around, it’s much lighter than a standard Firebird, and as such it handles differently. Leno takes the car out for a drive and remarks just how much like a sports car it is, and that it makes all the difference in the world. It’s a car that he says doesn’t overpower its chassis. Despite its rarity, thanks to components being so readily available it was an easy restoration, and it’s a car Leno can drive every day to work and back. It's clearly a favorite of his in his amazing collection.
Source: YouTube