Jay Leno does not need any introduction. The legendary chat show host has in the last few years turned his attention to his phenomenal collection of classic cars, and showcases them on two outlets. One is the CNBC show called Jay Leno’s Garage, and the other is his YouTube channel of the same name, where he goes into more details on specific cars in the collection. One of his most recent videos has him talk about an incredibly luxurious machine, the 1931 Duesenberg Model J LaGrande Coupe, one of a couple of Dusenbergs in his classic car collection.
Huge Car That Is Also Amazingly Rare
Now back with his film crew after shooting the show on his own for the last few weeks, this allows Leno to give us more angles and the like on this incredible car. A huge car, only two of these cars were ever built. Both were actually destroyed, and Leno’s was recreated from the chassis of one of those cars and the body is an exact replica of what it would have looked like. Powered by a twin-cam four-valve 7-liter engine making 265 hp, and it is as authentic a car as possible.
Editor's note: In 2016, the editor was attending a Cars-n-Coffee event in Malibu and was admiring the silver Tata to the left, when Jay arrived and backed in right in front of him in this same car after it was in full working order, but while the body was still under construction.
Rumble Seats Perhaps Don't Look So Comfortable In Today's World
There are plenty of interesting details on this car. For example, there are the 3D-printed chrome elements that rung along the top of the door-line on the car. At the rear, there is the rumble seat, one of autodom's strangest ideas that several manufacturers adopted. It is behind the main cabin of the car where the passengers top half is outside and their legs etc are inside! It does come equipped with some padded armrests though. Underneath the car, Leno shows off the massive leaf springs that are also incredibly long, and just how clean the underside of the car is. A testament to the restoration work done on this car.
Driving The Car Is Quite A Joy
What is it like to drive then? Leno says it’s a piece of art that is rolling down the road. There is plenty of legroom, which is not unexpected in a 2-seater on a 153.5-inch wheelbase, that makes it quite a comfortable ride for the driver, and has plenty of power and strong enough brakes to deal with modern traffic. You can really feel the torque says Leno as you put your foot down. This is a brilliant recreation of an incredibly attractive machine.
Source: YouTube