Jay Leno's First Love | Behind the Scenes
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- Опубликовано: 3 дек 2021
- Jay bought this 1955 Buick Roadmaster in 1972 for $350. This is the car he drove to his first appearances on the Tonight Show and the Merv Griffin Show. Jay also met his wife and "got together" with her in this big Buick Roadmaster. Now the car is a resto-modded sleeper with a 572 GM big block with 620hp. It looks stock but it's definitely not! We had a blast checking out the car that started it all for Jay. Recorded 11/15/2003.
#JayLeno #BuickRoadmaster #RestoMod #JayLenosCarCollection #JayLenosFirstLove 
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This is what happens when you combine life long passion with nearly limitless resources.
Jays good people though, I'm glad he's on our side 😁
and more power to him. most of us would do exactly the same thing had we worked our asses off for years with such results.
Unlimited resources and Bernard
I totally agree. I can't wait to do my restomod 1954 Ford F-100! Ford recently came out with a 429 Super Cobrajet Crate Motor! I'm going to hook it up to an awesome, heavy duty 4 spd manual transmission, hopefully a refurbished one from one of ford's stock car, and the best street/stock rear end I can match up with the street/stock setup. I'm going to have to have a new, aluminum radiator that will only take the new, biodegradable, pet- friendly antifreeze/coolant, and the dual, high- power coolant fans will operate off a generator instead of the old fan belt system which never really moved enough air through the radiator to keep big block motors cool enough to keep them from overheating! An engineer friend designed a far more adequate cooling system for his 429 Torino Super Snake, that was plagued by overheating problems, and I'm going to tweak his design to protect my 429 SCJ, which I'll have mounted on a reconditioned 1990s Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor Chassis, which can be had for relative peanuts at any local junkyard!
I intend to redesign the interior with a custom made set of white leather covered, swivel bucket, low back seats out of a 60s Thunderbird, with a custom, woodgrain console with white leather and stainless steel trim.
The outside will appear like a Cobalt Blue 1954 F-100,with a lowered, aggressive stance, riding on 18" chrome, 64 spoke mags, with Eagle ST , white lettered tires all around, and a deep cherry stain on the wood of the stainless steel and hardwood bed of the pickup! When it comes together, myself and my son are going to love our little restomod!
Nearly?Lol!This thing is over the top with all its class still intact!
That Buick makes me cry...thanks for saving them....
I like the fact that. Jay takes many pieces of his collection and drives them around regularly….
When I was around 5yrs old (1960) my Mom and Dad both had their own 53' Buick's. My brother and I had a ball in those cars, our Mom would leave us in the car when she went shopping, you could turn the ignition switch and the car would crawl but the engine couldn't start. Our Mom would come out and we would be at the other end of the parking lot. Every time I see Jay's car it reminds me of those days. I like the restoration mods he did to this one, really nice.
Never ceases to amaze me how humble and knowledgeable Jay is. Badass Buick, gotta love the restomods, saving bits of history while making it better. 👍✌️
I agree!
Most had generators ,& restoring these beasts was a labor of love.you could easily spend 100 grand restoring a monster like this & some aren't getting but 70-90 depending on the popularity of the model.
Yes Jay is a cool guy , but DENNIS is a snob in public !!!!! I tried to complement him on his great car show , and he wouldn't even acknowledge me and that was in public ....
Not true! As anyone who has ever met me will tell you, I'm as friendly and down to earth as it gets! If I didn't acknowledge you, it was because I didn't hear you, and for that I apologize. But one thing I am definitely not is a snob. I'm just a farm boy from Illinois, and I have always treated people the way I'd like to be treated. That's how I was raised.
@@MyClassicCarTV The time I met you you were SUPER nice! 👍🙂
Cool seeing Jay nearly 20 years back.........thanks for oldie!
Gotta love Jays passion for cars..and I love his attitude towards his own obsession 👍👍❤️❤️
Jay Leno for President and Dennis for Vice President!
Don't joke, but that would be badass
We wont have to worry about combustion engine bans with them in office.
My dad bought a 55 Buick Super 2dr Hardtop when I was in high school...great for dates!
OMG JAY!! We took our '55 Buick RM to Japan '59-63 and I learned to drive in her and then Dad sold her in San Francisco '69-70. She was given a 2nd paint job by Dad, from original maroon to black and white, but kept with original maroon interior and had plastic set covers. I was so sad. I would have kept her, but he didn't tell me. He was sad later. PPJ 901! I see you have original plate that looked just like ours! Beautiful beautiful restoration! Wish I could find her. Hugs...
Jay made a great call in keeping the car from his early days in Hollywood and giving it a well deserved makeover. Many respects to him for that.
"Mr. Buick" is how Jay sometimes refers to it.
This is the epitome of examples of when someone loves and appreciates cars, and is able to preserve them as they should be, as they were things of beauty, Beautiful car and it was when Buick was Buick, you would of expected a Drs or Lawyers to be driving this back in day to the Country Club, thanks Jay for the view..
Beautiful car. Jay does things so right. He's got excellent craftsmen working on his projects.
And the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to do them to perfection.
You got that right! I hired a craftsman to redo some carburetor linkage and a transmission kickdown looked great worked better still. To watch this guy create working components was enjoyable. Who made America? Craftsmen!
yep
What's great about Jay is that he is truly a patron of this craft, he supports countless best in the industry artisans, keeping the craft alive. Many people are indebted to his generosity. Hats off to Jay👍
He also shares the vehicles for us to see.
Too many extremely rich men in the world have no imagination on how to enjoy all that money.
You have to love Jay for his great contribution to the automotive world.
THIS GUY HAS STAYED SO HUMBLE OVER THE YEARS AND HE'S THE MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE GUY ON THE PLANET...........
Both of those things are true!
What an elegant MONSTER of a car. The sleeper of all sleepers, plus you can bring the whole family.
Buick Road Monster
This 55 Buick in my opinion is the nicest car in Jay's collection, along with his 57 Buick, his green 2 Door Hudson Hornet, and his drop dead gorgeous 66 Burgundy Ford Fairlane!
The Packard, I like best.
I like his 66 Toronado too. That and the burgundy 66 Galaxy.
That Hudson is so nice and the fairlane!
@@Ronscoolthings isn’t that 66 Ford a galaxy? But not wanting to be picky.
@@huxleyhornm7405 yes galaxy 500
Absolute work of art
Love the 2 tone paint & boy for a 5000 lb beast she really goes!
And Jay does it right, his classic cars all look like the cars that anyone born in the 50s remembers
Since you Jay and I are the same age the memories of these cars go back to our childhood. One of my teachers back in the day bought one of these great Buicks, and I used to watch her drive in the schoolyard.
That little gold emblem just under the wind wings signified the top-of-the-line Roadmaster. The Buick had so many similar body lines shared with the Cadillac in those days. Restoring the interior so tastefully with its couch-like upholstery and stunning brightwork, both inside and out must have cost a fortune. How wonderful it must be to have the means to restore them back to their original luster.
What that car would cost into days' dollars even in its stock form would be unimaginable.
I have so many favorites in your collection, but this gorgeous Buick is right at the top of the list. It's heartbreaking to see what today's cars have devolved into from a point of style and interior..... appointments.
No chrome and everything is replaced with plastic.
Thank God for Jay who has been blessed with the means and hindsight as well as foresight to preserve and share with us these legendary works of American automotive works of art, and share them with all of us. Jay, you ARE the MAN!!!
@johnnyohness: Well written and a true pleasure to read. Thanks for sharing this classy comment.
I hope Jay thanks Dennis for the idea of putting out a car show after all these years. Dennis was the best in his day
These two are so great together. The time Jay recalls the TV ad that said it goes 100 miles an hour for a 100 hours HMMMMM. Both of them do the HMMMM. Cracks me up 😂😂
Yes this show "My Classic Car is dated, there's so much better on the internet today. This hasn't changed since the 90s
Great car! That was funny when Jay said for a while he didn't have a garage.
he can't say that anymore
What a beautiful car! My folks had a 55 Chevy 4 door with a 265 V8 slush box tranny. Nothing like this one but what a great year!
"Never sold any of my cars" & still has the same wife! 2 very profound statements!
I don't know if this would ever happen,,,, but Jay is one person that I'd like to meet!
Love that car.
My paternal grandfather had a four-hole Buick when I was a kid. Watching this brings back memories of a great guy.
It's one heck of a sleeper
My German immigrant Uncle Fred who worked at Lockheed....always drove Buicks. Last one he had was a 62 Electra. They would come visit for Christmas to northern CA. and always show up in a new model. Thanks Jay
Watching this in 2022 and I swear Jay still has the same jean shirt from the 90's.. Love watching these older Leno episodes.
Drives on the same roads too... 20years later, the only thing thats changed is that Jay has aged, everything else is still the same .
Jay is right, that car is absolutely hilarious. Very envious!
You crazy guys, thanks for the thrill ride!
It was a thrill for sure!
I love Buick Roadmasters...especially this one.
Jay is a class act
When I first was old enough (16) to drive after 6 PM, I drove a 1954 Buick that looked like this one (not the motor though). I thought I was something as I pulled up, parked, got out and watched a local night baseball game. That Buick rode as smooth as any car Ive ever ridden in. I can't remember what dad did with that old Buick.
My grand mother had a 55 Roadmaster with air with the air vents in the back window. My father had a 54 Super with no air. I drove the 54 to school in my senior year of high school.
That Buick is so nice. That is one cool looking hot rod. I love it all.
Jay's having fun again. Live it up.
My dad, an MIT Masters electrical engineer, loved Buicks. He had a 1948 Buick Roadmaster(four holer), dark green. Then, he bought a Packard Mayfair. With his background, he was more interested in the quality of the engine design. Although Jay's car is more recent, it really brings back old, wonderful memories. Thank you.
Even back in 2003 you could see that @JayLeno was totally committed, not only to his first love car but to his first love of car SHOWS. He could have skipped the whole talk show circuit and started a car show all the way back then and it would have been an instant hit. This is really where Jay shines at his best, and I look forward to every single episode of any car show with Jay Leno in it.
He couldn't have made the insane money he did hosting the Tonight Show.
@@stretch54 According to Leno he never uses his Tonight Show money on his cars, it's all from comedy. Of course, he would be getting a lot less comedy money if it wasn't for the Tonight Show, though.
@@LeesChannel Yeah. I've heard him say that too.
The chrome looks so good and thick...the color contrasts are outstanding
That has to be one of the prettiest cars I’ve ever seen in my life my goodness never knew I wanted a 55 Buick more than anything else.
My best friend in HS had a 55' Buick Roadmaster. Many a night was spent cruising the streets, looking at girls and playing Chinese fire drill at red lights. Alas it's demise was a frozen king pin unbeknown to my friend as he tried to muscle the steering wheel outside a bar at closing time. Result was a broken tooth in the steering box. Funny we did sneak into the old Natick drive in in the trunk of that car LOL ! He bought it for $50. And found $20 under the front seat ! Drove it for four years.
Love Buicks! My Dad worked on the Roadmaster used in the Rain man.
And we finished restoring a 1965 Buick Skylark Grand Sport. Just before he passed. There's something about those Buicks that you just can't get from anything else.
Classic lines with brute strength.
Love the added touches you've done. Buick would have done the same thing, had they invented half of the things you added. Great Buick Jay!
Jay, I have never run across another person who's first car was a 55 Buick! Mine was a 55 Special Station Wagon in the light Buick yellow and white top. Had it through high school and it was named the Yellow Submarine. Sadly, a fellow in a 65 Ford 500 was coming down a hill I was going up and he cut in front of me, thinking he had time and we hit head on. His engine was in the front seat with him and my 55 had that beautiful bumper dented in to where it hit the right front tire, otherwise I would have driven it home, unfortunately it went to the junk yard because I could not afford the towing and storage they slapped on it. I always promised myself I would replace her but it never happened. I have kept looking over the years but never found another. Boy do I miss my 55 Wagon, I have many, many fond memories of events happening in that car, I can only imagine the memories I would have, had I been able to keep her all these years like you have kept yours. Buick on my fine man!
The Buick is forever my favorite in Jay’s garage.
One of my favorite childhood memories was riding in my uncle's 58 Roadmaster 75. I used to get in the back seat and ride home from mu uncle's about 40 highway miles. My uncle smoked very fine cigars which I actually enjoyed. I could lay straight out across the back seat and fall asleep. I think the seat fabric was wool
She's an absolute Dream Boat! The first car I remember as a kid and immediately fell in love with was a Buick Roadmaster back in 70. I was 5 y/o and my younger brothers were still in diapers. My parents were still together at the time so Mom had hers; a 48 Roadmaster Straight 8 Sedan; and Dad had his, a 64 Impala SS 327 4-speed convert. I remember Mom taking us to the Dog & Suds in the Buick. You couldn't hear it or feel it run. It floated over the bumps like a magic carpet. I used to stand up on the driveshaft tunnel in back and lean on the front seat while she was driving. Mom even brought along a TV tray from home for us kids to put our food on. At night when we'd go for a drive to put my brothers to sleep; I'd lay on the big package tray and watch the stars as we drove; it seemed as big as a bed to me. She sold that in 72 and got a 55 like yours. Although it wasn't Sliver & black like yours' which is the perfect color combo for the Roadmaster; it was in her favorite Caribbean Blue over White. She ended trading the Roadmaster even up for a 67 Eldo Convert. I begged her to keep the Roadmaster but she said it was an old car. Old or not, she was and still is my First love.
Great footage of a great car. I’m a stock guy, but I love this car. It’s a resto mod I can respect!
Same here he did a really nice job on this. I especially like that it's not just another camaro, mustang, Chevelle etc. that someone slapped a big block in.
Actually I respect Restomods more than original. Why drive a less safe, poorly handling car. It makes zero sense to me. I prefer dependable safer, better.
I like restomods when they keep the car looking stock on the outside, like what Jay did here.
And probably never been to a drag strip
Cars onlin÷e
Jay and I have the same taste in cars. would I love to drive his Buick. Seems like an all around great guy.
I know Jay needed to do the tonight show, but wow is he so like-able and watch-able and you just want to be hanging out with Jay. I wish he had done so much more with cars before. The world has be dominated for the last 20 years by British and European car engineering and Jay just reminds you that there are other cars out there just as desirable. I still want more Jay Leno's Garage !!!
Of all the cars that Jay has in his garage, this one is my favorite by far. Nice job!
A friend of mine had one of these ROADMASTERS WITH THE RED LINE SPEEDOS AND WE RAN IT TO THE END A FEW TIMES(120 mph) and I decided to never ride with him again. He then kept it under 70 MPH. THANK GOD.
My parents had a 55 Roadmaster, blue with a white top. I was sitting on Mom's lap when someone hit the right rear fender. I smacked my forehead on that rounded glove box. The right rear fender had a dent. I always wanted a battleship sized ride like that Buick. Came close too, only it was an Iowa class battleship, USS Missouri. Love that thick steel.
That sound that look just makes me smile! It's wonderful. Thanks Jay.
I really like this kind of restomods. All the changes are where they should be.
👍🙂I love it that this car was one used by Mike Nesmeth in his Elephant Parts video!!
In 72' a 55 Buick was only 17 years old. Its like seeing 2003 car on the road today, although a 2003 was no classic.
My great aunt and her husband owned a ‘50s Buick that may have been the same year. They
kept it in great shape.
Jay's Buick is certainly a very nice ride and a perfect example of a sleeper. Sleeper is a term used for a car that doesn't look fast but actually is the opposite.
Gotta love Jay and his cars; he drives them!
Every time I think of Leno’s Buick, I get a smile. This video is hilarious.
What a beautiful car!
Of all the cars Leno has shown this is the one I am most jealous of.
My first car in 1965 was a 1957 Buick Roadmaster. I was 15, working in a gas station and the owner needed an exhaust to drive out West for a job. I bought it for $80, the price of a bus ticket for him, put an exhaust on it for $40, drove it for the summer and sold it for $200 when I went back to school. My Dad had no issue with driving to work without a license but he knew once back in school I would get myself in trouble. I made a deal with my boss to pump gas from 6-8pm every night and use the shop so he could have evenings off and I bought probably 2 dozen cars through high school and college, fixed them up and flipped them. Made money on most of them and always had something to drive. The day I graduated college in '69, I bought a '67 Chevelle 396 and that was my baby for 25 years. I still bought and sold cars but for my wife until she got a Toyota Camry that she wouldnt part with. I ran a lawn and landscaping business and always had a rainy day project in the shop to fix and sell. My hobby paid for every vehicle I, my wife and two kids ever drove, all from an initial investment of $80 when I was 15 but that was two weeks wages at the time and a big risk for me.
that sound ! .... no not the engine (although its not bad) ... the sound when he closed the trunk!
solid !
Jay I love your car and you're passion for them. Keep being you!
I absolutely love the appreciation for this car Jay has, and it's greater potential !!
Lotsa good projects happening! Thanks for sharing!
My dad bought a brand new ‘56 Century. I was eight years old. I remember him driving it in Nevada at 120 mph. There was no speed limit at that time.
Anyway, a superb build on the Roadmaster.
Breathtaking-- quite literally. Just breathtaking.
Might be my favorite car in Jay's garage.
That Buick is beautiful. I haven't owned a 50's car in decades now. Maybe some day?
This is the ultimate resto-mod sleeper that Jay has had for a number of years now...There is nothing not to like about this beast, from the HP crate motor, the posi rears, the larger wheels that look stock, NOT, smoking them from a standstill, the trick suspension & on & on the list goes...
Bill on the Hill... :~)
Love this, I watch this often. The ROAR of the Engine is awesome. Thank you for the thrill.
That is an awesome roadmaster. We have two roadmaster wagons a 93 and a 96. My brother put a 383 stroker in the 96.what an awesome car.
Of all Jay's cars, this is the one I would want.
What a beauty. I had a 55 century as a kid. Love the dash.
Thank You Jay! I love it that you keep the glory of those days alive.
Beautiful Buick Roadmaster. If it was mine, the only change I would make would be to repaint those light colored areas behind the grille with a black or flat black to bring it back to the original stock look where the grille is all you notice. Back when these were new in the 1950's, Buick had some of the most impressive and spectacular grilles. Originally, the metal work behind the grille on each side of the radiator would have been black, to blend in with the black of the radiator. That enabled the shiny grille to be all that you noticed, highlighting the silvery mesh of the grille. As the car is now, the light or silver finish behind the grille breaks up and distracts from the beauty of the grille. It's a minor flaw, but something that old time Buick fans of that era will notice right away, and it will stand out every time they see it.
Very cool ,
thanks for sharing this one ,
this goes back a few years
very clean underhood
I am surprised Jay did not install a sealed air filter housing with cold air plumbing
that is a tough projest to make look clean though
air cleaner housing base is critical for how air enters top of carb
first class restomod here , as is the 7litre , Tornado , Falcon etc ...
thank you Jay for saving the rescue service you do for automotive history ,
That's a true hot rod Jay.
Great job.
What a sleeper, and great in the corners.
Probably one of the finest restomods on the planet. Well done.
Love this, thanks Dennis & Jay!
Love the Buick. Had lots of Buicks.
Hard to believe that was twenty years ago.... This was "my" era... I was in high school when this was filmed. I graduated two years after this in '05. It's absolutely CRAZY how time has passed so quickly. 🤦
Holy scrap that car goes,reminds me of the 66 Coronado Jay did yrs back.what a life you guys have ,especially Jay!
Tornado correction..
We had a 55' Olds Rocket 88 when I was a kid.
Nothin better than a well done Restomod!
My Uncle Ken had a 1956 Buick with Dynaflow. He loved it. Back in those days I used to "discuss" the advantages of the Hydramatic and the Torqueflight transmissions versus the Dynaflow with him. . . . I was in grade 7 back then.
Thank you for sharing this with us.The jackets help show the 2 college hooligans out testing Dad's new ride.Well done Mr.Leno,George,and the rest of the team at 'Leno's Garage'.Creating,and Re-creating masterpieces from anything that drove,or can.
15:50
And then they let Marty in to ride , and the shenanigans really flew.
My favorite car out of all his collection.
The first car i remember riding in at like 3 years old was my moms 55 2 door hardtop Buick Special red and white. I grew up in it and learned to drive in my grandpas 57 Buick Century 2 door hardtop light green and white.Then at 22 i bought a 55 Roadmaster 2 door hardtop at a estate sale.That was 1977 I still have it and it is a restorod also.Metalic cranberry and cream with a 1971 Buick Stage 1 455.
Nice!
Ive seen this car on video so many times, but im 62 and love cars - muscle cars, classic cars, antiques you name it and I have Jay to thank for so much quality car video and all the history he shares that goes with them. Ive always loved what he did with this Roadmaster, my first car was my uncles '63 Buick Lesabre with a Wildcat engine that was left to me after he passed. I really hate todays rolling science experiments they call cars - over complicated uber expensive to maintain and repair and totally unreliable in many cases. Thank you Jay for all you share with us, its most appreciated. I feel like the old Buick "Wildcat" engine name could have been appropriate somewhere - lol
Brings back memories...the old black & white 1955 TV series, Highway Patrol starring Broderick Crawford and his straight-eight Roadmaster!
For a while, my late father owned a '57 Roadmaster (nicknamed the Green Hornet), but mom made him sell it before my brother and I turned 16...probably saved our lives. 😉
Wonderful. Always one of my favorite cars. Beautiful and styling. Thanks for posting. Money well spent.
Gorgeous vehicle! Thanks for taking the time to show it to us! Sincere regards!
My dad had a 56 Buick Roadmaster, a beautiful car and the ride was unbelievable!! Never felt a bump!! So nice to see one again, thanks!!
My Dad owned a 1956 Buick Special four door for 11 years.Same body design as this one Jay owns.It was our family car and as a little kid myself and my two brothers would sit on the floor in the back seat,no seatbelts then,just a velvet rope attached to the backseat.We used to travel to Maine every year from Montreal to visit our aunt and he put over 100,000 miles on that old car.
You got to love that blessed acceleration
AWESOME CAR, Mr. Leno is a REAL car guy, gotta like it.
Great episode, I always enjoy watching Jay Leno and his cars and projects on the show.