Those weren't his.
The dark car to the left in the video is Leno's Monteverdi (sometimes spelled Monteverde). One of just a handful built. Here are some links on those cars: http://www.sportscarmarket.com/profiles/2006/February/Etceterini/index.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monteverdi_(car) http://www.tobiasullrich.de/monteverdi/cars/all/ http://www.monteverdi-automuseum.com/ansichten.html The red Ferrari to the right in the video supposedly belongs to one of Leno's friends and he keeps it in his garage for him. Jay Leno is a big fan of all things automotive but decided to not include Ferraris in his collection. Something about the way he was treated in the dealerships in his younger days before he became a national celebrity. He does hang out with Ferrari people, as you can read in this FCA-SW newsletter. He is mentioned on the bottom of page 26. http://www.fca-sw.org/sw/0601/sf0601.pdf The first article link (the one from SportsCarMarket) was written by Bob Lutz. Another famous Monteverdi owner. .
This is my understanding as well. He asked a young boy on his show what his favorite car was. The boy said "Ferrari" and Jay started to argue with him in a humorous way. I clearly got the impression that he does not like Ferraris at all. Lambo yes. Ferraris no. Ciao Phil Not Hill aka Dr. Phil Life is too short to not to own a Ferrari and be an F1 race fan. Now, go take on the day.
I was at Sport Auto one day and a car (A beat up old wreck) pulled in and a kid, probably 12, got out while his mom waited in the car. He came in with wide eyes and stood at the door. They asked if he would like some brochures and walked him around the floor for a few minutes. The kid was dumbfounded. When they took off the salesman said "you never know who will be your next customer." Maybe he's the next Leno?
As my parents told me: It doesn't cost anything to be nice to people. What goes around comes around. Karma 101
Jay has driven several Ferraris for Car Magazine write-ups - I have a first-issue for a startup Mag where he test-drives the 550 Maranello when it was first released.....he liked the car very much (or so it would seem). If he wanted one tomorrow, I have no doubt Ferrari of Beverly Hills would roll out the red carpet and hire a marching band....
I've generally gotten better treatment from people who sell cars that I can't afford, than those that I can!!
From Jay Leno: "Why I dont own any Ferraris I do like Ferraris. I like older ones. It just when I started collecting cars, Ferraris have always been expensive. Lamborghinis were fairly cheap, relatively. You could buy a car like an Espada, which is a V12 with 6 carbs and a 5 speed for probably a quarter of the price of a comparable Ferrari. So it just sort of became a joke around the shop, but when I do get a Ferrari youll be the first to know."
Don't mean to hijack but I LOVE the Porsche commercial with the kid seeing the 911 out his classroom window and then peddling to the dealership. "Got a card? I'll see you in about 15 years"
It took me a long time to respect Leno as a car guy simply because of the fact he has no Ferraris. I read his monthly column in Popular Mechanics and rather enjoy his viewpoint on automobiles in general, but money is obviously not an issue for him anymore, why not add some Ferrari's now?
What Ferrari would Jay Leno buy if he were to change his mind? His interests seem to be in having the ultimate car for a certain time period in history. This is a common theme in his collection. So, since cost is not an issue, maybe a 250 GT TDF or 250 SWB would be the car for him? And he'd want a "driver", not a trailer queen. .
I read a Leno interview regarding his attempt to purchase a Daytona years ago......the car was fairly well advertised. He responded to the ad, only to discover that he would have to deal primarily with a broker who did not have the car at all. The vehicle's owner was some jet-set foreigner who consistently could NOT be contacted, the Daytona could not be located/inspected/driven, etc. Jay gave up after getting the constant, too-typical broker 'runaround' on a phantom car that would only materialize, it seemed, only AFTER he showed up with cash money. Ferrari 'mystique' at its finest, he mused....
Too bad that Jay's experience with buying a Ferrari, turned him off on the whole deal of owning them. Jay wasn't too enthused about owning German and Japanese cars, because of his feelings on WWII. He has both, I believe, in his collection these days. Maybe one day... Ciao...Paolo
I understand and empathize with Jay that the car buying/dealer experience is a big part of how we feel about the car -- it's part of the personality of the car company. I'd probably feel the same way - here's why I don't: For my 16th birthday (1974) our family drove 5 hours in the family station wagon to Atlanta to FAF so Italian car crazy son could see a real Ferrari. This is when FAF was behind the grain silos in Tucker in a nondescript single story brick building. We were warmly greeted by everyone there as if we were family! I sat in almost every car there -- Dinos, Daytonas, Lussos. Even non-car-aficiondo Dad was even taken by how guys could be so enthusiastic and friendly about these little foreign jobs to the point he was finally convinced there must be something to them. They gave us a couple of patches to my little brother and me (which I still have) and we were hooked for life. I also knew I had the best parents in the world. That was my first impression of Ferrari people, and despite several QUITE contrary visits to some Ferrari dealers since, I still meet Ferrari guys like that first day at FAF 32 years ago and know this is the car for me.
The only time I've ever been to a dealership with Ferrari's was at SVAG. At the time, which was only a few weeks ago there was an Enzo, SuperAmerica, and so on and so forth with the "normal" Ferrari's. I would have loved to have a seat in one, but unfortunately I couldn't catch anyone's attention long enough to talk them into letting me. Though very courtious, I believe the seemingly common front of not seeming interested in the customer until the customer is trying to get their attention to be difficult to work with. That is until I went to the other part of the dealership deemed as the Lamborghini portion. There the man working that let me climb into a Saleen S7 and a Murcielago. It was, needless to say, a dream come true. I don't think it's the dealership as a whole who should take the blaim, but the different styles of the people working there that can perhaps mislead customers to believe that they are being mistreated and so forth. I've been in a Chevy dealership and treated like dirt, and as said above, an exotic car dealership, and they treated me like I just pulled up in the back of a limo. Just shows what the dealer is trying to accomplish. Peter Hatch
Getting back to the Leno theme: I've heard him asked why he didn't own an Enzo when it had just come out. He replied that he didn't like cars with paddle shifters at all, they really turn him off. He likes cars that involve the driver more, and take skill to master, proficiency has to be earned through experience and involvement. That said, he still bought a Mercedes SLR though... He's always been a hardcore Lambo guy, he just doesn't really care for Ferraris and the culture surrounding the marque in general. This and other mentioned reasons (dealer arrogance being the main one).
Does anyone know the whole story about Jay and his dislike for Ferrari?? I've heard several versions. He took several shots at Ferrari on BJ auction. Inquiring minds what to know.
My understanding is that he wanted to buy a new Ferrari, but wanted it NOW and didnt want to be on any waiting list. The thinking was that he may have felt that, as both a very visable and very wealthy celebrity, he should be able to buy whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. The fact Ferrari told him to get in line apparently ruffled his feathers. I heard Dr. Phil thought the same way, and was equally irritated. They were together on Lenos show a while back cutting down Ferrari and bragging up thier Corvettes, pretty funny when you think about it. I wonder if Ferrari does stuff like that just to get more exposure? Think about it, more people know Leno is PO'ed at Ferrari not selling him a car, than would ever know if hed been able to buy a new one. Quite the free advertising lol.
Jay's so big on vintage and classics of all descriptions, and I've always been curious as to why he doesn't have at the least a 275 GTB/4, F40, or Boxer in his garage. Anyone with a few $mil to spare can get into highest end of the vintage/classic Ferrari market and not come within 1000 miles of a factory dealership, and Jay certainly has more than just a few $mil laying around. I guess his ego was so badly affronted by the dealer that he dislikes all things Ferrari, across the board.
So he is cutting his chin off to spite his face & missing out on the best the automotive world can offer? I like Leno, but he really should have simply taken his business to another dealer if one offended him. As far as waiting for a new Ferrari? Learn the maket & understand that that is the nature of Ferrari's business....
I'm actually glad that that dealer "roughed him up" so to speak. From this story, it seems as if Ferrari is loyal to their customers: They won't bump you off the list for the next 599, F430, 612, etc. just for a celebrity.