The most well-known car collector in the world, Jay Leno, owns about 181 vehicles. Why then does he not possess even a single Ferrari? Jay Leno finally admits in a recent interview that he likes Ferrari’s automobiles but thinks the dealership customer service is appalling.
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Why Jay Leno doesn’t own a Ferrari is as follows.
Jay Leno owns a wide range of automobiles from well-known to extremely obscure marques. But Ferrari is absent from the list. Leno gave an explanation for why he doesn’t own a single vehicle sporting the Prancing Horse logo in a December 2021 interview on the podcast “Cars and Culture.”
Leno added, “I just never enjoyed dealing with the dealers. It’s not a criticism of the vehicle.
Leno thinks Ferrari salespeople mistreat clients given how pricey the cars are. In the brief video, he alleged that Ferrari coerces owners into paying for certifications of authenticity and referenced Ferrari dealers who pressured buyers to purchase multiple cars in order to obtain orders. He said that other supercar producers perform better.
Leno remembers a McLaren representative telling him straight out that he didn’t need to spend $20,000 on carbon-ceramic brakes and providing him a free power upgrade for his MP4-12C. Leno is a great supporter of McLaren; he’s driven a P1 for the first time outside of a McLaren and has owned an F1 since it was new. Nevertheless, it’s difficult to argue with service like that.
Leno claimed that Porsche gave him a thorough tour of the Carrera GT after delivering it to his garage. He asserts that Ferrari would never offer that caliber of service.
Leno claimed that Ferrari still produces “great” automobiles, and he has highlighted several of them on his “Jay Leno’s Garage” YouTube series, including a vintage 1960 250 PF Cabriolet and a contemporary SF90 Stradale. One benefit of having a successful YouTube program is that you can always rent a Ferrari if you don’t want to deal with the hassles of owning one.
It is unrelated to automobiles.
On a recent edition of “Cars and Culture with Jason Stein,” Leno discussed his non-ownership of a Ferrari and disclosed that the experience of Ferrari sales, which he claims is unfriendly to customers, is what turns him off rather than the sticker price of a Ferrari. Leno added, “I just never enjoyed dealing with the dealers.
“You should be treated like a customer because you are spending an amazing amount of money.” Leno gave instances of positive interactions with rival brands like McLaren but avoided going into detail about any particular unpleasant experiences he had in the past at a Ferrari shop. Leno does not appear to be on the famed Ferrari blacklist, either.
The cliché says that when it comes to having an unique Ferrari, “No, you don’t pick Ferrari. You are chosen by Ferrari.” Regardless of how rich you are or how well-known you are, Ferrari only chooses its clients if they truly share the brand’s values and are Ferrari enthusiasts. There are even speculations that in order to even be considered for the elusive list that receives the invitation to purchase items like the La Ferrari, you must have a specific number of Ferraris in your garage.
Even dealing with the Italian automaker was likened to dealing with BDSM by the former talk show personality.
The majority of people may recognize Jay Leno as the former host of The Tonight Show, but in our region, he is likely even more well-known for being a true and dedicated car enthusiast. He still keeps busy with his CNBC vehicle show, Jay Leno’s Garage, after leaving the talk show business, and is hailed as one of the world’s most active car collectors. Jay Leno owns 181 automobiles in addition to 160 motorcycles, according to a duPont Registry list published last year. The exact number of cars in Jay Leno’s actual garage undoubtedly varies regularly.
The late-night legend reportedly does not own any Ferraris despite having a sizable collection, and there’s a good reason for that: He abhors the requirements Ferrari dealerships place on buyers in order to be allowed to acquire a vehicle from Maranello. It’s a little-known fact that dealing with Ferrari can be challenging unless you’re a lifelong, paying Tifosi member with a long history of Ferrari ownership.
Leno remarked on Cars and Culture with Jason Stein that “Simply put, I’ve never enjoyed dealing with dealers. I don’t want to give a man $25,000 in a sealed envelope, you know. I’d prefer not to have to purchase two Mondials.” The Ferrari Mondial, a car made by Ferrari from 1980 to 1993, is used by Jay to illustrate his point, which tells me two things: first, Jay has held this opinion for literally decades, and second, Ferrari has been conducting business this manner for at least as long.
Then he contrasted Ferrari’s “prove your worth” strategy with its bitter competitor McLaren’s significantly more customer-focused outlook.
“The dealer service is one of McLaren’s smart features. I purchased my McLaren and paid the sticker price in full. The purchasing process was excellent. My MP4-12C was the car I owned for about six or seven months. They informed me by phone one day that there had been an increase from 592 to 617 horsepower. Do you desire the upgrade? When I inquired about the cost, they responded, “It’s free.”
He continues with another incident about how Leno was once talked out of purchasing carbon brakes by a McLaren salesperson who suggested that they might not be necessary for street driving, thus saving Leno $20,000. Jay contrasts the BDSM experience with the Ferrari dealership visit. It’s like when wealthy men visit a dominatrix and say, “Oh, she kicked the snot out of me, it was terrific.” I mean, some men are like that.
Leno does not, however, deny his admiration for the vehicles themselves. “They’re great vehicles. Just the fact that you’re spending so much money is not a criticism of the car. You ought to be treated like a client.”
It’s strangely heartening to realize that “screw car dealers” is a sentiment that can actually transcend tax rates, even though the ordinary car lover like you or I may not have anywhere near the amount of vehicles that Jay Leno does.
Why Jay Leno Will Not Purchase Even One Ferrari
Although Jay Leno is a well-known figure in Hollywood, what truly sets him apart from other celebrities is his extraordinary care for rare automobiles and motorcycles. Leno has access to about any type of vehicle one could desire to drive, including Baker Electrics, steam cars, and the McLaren F1. Ferrari, though, is one brand that he does not carry in his garage, and he has now clarified why.
Simply expressed, Leno detests the process of purchasing a Ferrari, noting the traditional practice of requiring a new Ferrari buyer to acquire several less expensive vehicles in order to access one of the flagship stallions. The experience he compares it to is somewhat excessive because it’s such a serious problem: “It’s comparable to wealthy men seeing a dominatrix. Oh my God, she really kicked the heck out of me! That’s fantastic; some guys adore it. I don’t.”
Not because he disapproves of the Italian brand’s goods: “They’re fantastic vehicles; I just saw the SF90; I just never enjoyed doing business with dealers.” He continues by describing his positive interactions with other brands. One of his favorite manufacturers, McLaren, once convinced him to forego a $20,000 carbon brake package since it wouldn’t improve his driving. He recalls that they also upgraded his MP4-12C’s power output, for free, from 592 to 617 hp.
He also has complimentary things to say about Porsche. He didn’t even need to go to the dealer to pick up his Carrera GT, for example. It arrived accompanied with a jacket, a book about the vehicle, and some stationery. The fact that Porsche also dispatched a few mechanics so they could walk him through, among other things, how to put the car on a lift, is probably the finest part.
Leno pokes fun at the custom of returning the vehicle to Ferrari after a few years to obtain a certificate of authenticity from them by saying, “You’re spending an unbelievable amount of money, you should be made to feel like a customer.” It’s challenging to contest his viewpoint because he is arguably the pinnacle of automotive guys.
Jay Leno Owns 180 Vehicles, But There Is Not A Single Ferrari (And There Is A Funny Reason)
A man with Jay Leno’s net worth, connections, preferences, and online series would be expected to acquire a Ferrari. The retired late-night talk show presenter apparently owns an astounding auto collection that includes 180 automobiles and 160 motorcycles, but he refuses to embrace the Prancing Horse cult.
Jay Leno tells Vehicles & Culture with Jason Stein, “You know, I like Ferraris. They’re wonderful cars. I just never enjoyed dealing with the dealers.
You have to buy two subpar cars before I say, “Yes.” Just buy the car, you know? I don’t want to hand a guy $25,000 in an envelope or be told, “Well you gotta buy two Mondials before you can buy.”
“I simply get bored of the thought that I have it for two years, then I take it back to obtain a certificate to verify that it’s indeed a Ferrari – that’s $25,000,” the seller continued.
Jay Leno continued by contrasting his purchasing experiences with McLaren and Porsche with the burning hurdles you’d have to clear to give your hard-earned money to the illustrious Maranello-based company.
The auto enthusiast-comedian continues, “The smart thing about McLaren is the dealer service. I bought my McLaren, I paid exactly the sticker [price].
They contacted me one day and said, “Oh there’s an upgrade from 592 horsepower or something to 617. You want the upgrade?,” to which I replied, “How much is it?,” to which they replied, “It’s free… just come on in.” “Buying it was a terrific process. I owned the car for six or seven months.”
“I brought it in, and just like when I bought it, I said I wanted to order the carbon-fibre brakes. The sales guy asks, “Do you track the car?” I reply, “No, mostly street. He goes, “Don’t get the carbon fiber, save $20,000 You don’t need it.” I say, “You sure?” He replies, “Guaranteed it. In fact, the steel brakes are better on the street because they work right away, you don’t have
You know, right up until the car showed up, I felt like a customer. “When I bought my Porsche Carrera GT, Porsche brought it here in a flatbed, they sent two mechanics to show me how to jack it up, the jacking points, putting the blocks in here… they sent me a jacket, here’s a book on the car, here’s a pen and pencil set.”
It’s similar to when wealthy men visit a dominatrix and say things like, “Oh, she kicked the snot out of me, it was amazing.” I mean, some men think like that.
“[Ferrari] are amazing automobiles; it’s not a criticism of the vehicle; it’s just that… you’re spending a great deal of money; you should be treated like a client,” the customer said.
Watch the episode of Jay Leno’s Garage featuring the 2021 Ferrari SF90 and Jay Leno’s explanation of why he won’t buy a Ferrari below.
Which vehicles does Jay Leno own?
He owns 160 motorcycles and perhaps 180 vehicles totaling millions of dollars. A $12 million McLaren F1 and even an armored Daimler Ferret Scout are among Jay Leno’s collection of automobiles.