Leno drives Henry Ford II's all-original '52 Ferrari 212 Barchetta - Autoblog Just saw this if anyone's interested.
Great video. Thanks for posting. I agree about the tires and funny how many times it is brought up. Keep the originals for show but get a second set of wheels and tires for driving.
Wow that's very neat, thanks for sharing! On a side note, why does Jay have to keep touching and leaning on it?
Great video! I'm surprised they drive it on those tires?!?! Fantastic car and great piece of history.
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/vintage-thru-365-gtc4-sponsored-vintage-driving-machines/450985-all-original-52-barchetta-enzo-gave-ford-ii-leno-video-12-28-a.html
I don't know about that, the guy from Petersen did not answer the question on value. While lacking in race pedigree, it more than makes up for it in history, originality, ownership, one off etc. My guess at the right auction this car would pull as much money as a 250 SWB or Testarossa...well north of $30M, in my opinion. MB
Jay Leno has no "hate" for Ferrari. He is a true car guy and a very kind man in person. I had the pleasure of sitting at a table for lunch with Jay a several years ago at Quail.
He could pay cash for it..no problem. Jay is a very, very rich man. I just wonder what his annual costs are for his collection and buildings. Including the full time techs he has maintaining it. Never mind the fact that every car he has is insured and licensed.
^An interesting anecdote: He has claimed that he spends none of his Tonight Show earnings on anything related to his car collection.
Just guessing, but I'd say that in spite of his ubiquitous blue work shirt, Jay doesn't spend a lot of time waxing and polishing fingerprints off of his huge car collection. If you don't have an appreciation and/or an understanding of something, you can inadvertently look like a jerk. Even though I've heard Jay is a really nice guy, I doubt if he has a lot of wax-on-wax-off time under his belt. I'm sure if I went to a golf tournament I would forget to whisper. Or if I found myself in the Tonight Show green room, I wouldn't know what to do with the complimentary cocaine and bowl of M&Ms with all the brown ones removed.
I'm pretty certain that you will find that Jay Leno knows his way round a toolbox and knows his way round cars and engines pretty well actually! If they didn't think the car was too precious to have it driving out on the public streets with 50 year old tyres on it and the risk stone chips and other cars running into it then I'm pretty certain they were not too bothered about him touching it! It's a bloody car at the end of the day! - It's not as though he was handling ancient delicate documents with his bare hands! As for the blue denim shirt: I suspect you will find that this isn't some sort of act to try to appear to be just like an ordinary bloke! I'd say it's because it simplifies his wardrobe greatly and, based on on long these shirts can last, they represent good value for money! Jay Leno wasn't born into money, he didn't come from a rich family, he earned his wealth and so he probably appreciates value for money to this very day! - Not everyone who is rich feels a need to flaunt it with fancy clothes!
No doubt, Jay is very wealthy and could buy the car, assuming 30M+, he'd have to sell some investments, doubt he has the cash just laying around and would think real hard about spending 20% of his net wealth. My opinion, Jay would not go to the bank for a Ferrari, any Ferrari, but would spend the $$ on a Bugatti Royal if one were to come up. MB
You must have Flunked Math in school!!! Jay Leno's net worth is 350 Million!, which means a 30 million dollar car is less than 10% of Jay's net worth, NOT 5%!!! Jay Leno Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth
I'll bet it's more. Jay's wealth I think is way under valued. He may well be one of the most wealthy people in Hollywood.
That's fantastic, but the 60 year old tires are insane. With a car worth about $30 million, you'd think Peterson could have another set of wheels and tires for it. Cheers, George
I love the video. Thanks for sharing. The shirt is, I think, a comfortable shirt he like to wear when he is just hanging out in the garage. He has an obvious interest and love for many things automotive, I hope this might help to put an end to the Jay vs. Ferrari thing. Otherwise this could become the often mis-told story like the "new car" gift story. I love the way he turned around, playing for the camera, and asked if he might get a ride in it. ... I think he knew.