Jay Combines His Big Personality & His Big Passion: Cars

On a ten-minute break from shooting his CNBC show Jay Leno’s
Garage, the star calls QVC to dish about his latest venture: Jay Leno's Garage 5-Piece Ultimate Car Care Kit ready to launch this month. But first, we talk cars. Jay has quite a collection.

InsideQ: Your love of cars is well-known. How many cars and motorcycles do you have?

Jay: Oh boy, you sound like my wife. One hundred eighty one cars. One hundred sixty motorcycles. I ride them all. Some are antiques and some are waiting to be restored. Some I ride more than others.

InsideQ: Do you have a favorite?

Jay: If I had a favorite I wouldn’t have all of these cars! Sometimes it’s fun to go fast, sometimes it’s fun to go slow. Some are exciting to look at, some are steam powered. I like the whole range of things.

InsideQ: You’re rich and famous already! Why did you get in the car-care business?

Jay: You know, the easy way to do it is people write you a big check and you endorse someone else’s product. But the nice thing about being independently wealthy is that my profit margin can be extremely small because making money is not a big thing. We can make high-end polish at a low-end price because my slice is small.

InsideQ: How did you get so involved?

Jay: It’s something I enjoy doing. The heart is happiest when the head and the hands work together. It’s relaxing for me. I like to go to the garage every day. I work with a couple of guys who had a small detail company. I’d say, “Here’s what I want: a metal polish that will polish but won’t take off the chrome.”

InsideQ: What sets your car-care kit apart?

Jay: I think involvement with the product. Is it the best? I have no idea. It’s like saying “Are you the funniest comedian?” I don’t know. I think it’s a superior product. But it’s up to people to let me know what they think. This is a slow roll out. You know, when I started as a comedian I didn’t take off like wildfire. Each week you get a little better and grow gradually, and that’s how the product is now. People tell us they do like it!

InsideQ: Will you be appearing as the on-air guest on QVC?

Jay: Yeah, I’ll be on the air. It’ll be fun!

And just like that, we’re out of time. Jay informs me that Arnold Schwarzenegger, a guest star on his show, just left and now Jay’s crew is staring at him to get back to work. Break time’s over!

Jay: I’m going guys, I’ll be done in a minute!

InsideQ: Thanks for checking in with us, Jay. See you on air soon!