Many of us enjoyed reading i_heart_my_db8‘s encounter with the McLaren MP4-12C. While we are all worshippers at the altar of VTEC, most of us remain at heart car enthusiasts and acknowledge other cars. Likewise, it warms our heart when a fellow car enthusiast acknowledges our enthusiasm as well. As things turned out, a group of Southern California S2000 owners were out on their routine Last Sunday of the Month Santa Monica Run when they encountered a McLaren MP4-12C. The door opened and jaws dropped everywhere when people realized who the owner was (Hint: the most famous chin in recent American talk show history).
On December 18, a group of S2000 owners from Southern California set out on their monthly drive on roads that were still slick from recent rainfall. The group eventually arrived at an overlook where they parked their cars and got out to enjoy the view. Shortly thereafter an orange (they call it Volcano Orange) McLaren MP4-12C pulled up to the overlook and the door opened to reveal part-time talk show host and full-time auto enthusiast, Jay Leno.
The stupefied S2000 owners eventually got over their bashfulness and approached Jay for an obligatory picture. In the words of our member, RMurphy, “I was told by just about every guy in our group, ‘You gotta go talk to him! Get a picture! He can’t say no to you; you’re a girl!’ LOL! I was surprisingly nervous talking to the man. I honestly at one point just didn’t know what to say. He was very nice and very approachable, I was just feeling incredibly nervous.”
Jay posed for several pictures with our fellow members and also talked to them about his Honda S600 (which coincidentally had its engine built by Formula H in Upstate New York). As though their year-round perfect weather was not enough, we find yet another reason to hate on our fellow-members from SoCal (we kid!).
Props to Jay for being very welcoming and obliging to our members. We hold out hope that perhaps someday an S2000 will also make its way to his awesome garage. As to whether the McLaren that played with i_heart_my_db8 belonged to Jay Leno, we can’t say for sure, but per our member Chaz and his comment on the home page, it is indeed Jay.
What do you think?
Images courtesy of RMurphy. Tip of the hat to chazdawg35 for the link.
Related Links:
S2KI – Southern California S2000 Owners: Last Sunday of the Month Santa Monica Mountains Run
S2KI – I Beat a McLaren MP4-12C with my S2000
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on Jan 17th, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Thats awesome that he got out to socialize, definitely a true gearhead.
on Jan 17th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
very cool
on Jan 17th, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Different day, different color. I’m not sure the McLaren I encountered was Jay, until someone posts pics.
on Jan 17th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Everything I’ve heard about Jay, especially concerning cars, is he will shoot the shit with anyone who isn’t harassing him. It’d be fun to get a tour of his garages.
on Jan 17th, 2012 at 7:50 pm
ya it would have been cool to hear what he had to say about the S2K and to talk shop with him. He knows his stuff thats for sure.
on Jan 17th, 2012 at 10:30 pm
Jay’s MP4-12C may well be the only one in LA. I have seen him driving it thru Benedict Cny regularly, since he lives off of San Ysidro in Beverly Hills. You should see him when he drives his Ariel Atom….good luck catching him even on a bike.
on Jan 17th, 2012 at 11:33 pm
He’s a cool cat. Saw his GT-R on youtube, and a true gearhead.
on Jan 17th, 2012 at 11:39 pm
lol it doesn’t surprise me that much that is was Jay Leno. I mean, that guy is a major car enthusiast that owns many many cars. Too bad he doesn’t own an S2000 though. I suppose they are below his price range :c
on Jan 18th, 2012 at 6:14 am
Awesome.
on Jan 18th, 2012 at 6:42 am
I remember i_heart_my_DB8′s story mentioning the car being a gray color. Unless Jay has 2..lol then i don’t think it was him.
on Jan 18th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Awesome story on both fronts. It is great to hear that Jay takes the time to listen and chat with fellow auto enthusiasts. And to know that his S600 was partially finessed from Formula H in Middletown, NY makes us Upstater’s feel that much closer to the legend himself. Good on ya guys.
-Jeremy
on Jan 18th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
http://m.wired.com/autopia/2012/01/jay-leno-mclaren-mp4-12c/?pid=1530&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews&viewall=true
on Jan 20th, 2012 at 11:05 am
Very cool!
That man loves his denim
on Jan 20th, 2012 at 6:17 pm
Denim is basically his uniform. Gotta admit the approach has its advantages. You don’t have to think about it– just reach in the closet and grab a denim shirt and some jeans and you’re dressed. His hair really cracked me up though. Kind of looked like he rolled out of bed, ran his fingers through the front of it and said, “good enough for a Sunday morning,” and off he went. Nice man, and I was glad he let us take pictures with him. That’s me in the yellow scarf (color matched to my car, of course). -R.
on Jan 21st, 2012 at 5:57 pm
And as far as Jay being the mystery driver in i_heart_my_DB8′s article– well, I doubt it. The other story definitely references the color of the car as being charcoal and unless Jay has two of these cars, that wasn’t his. That’s another good reason for everyone else to hate on SoCal; some of the coolest cars in the world not only live right here, but they also play out in our local mountains and canyons quite frequently where we get to see them in their natural habitat. -Roseanne
on Jan 22nd, 2012 at 12:31 am
Hmm. Sorry about the double post. The first one showed up, but then disappeared. I figured I must have goofed or it got deleted so I posted again.
on Jan 22nd, 2012 at 4:57 pm
As a 20 year old, I managed to get a summer job, through a friend, at a grey market car importer in CT. That summer (2000) they imported Jay Leno’s McLaren F1, and I got the chance to talk to him on the phone. He was just calling to talk to the owner of the company, but he was genuinely excited about his car.
Back in early 2008, Jay published a video of his S600 on his web site, showing the rebuilding and driving of it. I sent a message through his site about it, and his McLaren F1 and the shop I was at years before. I posted my cell # and email just for kicks. I never expected that my comment would even reach him.
A week later, I’m sitting at work one afternoon, and my cell rings. Caller ID says “Unknown Number” and I almost don’t answer it, thinking it’s a telemarketer or something.
But nope – Jay Leno himself, calling to talk to me. We talked cars for only about 3 or 4 minutes, but it was by far the coolest phone call I’ve ever gotten.
He really is a nice guy, and just an auto enthusiast all around. Unlike some celebrities with car collections, Jay really cares about the culture and the people that make it.
on Jan 26th, 2012 at 7:58 pm
did anyone ask what’s up with his love for denim jean shirts?
on Jan 30th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
fin: I think we were all more interested in his McLaren than his shirts.
on Feb 17th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
I’m a Brit and liked JL ever since he did “Star in a reasonable priced car” on Top Gear… The man is legend, all those cars and still happy with one woman! Loyalty and integrity.