Jay Leno has plopped his denim self behind the wheel of a JZA80 Supra. It was bound to happen, we suppose — the car an icon and Leno is probably the most recognizable car collector in the US. However, in this case the show is less about the car and more about who drove it in its most famous movie appearance.
The video was made to support the In Memory of Paul car show coming up May 20 in southern California. The show raises money for the disaster relief charity Reach Out Worldwide which Paul Walker founded. As you know, the star of The Fast & The Furious died in a car crash in 2013.
As such, Jay spends most of the episode cruising around in a JDM Supra with Paul’s brother Cody, talking about the actor and show business. Jay does comment a bit about the Supra but is somewhat out of his element when it comes to Nihon steel. It’s almost cute how impressed he is that the legendary 2JZGTE has 4-valves per cylinder, or when he doesn’t seem to realize that the R32 was a RHD-only car. Then again, I don’t know squat about a 1910 Stanley Steam Car.
Jay’s videos are mini history lessons on many of the cars he does. He is not a total novice when it comes to Japanese cars having done pieces on 60s and 70s Datsuns, Mazdas, Hondas, and Toyotas. Admittedly, he has done nothing from Japan made in the 80s and 90s. He even has three Mazdas in his collection: a 110S, a Miata, and an RX-8. I think some of his unawareness is real but some of it is also for the audience to keep the conversation going.