Jay Leno's Garage

Jay Leno has a lot of old cars with a lot of obsolete parts. When he needs to replace these parts, he skips the error-prone machinist and goes to his rapid prototyping 3D printer. Simply scan, print and repeat.

In the current issue of Popular Mechanics, he writes about his recent work restoring a 1966 Ford Galaxie 7 Litre—a car just like the one his dad owned when Jay was 16. As Jay reminisces about this V8 cruiser with muffler delete, he also remembers getting fired from his first job as a lot boy at the local Ford dealership.

Recently I bought a Dodge Coronet two-door station wagon. Although we were never a wagon family when I was a kid—there were just four of us—my friend’s parents had a ’54 Plymouth Belvedere wagon with a flat-head Six. So when I saw this Dodge, it brought back those fond memories.

It's been 10 years since Jay Leno's garage first appeared in Popular Mechanics. But instead of looking back, Jay's celebrating his first decade with PM by looking forward--at which cars today have the potential to be collectible in the future.

If you haven't heard, Pontiac is no more. In an exclusive story for PM, Jay Leno looks back at the 83-year-old brand, focusing on Pontiac’s historic muscle cars and surprisingly innovative technology.

Long before megasponsors, endurance racing pioneer Ab Jenkins raced for the love of the sport, sometimes driving for more than 24 hours straight. Jay Leno had a chance to test drive Jenkins's custom Duesenberg, the Mormon Meteor III, a 750 hp monster that takes some real elbow grease to steer.

When it comes to replacing cylinder heads in a Duesenberg, there is next to nowhere to turn—there just aren't any spares left. Jay found one brave soul who went to work casting the 185-pound cylinder heads from blueprints that didn't even show the casting cores. Now this cherished classic can get back to where it belongs—on the road.

At 256 MPH the SSC Ultimate Aero is faster than a $1.5 Million Bugatti Veyron. If American cars are about brute horsepower, torque and reliability, the SSC Aero is red white and blue to its core.

One day I was driving my 1955 Buick Roadmaster and spotted two older, gray-haired guys (meaning they were probably my age) in a 1956 Buick, a lot like my car. They were wearing hats and satin jackets with Buick logos on them. As soon as they spotted me, the driver started waving, honking his horn and shouting, "Hey, nice car! We're Buick guys, too. Follow us!"

Whether it's a high-tech wind turbine, a vintage generator that runs on coal gas or a restored steam engine, I'm fascinated by alternative power sources and fuels.