Jay Leno's Shelby GT350

As everyone knows, Jay Leno is known as a big car collector as well as a late night talk show host. It’s no surprise that Mr. Leno was close to the likes of automotive legend, Carroll Shelby, who passed away just recently at the ripe age of 89.

Being a big car guy, it only makes sense that Jay Leno would have the best in his garage. One of the gems in his garage consists of a Shelby GT350, which was signed by Carroll twenty years ago. Carroll Shelby was responsible for three of the coolest cars from the 60’s such as the GT40, the Cobra, and the Mustang GT350. Jay’s favorite Road and Track cover is where the man himself is standing among all three.

Carroll had an incredible drive and was completely passionate about what he was accomplishing. He had a bunch of hot-rod builders bring the Shelby Daytona Coupe to life. He was the first American to go overseas and beat the Ferrari on their very own turf. According to Jay Leno, Carroll Shelby was a lot like Enzo Ferrari in regards to not being a trained engineer, but hiring the right people who shared the vision of creating legendary sports cars.

Jay supported the Carroll Shelby Charity by contributing a donation that turned into a game between the two of them that spanned decades. Every time they’d be at the same place, Jay would make eye contact with Shelby knowing that he’d come asking for donations to the charity and then go hide. Shelby would eventually find his way to Jay and they’d share a laugh over it.

The automotive industry lost a legend, but he still lives on through the cars he has helped produce, new and old. He is remembered on tracks everywhere with Shelby cars scattered around the globe. Jay has lost a friend, as he says that the world will be a less interesting place without Carroll Shelby in it. We can’t agree more.