1964 Porsche 356C - Jay Leno's Garage 

Jay Leno doesn't have a garage. This is a museum. He has so many awesome old and modern classics AND so much old racing memorabilia. It's truly amazing. So glad he will continue to update this RU-vid channel even after his TV Show deal. Massive respect!

This was one of the best episodes. The car was lovely, the owner and the builder were nice and tons of technical information. More episodes like this please.

That John guy was really soothing to listen to, now I can fall asleep happily.

In the late '70's, I drove a friends worn out 356B. I knew i had to have one. I opened a "Porsche bank account" and deposited to it every month. In 1979, I couldn't stand Buffalo, NY anymore and cashed the "Porsche" account and bought a 1974 MGBGT to drive to California. When I got there, I was sitting at a stop light at San Antonio and Middlefield and there was 3 - 356's waiting in the other directions. I still have the MGBGT and drive it all the time. I don't see 356's, much less 3 of them, at stoplights anymore.

Great stuff. I love when the content is not rushed.

It was a real pleasure to see John Willhoit describe his processes and enjoy your friendly banter in this video. It's always great to hear real car guys discuss the trade.

What a gentle soul Rajani is. A doctor who can cure you with his voice.

This guy is a great speaker. Public speaking and story telling at its finest

Anand is the best. A great physician and car collector.

Back in the 80’s… my neighbor had a 356 in his garage. As a kid… I was enthralled with it. Never had seen such a car up close. A thing of beauty.

356s are just so amazing. They're beautiful in a way that very few other cars are. They're so happy looking with the frunk making the car smile. I would love to have one one day.

Great episode. John Willhoit and Rob Dickinson at Singer approach modifications similarly; hours and hours of engineering and design, before producing their own proprietary parts to function better than the original. They really love what they're doing and their customers are the beneficiaries. This detailed look into John's workmanship was just great. Please Jay, send us more like this!

I can't afford about 99.9 percent of the cars jay shows on his channel but he just makes it fun and interesting to watch I don't feel too bad. thanks jay :-)

In the early 80's I had a 1974 914 2liter LE Bumblebee. It was basically a loaded with options 914 with a special paint package and front and rear sway bars, front spoiler, Mahle wheels etc. I loved that car! It wasn't fast but on a tight road it was very quick. A neighbor guy who looked like he was maybe 19 had a 356 convertible. We got together and he drove mine and I drove his. To be honest right then and there I fell in love with that 356! My car was a pristine example of the 914, cared for it's entire life but the 356 felt so much better built and like it would just last forever. Honestly I didn't tell him that my ego wouldn't let me but I pretty much fell out of love with my car and in love with that 356!

John Willhoit definitely knows his stuff. Great video Jay!

Dr. Anand is pretty gutsy driving that around in Fresno!

These episodes are such a treat. I like that the cars are the highlight, not annoying house background music, stupid schticky 'insider' pranks or 5 frames per second views of 5 different angles of the car flashing across the screen. Great job Jay!

In about 1971, I was in college (University of Pacific, Stockton, CA). UOP was private school and most of the students were from rich parents, so had vehicles, which those of us with less funds dealt with bicycles. I needed transportation. A guy in the dorm that I knew drove a Porsche 356c, but also had several motorcycles that I could barely afford. He let me drive the Porsche, but I couldn't afford that (~2,500 in 1971), so I bought the 1969 Honda CB160 (about $600 then as i can recall), and drove it for ~5 years before I bought my 1966 Mustang

The 1964-65 356 C was the last of the 356 series. These later cars benefitted from many years of racing development. A primary example was the 4 wheel disc brakes. What was most striking to me as an owner was the build quality. Both coupe and cabriolet versions were leagues ahead of contemporary sports cars with the exception of hand built european exotics. The extremely stiff and solid monocoque body was also very light for a production car, weighing between 1650-1900 lbs. The trailing arm suspension was excellent in deflecting suspension loads from rough unpaved surfaces and led to great rally success despite the relative small displacement. The doors shut like a bank vault, an uncommon feature compared to competitors ie. Jaguar, Triumph, Austin Healy, and the like. My wife ran a 356 into a concrete pillar at 30 miles an hour and walked away. The doors both worked perfectly after the impact demonstrating how strong the structure was. The damage was limited to the right front corner of the car and it was successfully repaired. A sports car with a weaker body structure would have been absolutely totaled.

I'm mesmerized by that beautiful color.

I don't see it as a car but more as a work of art. Classic !

Now this is what I'm talking about.. beautiful car! Love Porsche, I can't stop filming some of mine

I gotta get me one of those Porsche................................Pencils!

I drove my 1961 356sc cabriolet for over 300,000 miles with NO failures, discounting clutches, link pins, tires and conv. tops (3). finally rust from salted roads killed the frame. Most reliable car !

This is i think exactly what we wanted to stay. At least i was affraid your "reviews" were going to be cut to 3 minute clips saying go check out the show and all that but im really glad thats not the case. Thank You JLG Crew along with Jay.

Really learnt a thing or two from John - love seeing in side a motor & its parts - those pistons & rods are works of art -thanks Jay, more of the same please :)

What a lovely approach to the 356! John Willhoit ought to be regarded as a treasure for Porschephiles.

This is the First car I ever drove back in 1964 when I was 13 years old. An intoxicated friend of my father took me for a ride on winding Vermont roads in pitch blackness. When he stopped to turn around, he asked me if I wanted to drive it home. Who said liquor could be a bad thing?

I now have a new appreciation for a Porsche. Love that color to Anand, it is beautiful.

Such a beautiful piece of classic automotive mechanics. Thanks a lot, Jay!

I think I can afford a Porsche Pencil.

God bless them, but Porsche People are just nuts. Back in the late '80's I built a 1.7 914 for a fellow out of two clapped out motors...one of which had dual Weber 44 IDF's on it. Neither was really saveable so I used the best castings from each and installed new valves/seats/guides in them. Fresh rings...ect. I'm NOT a dedicated Porsche Person...just a hot rodder who built cars, so to maximize the Webers, it needed larger valves which I think were from a 289 Ford and exhaust from a Pontiac..whatever I could find that would fit. Took about a week to port the heads to match my idea of what they should be and took about 3lbs of aluminum out of them.:) Got it all together and once the carbs were tuned it ran really well...and the owner was a happy guy. Gave him a build sheet with all the details just so he'd know and he then went to a Porsche meet with it. Ran a gymkhana and drag race and absolutely cleaned house in his displacement class and got everyone all excited. 'What have you done to make it run so good'? they wanted to know, so he produced the build sheet and they looked at it...first with wonderment that turned to horror as they went down the list. He said you could read their lips as they read...'ford valves' 'chevy valve springs' ect...and they then started yelling at him that he'd 'ruined' it and took away his trophys and kicked him out! Fun stuff.:) That little 1.7 DID run nicely, and I have a better appreciation of old Porsche's now from building and driving that one. But again...Porsche people are crazy!

Nice apple watch Jay. I was hoping to see you wearing a watch that runs on steam.

It's great to see classic cars that still able to be modernized and not used as museum pieces.

Anand is such a chill guy

Beautiful beautiful beautiful! Porsche is a work of art. Ferraris, Lambos, and the rest can be quite nice, but there is nothing like a Porsche. Nothing.

Jay, thanks for "Jay Leno's Garage" we really enjoy it.

In awe over that head design. Lot of people, including myself (until recently) don't realize how complicated proper head design is. You can spend days just on Intake runner length/volume/cross section.. Learned something new. Never knew ZDDP (zinc) ruined catalytic converters. Cool video, absolutely beautiful car. Very 007esque. The good, simple, classy old days.

I have my dad to thank for my love of Porsches. He had a 356C before I was born. They sold it because they couldn’t fit a car seat in it. When I was growing up, he had an MGB. And before he passed, he had a Porsche Boxster. Great cars.

Great to see John back.

great video on a lovely car. John Willhoit , vast knowledge and a cool dude.

I put a quick shifter in my VW Westfalia, it made a world of difference, I also put one in my Po' Boy Porsche (VW bug), same story. Love them air cools!

That John guy knows his stuff good episode

Just beautiful, takes my breath away. No not jay the 356C. And just so nice to hear an engineer who is on top of his game speak with suck knowledge.From Brisbane australia

Regarding the ZDDP content in oils, necessary for older flat-tappet engines (as opposed to modern ones with hydraulic lifters), you can get "modern" oil that does have a high ZDDP content: Valvoline 10W40 "racing oil" specifically notes that it has "high ZDP content" right on the front of the quart bottle. And Mobil One 15W-50 synthetic has a generous 1445 PPM of ZDDP, according to their very informative website, which gives detailed technical information about the oils. What many don't realize is that the DOT only mandates low or no ZDP content in the more popular range of motor oils used in most newer cars (0-20, 5W-40, 10-50, etc.) and oils that fall out of that range, or "special purpose oil" (for racing, off-roading, etc.) are exempt.

356.. Why many of us fell in love with the Porsche. ♥️

Please do a video on your Carrera GT, please Jay!

I love this car so much

John is a great guest

Had a 58 VW with 6volt system. Driving at night .. the lights would go out come back on, but you hardly tell the difference. Winters in Arkansas, I would preheat the engine by filling an old oil drain pan with coals out of the wood stove and put it under the motor. Push the car out of the drive way , head down the hill, put the car in gear, clutch out. Always started no matter how cold. 12 volt actually reduces wire size. Wiring sized on amps not volts. Lots of aircraft went from 12 to 24 volt to save on wire weight. Great video. More for less is always best. Mooney, Porsche, and itty bitty bikinis and the weeist tee tiniest government like almost might barely just maybe fit on the head of a pin.

Another great video, great car, great people. Thank you very much.

Thank you for not giving up on your youtube fan base! I respect you even more now. Many people would have been greatly disappointed if you went 100% network TV.

Classic cars will always be more beautiful than new cars!

An incredibly interesting episode. John and Jay really delved deeply into the Porsche 356 and her mechanicals. John Willhoit is a great teacher, he kept me inthralled in his areas of expertise. Jay being a fantastic interviewer, presenter and all round inquisitive man, kept the subject fresh, interesting and moving at a rapid clip. I should thank Dr Anand Rajani for making this episode possible, for allowing Jay and John to verbally dissect his beautiful Porsche, then allowing the customary "Garage" test drive. Ps, obviously I loved this particular subject just a fraction more than some others. Like many other subscribers, I look forward to the weekly "Dose" of "Jay Leno's Garage." A special thanks to Jay and the guys, you really have the best jobs in the world, working daily amongst Automotive greats, and historically significantly pieces of the Auto Industry. Sincerely, Mark.

always a good watch i restoring a 66 356 c,now i know who to call,thanks Jay

SO agree on that long sweep across second. Many times I'll short shift first to like 2,000 RPM in second just to feel the powerband develop. Glad I'm not the only one who really enjoys the sensation.

Really enjoyed that, owner seemed a nice chap and its always great to hear tech talk also.

Love these relaxed chats between car guys. Great video Jay.

Would drive this every day. Stunning! Lovely sounding owner as well!

Mega handling, mini power. An excellent recipe!!

Most beautiful I've ever seen. It looks showroom. Daily driver? Gorgeous.

This is great to watch. So cool that he's keeping that book up to date.

Awesome episode, love all the detail John Willhoit goes into.

My daddy would cry if he saw this video. This was his favorite car of all time.

What a beautiful machine. I'm not really a Porsche fan but the old 356'a are just gorgeous. Thanks for the video !

Dr, Rajani's 356 is absolute class - love it

Porsche isn't just a car manufacturer. It is also a design house so there are lots of Porsche designed things. Not just cars and pens but watches, phones, USB harddrives, clothes and what not.

Another awesome video! I've always loved these vintage Porsches, probably more than modern Porsches you see today.

Saturday morning on a rare sunny start to the day here in the City of Salisbury, England. Coffee, view of the cathedral outside the window and the RU-vid Mercedes 6.3 ( the automotive equivalent of the cathedral) on my tablet. Great start to the day. Thanks

I changed a '62 Karman Hdtp to "8 volt"by replacing the battery and adjusting the regulator output, on /off and it worked fine for the few years I owned it. Cold Oregon winters, starts and brighter lights were a plus. Seriously.

Jay looked like a sponge soaking up all of the knowledge available; touching, asking relevant questions, looking and listening intently, ... If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he likes cars. A little.

Folks on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox can learn something from this. Watch how Jay asks a question and lets the guest actually talk without interrupting.

That slate grey duco with the red interior is just beautiful.

Glad Jay is still uploading content to RU-vid, even with the new TV show.

I love the greater emphasis on engine and technical details, cool bread and butter engineering. Burn outs are great, but geeky details better

Jay, I'm really glad you're coming back to TV. I've been watching your series here on RU-vid for quite a while (huge fan). I don't have cable TV, but hopefully I can follow the series on Hulu or Netflix, etc. Good luck & drive safe, sir.

Those guys who record every time they fill up with gas must be a lot of fun to be around

This Dr was very calm and collected on camera, not easy to do that.

Wow! JayI love you manEven after getting a big prime time showYou are still equally dedicated to your RU-vid channelYou have taught me a great lesson in humbleness....My respect for you is boundless

When we convert to 12 volt, we always left the starter 6 volts. The start turned very fast and started right away and we never had a problem with it.

Old School is truly amazing. The newest generation of kids should never write off history. Now there's a lesson.

❤wow. He is speaking the language of Porsche. I wonder if I could put this into a Ghia?

Interesting note that when they get to driving it, those 2 guys are pretty tall and big dudes but the cabin seems so roomy. What a gem!

I'm so happy to see new episodes. I have to admit I was a little worried that with the new show that your youtube channel would fade away.

I like that phrase- horsepower sells cars, torque wins races. It's so true. People are always babbling on about their cars horsepower. Or how this & that dream ride has this many hp. But, without those torque numbers, you're just blowing smoke

My mom had a Porsche 356 when I was about 10 years old (1960). I discovered that when I pushed the starter button on the dash the engine would crank over, but of course wouldn't start without the key. I would put that Porsche in gear and drive it up and down our driveway just by pushing the starter button - when my parents weren't home!

Awesome Jay !!!! Thanks for posting your show on RU-vid.Have a 71 Ghia in the works,clean,a small amount of rust,unmolested.Thanks again from Texas. :)

Lucas Oil...Indianapolis Indiana...will design any oil for any application. Lucas sponsors many race car teams from all kinds of racing. I don't want to write a commercial here, but if I had a fleet of vehicles like Jay Leno does, I would want a supplier for "engine specific" oils. This is an excellent Monday morning vid. Thanks Jay. Looking forward to Wednesday night.

Sweet car, thanks for sharing it with us. A minor correction though, 6 volt wiring is heavier than 12 volt wiring because with lower voltage, you need more amperage to move the same amount of energy. That means 6v wiring is heavier than necessary for running the same loads at 12v, which is a good thing - it's overbuilt. That means there's no inherent need to replace it when you make the switch to 12v. Not to say there might not be other good reasons to replace it. Automotive wiring lives a hard life, so in an old car, if you want a system you can really trust, the best move is generally to kick it all out and start fresh.

The Porsche 356C looks beatifull!

Loved see it a little more depth into the car in this video. When possible this should be in more future videos.

356 is a lot of fun on the race track too. I drove quite a few of them, in the old days they were cheap to buy.

I LOL'd at 28:04.

COOL 1964 Porsche 356C - Jay Leno's Garage

What a lovely car!

that colour choice of grey, red makes it look stunning. what a beautiful car. it is a shame that modern sportcars often have to look aggressive.

Specific thanks for the 356C piece and for introducing John Wilhoit. That 2132 mod with the short shifter would love to be in my 356, but I'm afraid it needs an interior rebuild first. Oh, I love the Baker, but 23 mph seems a bit tame...

18:58 Jay says, "Six volt wire is thicker…". And he advocates changing the wire? Thicker means, it carries more current, and improves the issues with voltage drop. In my 68 Chevy Truck, I changed the wires to even thicker than stock, so the voltage drop is lower, the lights are brighter, the starter more assured, the ignition works better… thicker is better. I'd run 0 gauge or 2 gauge everywhere if I wanted running 'cables' instead of 'wire'. My latest change did that to a degree, I ran a 0 gauge to a fused relay box next to the engine and from there 8 gauge to all the major components, wow… really excellent improvement! Someone needs to inform Jay.

John should, and be allowed to, change his last name to Willhoit-Porsche. He earned it.

I wish I could find that clip of you doing basically , a figure 8 in a mini cooper. I think you were using the E brake to spin around. It really shows your driving skills.