Yeah, I love these old machines. Back when people were still experimenting with all sorts of ideas before there was a more standardized way of doing things. To see him fire up and drive around in a Brough Superior SS100 is a sight to behold. Probably what also really attracts me to older firearms.
***** A collector who also knows his cars not just from a factual standpoint but actually really knows the car and he truly appreciates them. It's something I love about Jay Leno.
I listen to satellite radio when I'm on line, I pause it to watch video's, but it beeps when there's no more room to store the pause, I kept thinking it was that.
I was expecting Jay to yell out to whoever's god damned phone that is, to kindly silence it. Then I thought... Nope, that's the low warning beep for the camcorder and Jay is about to yell out at that guy who had only one job to do, and that's to make sure the frickin camcorder always has a freshly charged battery.
Gotta love Jay's passion for cars! This is what RU-vid is all about ... passionate, positive people with something interesting and valuable to share. Long live Jay Leno's Garage!! Cheers, Jay
I live three blocks from the Price Museum of Speed in Salt Lake, and it's NEVER open. It's somewhat of an open secret that he has his collection in a "museum" to dodge his taxes. There's a website and a telephone number, which never get's answered haha. I say this so if for whatever reason anyone finds themselves here, you can't go to the museum, which is sad.
When I was in the scouts in the late 80's we had a pinewood derby races , my first year racing I wanted a fast car everyone else went for looks even though this was a race. I started looking at airplanes at the library then I found a book of landspeed cars ,that's where I learned of Ab Jenkins an the Mormon meteor 3 .I spent days carving then a week sanding then painting then sanding that ,I polished the axles . My car was so fast I hit the backstop after crossing the finish line then bounced backwards across the finish line again before anyone else had even crossed it once . Thanks for the inspiration Mr Jenkins.
This is awesome. I always wanted to know exactly how many Mormon Meteors were produced. There's this little vintage car shop near where I live and I've seen many Duesenbergs, Packards, and other various exotics from the early 20th century. One time I drove past it and I saw the Mormon Meteor 1 inside the shop getting repaired/restored. that was probably 8 years ago now, but there's no mistaking the Mormon Meteor. I had no idea that I saw the rarest Duesenberg that day. It blows my mind.
This has to be your best show yet. I remember going to the flats as a kid with my Dad and I think I recall seeing the Mormon out there sometime in the late 60's or early 70's... those were the days Jay. Guys just built it and then ran it...
For a really good documentary on this car- and Ab Jenkins - get " The Boys of Bonneville". I found a copy on eBay, but I believe it is also available from the Price Museum of Speed in southern Utah. The guy Jay is "interviewing" in this segment is the owner of the museum.
Shame on the officials who left that vehicle out in the open air while they renovated the building it was in. Would it of been that much of a hassle to garage it somewhere?
Senator John walks in with shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt and swaps his outfit for an somewhat elegant pair of pants and a shirt BUT THE SNEAKERS, THE SNEAKERS REMAIN! Just goes to show you how much respect he has for JAY if he changed his outfit.
I thought it was interesting they only let Jay start it, but it sounds great. Glad to see she's running Firestones, too. Harvey and C.D. would be proud.
Why wouldn´t they let him drive this thing, not street legal? Would had loved to see this on the street and people in their normal cars going "Whoooaa!!"
Kim Jameson This is a salt flat car. It has to get pushed or pulled to a rolling speed before it can even move. It's not a car that can move from a dead stop due to drive train gearing. In the middle of the video he mentions how it would get to around 100mph before you were even out of 1st gear.
+americanrepair they didn't use a pusher vehicle. if you search for An Jenkins on RU-vid, you can clearly see the car stop and start at pitstops unassisted.
Skip to 4:38 to see Jay switch on his skills at salvaging this train wreck of an interview. Good grief, John Price needs to hire someone to do his appearances. Oh the radiator was carved out of a piece of metal at the salt flats? You mean the grille? "Oh hey Jay, you know that fun time you had with that guy you admired and respected? He's dead." Surprise! I can't imagine all those segments that were clearly edited out.
Peugeot had 4 valves per cylinder in their racing cars in 1912. One of them won the 1913 Indy 500. Made such an impression on Harry Miller he purchased one. Later his own Miller 91 racing car had a motor that shared much with the Peugeot.
Kelson Gardner - And he was a great and gifted man. A worthy hero and role model for ANY young man. I especially liked his world speed record set "on" an Allis-Chalmers Model A tractor...!!!
I like those little airplane gas tank cars they raced on the salt flats, they look neat as hell. Wouldn't take much to modify the design and turn it into a track toy. Just needs a different rear end etc.
The Amish Comet Horse and Buggy with whip-speed control is better; ask them in Pennsylvania! I also like the Jehova's Witness Wagon if it wasn't for the "knocking" sound the engine makes when it shows up at your front door.
+Chaleco Salvavides; Nothing is faster than Tele-evangelist Kenneth Copeland's 2, not 1, but 2-$80 million Cessna Citation X, those are the fastest mid-sized corporate jets in the world! That greedy wolf even beats Jesus!
If i remember correctly the track was setup in a circle in order to calculate the speed of the vehicle by using a known distance of a circle because back then they didnt have the electronics to calculate speed in a straight line over a couple of miles to any accuracy. So the machine is offset to turn a big circle as fast a possible.
dantheman1998 - The circle layout was meant for closed course record setting - the type this car was designed for. It's a 10-mile circle. The LSR stretch is a straight-line strip, which, to set a record, the car must traverse both directions within a certain amount of time. The average speed is used, if the back-to-back runs are within a (small) specified difference. If they are enough different (I believe that it was less than 1 or 2 percent for a time), you gotta start over.
DAMN !!!! I thought they were going to take it to track some where !! .... LOL😉 They just drive it out on the street and cutter loose !! Guess it's good to be Jay Leno !
Amazing. And they were gracious enough to DONATE this car to the state of Utah. And how do state officials show their appreciation? When they wanted to refurbish the museum this car was displayed in, they simply pushed it outside in the back yard & left it there, as if it were a pile of scrap metal, to be vandalized & left to the elements. Leave it to any government to destroy something good.
bruce miller Now I just found out the Mormon Meteor 3 has a gas tank capacity of 112 gallons. That means 112 x 3 miles gallon = 336 miles on a full tank. The 24 hour record would travel 6214 miles averaged at 149 miles per hour. 6214 miles / 3 miles a gallon = 2071 gallons of gas which equals 18.5 pit stops to refill that hog.
More great stuff from Jay. I read about Ab Jenkins for years in Hot Rod magazine, but didn't know what powered the Meteor. One detail is the displacement of the Curtiss Conqueror engine; I think it is 1570 cubic inches, not 1700.
Near the end they talk about the cab being 100 degrees in there. Uh...along with that incredible lack of back support...he drives this for 24 hours straight? Well, I guess you don't need to go if you're sweating all the time. A great ride, or a torture chamber? How about that startup? Instant. I imagine there's no apartment building behind this place...
I want to see more of these piece of history. Jay, you should get in touch with Ventury as they plan to break (again) the world record for electric cars on slat lake ;-)
Thank you Jay another great vid from you :-). But could you specify what's the "steal" you are mentioning on the 9:06 minute of it? I don't even dare guessing ... Regards.
Ab's '24 hour' record stood for over 50 years. Most of the major auto makers had tried to break his record over the years and failed. It was finally broken on March 2, 1990 by Tommy Morrison's ZR-1 Corvette racing team. The 24 hour average speed was increased from 161.180 to 175.885 using a basically stock production LT5 engine in the ZR-1. The complete story can be found here ... www.corvetteactioncenter.com/specs/c4/zr1/record.html
Its really amazing how--for circa 1919--these cars look so very, 'futuristic'. The designs hold up extremely well today. But...I would probably feel claustrophobic in such a small cockpit, and--of course--there's the tremendous heat. These original drivers--in addition to vision--had, for want of a better word, just plain guts! This was a real treat to watch. And, please, NO haters or trolls. Thanks, Jay ! 'Zahc'
Nickname for vehicle. Ab Jenson was the designer. 1920's raw power and should've ran on milk. 3 MPG and 24 hrs at avg 160 MPH. you the math on pit stops or how much gas it held.
Saw it many times in the late 70's in the State capitol building. In those days, there was no glass enclosure. You could sit in it if you wanted to. It was off in a hallway away from pretty much everything. And it wasn't in very good shape. Great to see it looking proud again. And, never thought I'd get to hear that engine, What a treat! Thanks, Jay
His son was, and fought to get the car back! There's a video on Netflix I watched about Ab and these cars. Pretty cool! They show his son watching the car fire up for the first time in MANY years and I believe he died the next day or very soon after. Almost like he was sticking around to see it live again. IMO, it's a must see for a car lover.
I wish companies like Dusenburg could come . These were Great American cars . So was Studebaker . These cars offered something Kars today don't have . Individuality in class .
Sponsored by Viagra, it was unable to penetrate the sound barrier, and sales became flaccid. As the tires were speed rated for fifty five mph things got a bit dodgy at eighty five mph, above that, you were on your own. Originally in a light beige it lacked pizazz so was re/painted to stand out from the crowd. However the backup alarm became an industry standard.
"Boys of Bonneville" This car is actually the photo on Netflix. Not sure what's going on with it seeing as Jay Leno is actually in it. Why he didn't mention is is beyond me. Only thought is that this was filmed before the movie came out in 2011.
Ok they never mentioned it was a 12 cyl, but it is as I looked it up. So what's with the 12 exhaust pipes on each side, dual port, I see mentioned in older comments, I don't know what that is.
+Simon Coles please check out this video. There is a lot of misinformation about what you commented on. www.ldschurchtemples.com/mormon/underwear/ ( BTW I am not Mormon, just tolerant of other religions in our country, and happen to know some really nice hardworking generous people of that faith. :)
Misinformation about Moronism? Impossible! I checked the two rocks I put in my hat and found that angel Moron-I says you are wrong. RU-vid also has lots of videos about your "religion" and its rites. Funny how close to a cult it is. Oh wait, speaking of cults: this is Jay Leno's garage. It's awesome. Moronism has no place here.
