If you’re an auto enthusiast and spend a great deal of time on YouTube, you must’ve come across Jay Leno’s Garage. However, the former “Tonight Show” host has suffered serious burns from his Burbank garage, home to over 150-plus high-end sports cars and rare classics.
It goes without saying that his garage has some of the tastiest collections of automobiles. The spectrum of cars in his possession is so diverse that an old 1909 Stanley Steamer shares space with one of the most expensive and covetable cars in the world, the McLaren F1.
Jay Leno’s collection goes from motorcycles to exclusive cars that you might’ve never heard of. The way he reviews them shows how much he knows about automobiles and his interest in sharing the knowledge. But this time, the motoring enthusiast had to be hospitalized after his old 1909 steam car sprayed fuel while working on it.
How Jay Leno Suffered This Unfortunate Incident In His Garage
Jay Leno, in a statement to NBC news, said, “I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I’m ok. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet.” According to CNBC, Leno was working at his Los Angeles garage Saturday when an accidental flash fire started in one of his cars. The car in question is a 1909 White Model M Steamer, which has one of the most complicated starting procedures, as Mr. Leno explains in one of his videos.
Leno was taken to the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills after the flames burned the left side of his face, but did not penetrate his eyes or his ear, reports CNBC.
Hospital officials have issued a statement that read, “Jay wants everyone to know that he is in stable condition and receiving treatment at the Grossman Burn Center for burns he received to his face and hands from a gasoline accident in his garage over the weekend. He is in good humor and is touched by all the inquiries into his condition and well wishes [to] wants to let everyone know he is doing well and is in ‘the best burn center in the United States.'”
1909 White Model M Steam Car Is the Vehicle In Question
Jay Leno’s White Model M uses a steam generator instead of a boiler and makes a maximum output of 40 horsepower. The steam car, which left burns on the side of Leno’s face, requires pilot fuel, regular fuel, and water to operate.
Gas-powered cars weren’t simple in the early 1900s, often requiring hand cranks, chokes, and general fiddling to get running. The White Model M is unlike anything available today, with a small wheel inside the steering wheel acting as the throttle, paired with dicey brakes, and a boat load of oddities.
Jay explains that to start his 1909 steam car, you have to manually pressurize the fuel and make sure the water tank is topped off. Moreover, the White uses a pilot light as an ignition source for its main burner. Lighting that requires crawling under the car and introducing a blowtorch. This could perhaps explain how the comedian got burned.
Steam cars of yesteryears are an indication of how far we’ve come in the automotive world, whether it be safety, practicality, or comfort. Things that we take for granted these days. Nonetheless, we wish Jay Leno a speedy recovery and hope to have him back in the garage as soon as possible. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends in these difficult times.
Source: CNBC
