Jay Leno is a huge fan of “Noble Failures” — cars that, in some ways, were too good for their time, and just flamed out. The BMW i3 is a perfect example of such a car, so when I told Jay about my daily-driver during a one-on-one chat, I figured he’d be a fan. I was wrong — well, sort of.
While helping me conduct research ahead of my interview with Jay Leno last week (and no, I’m not just going to casually mention that I got to interview Jay Leno — I was completely amped and I can’t wait to tell you more about it) my fiancee Elise stumbled upon an amazing writeup by Beverly Hills Courier. Writer Lisa Friedman Bloch spent the day with two automotive legends Jay Leno and Bruce Meyer, and in her brilliant many-thousand-word writeup I noticed this nugget:
While Bruce is drawn to the aesthetic component of automobiles, Jay is drawn to the cars he finds different, interesting or ahead of their time. He’s particularly interested in “noble failures.”
Autopian cofounder Jason Torchinsky and I have for years talked about this category of car, though we call it “lovable losers.” They’re good, often well-engineered vehicles, but ones that — for one reason or another (often styling or cost) — failed spectacularly in the marketplace. The Beverly Hills Courier article goes on to give Leno’s definition of a “noble failure”:
“Like the Duesenberg, it was a much better car than it needed to be,” Jay says.
Produced during the Depression, it was too expensive of a car, over-engineered and overpowered for its time. The company was owned by E.L. Cord, another Beverly Hills resident. Jay has many Duesenbergs; Bruce owns one as well. Both enthusiasts have received several awards for their beautiful cars.
Jay explains, “That’s the trouble with a lot of these things. Some people don’t make it up to any standard. And some people make it so good and are perfectionists, they never get them into production.”He cites the Mustang as an example, “It’s a sexy body on a Ford Falcon. It didn’t need independent suspension for the first 25 years because nobody cared. Just make it look sharp. It’s kind of cool. It’s affordable. It was a huge success.”
Jay is a literal world-expert on the automotive history, and that was clear during our chat. Indeed, there are so many examples throughout history that back up the notion that KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) is often the best way forward, and that overcomplicating automotive design often is not.
My BMW i3 is probably the ultimate example of a modern-day Noble Failure. It was a state-of-the-art carbon fiber, suicide door-equipped range-extended electric car with plastic body panels and an interior made of olive leaf-died leather and a sustainable material called “kenaf.” The i3 was by all accounts a moonshot, and yet, it was without question a complete and utter failure in the U.S., selling in modest numbers, and even only then thanks to steep discounts.
Needless to say, as a car enthusiast who loves Noble Failures, I’m obsessed:
Still obsessed with this car. pic.twitter.com/1rSYnhEtDr
— David Tracy (@davidntracy) October 12, 2024
But I’m in the minority, here, as many “noble failure” fans tend to be. So I wasn’t surprised that when I told Jay what I drove, he responded with:
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“Uh, uh, ohhhhh,” he said, almost grimacing, placing his hand to his mouth to jokingly hide his fake-disgust:
Jay isn’t a huge fan of my beloved i3. And I totally get it; in many folks’ eyes, it is hideous. Jay told me he doesn’t understand BMW’s general styling trends, of late. “It looks a little…I have to admit I am somewhat perplexed by BMW’s styling…now they have almost…it looks like a Hupmobile sucking a lemon… I don’t get it!”
Jay also isn’t a fan of wood dashes — he prefers to see mechanical gauges, which I agree with wholeheartedly. Jay loves looking at the mechanical intricacies of automobiles, and my BMW certainly doesn’t let you do that unless you’re peeking under the rear floor or at the carbon fiber in the door jambs.
“Your car…that was probably more expensive than it needed to be, too,” Jay queried, demonstrating to me that he truly is a car nut who loves learning about any and all cars, whether they’re his cup of tea or not. I replied with an affirmative; the car was hilariously overpriced in Americans’ eyes. Could you make an argument that a car that advanced should be expensive? Sure, but American shoppers don’t spend big money on small luxury cars. They never have.
Jay agrees. “For American manufacturers, it costs the same amount of money to make a small car as it does a big car. It’s a bit like a TV show; why make a half hour show, when for a few dollars more, you can do an hour show and get twice as much revenue.”
Jay finished our little chat about my i3 telling me that, while he thinks the car is ugly, he finds it interesting. “No, it’s interesting, and it’ll probably be a collectable car, but sadly you’ll long be dead…sadly!”
Oh well, there goes my plan of retiring on the sale of my “Holy Grail” BMW i3!
Anyway, this was just a tiny part of my chat with Jay Leno, for which I am immensely grateful. I was there to help promote “Jay Leno’s Garage” on RIG TV. Here are some bullet points that I was asked to communicate to you, dear readers, about the new Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channel:
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“Jay Leno’s Garage” is now streaming on RIG TV.
- New episodes stream weekly from 8 to 10 am and pm time slot.
- This is the first for a FAST Channel, that YouTube content has been reformatted for TV.
- RIG TV originally launched in April on Roku.
- In addition to Roku, new episodes of “Jay Leno’s Garage” will be available on Freevee, Fubo, Google TV, Sling TV and Plex on RIG TV.
- RIG TV is from Fremantle’s Original Productions studio, the creators of “Jay Leno’s Garage” in addition to shows such as “Deadliest Catch” and “Bering Sea Gold,” showcasing the toughest jobs on earth.
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“Jay Leno’s Garage” enjoyed seven successful seasons on broadcast TV, captivating audiences with its in-depth exploration of all thing’s cars, automotive culture and state of the art technology. The show eventually found a new life on YouTube, where it has become a favorite among car enthusiasts. Now, for the first time, these YouTube episodes will make their way to TV.
It turns out, you can watch shows just like you used to watch TV, except on your computer. Here’s the ROKU link.
Anyway, more little nuggets from my talk with Jay coming soon. It was epic.
I feel like my car has noble failure potential. I (and many others) think it’s great but it was a total flop sales wise. Everyone wanted an Elantra or Veloster N and the Kona N was more or less written off as ridiculous. Fortunately I am ridiculous so it suits me perfectly.
You interview a world famous celebrity and true car lover, who looks a lot like my dad, and you talk about your car? Glad to hear there is more to come. A suggestion in an interview the celebrity should talk more than the host.
FWIW, Jay Leno owns many vehicles that he regards as ugly, didn’t stop him from buying them, because he likes other aspects – history, engineering, technology, performance, craftsmanship, or just a personal story about it. Styling does seem to be one of the less important attributes for him, it isn’t that he doesn’t care about it at all, though.
Totally true! He owns a number of cars that plenty of folks don’t understand, as well!
Although, I was a bit surprised that his Volga M21 is one of the cars he puts in that category, as I always thought they were fairly attractive, especially the facelifted 1962+ version that he has
Yay! You used my suggestion! (sort of) ????
Did he take you for a ride in any/all of his McLarens like I also suggested?
Am I the only one who doesn’t think the i3 is ugly?
Well…. You’ve got DT on your side, at least.
I think David and I agree on at least 2 things – the i3 is not ugly and Elise (not her real name) is too good for him.
And vice versa
I had a 2014 i3 BEV, and I loved every bit of it. I always loved surprising people with how roomy the back seat really is, even for tall people. Plus, the grin of the acceleration was always a treat. Since my employer at the time provided us 220V outlets to charge our EVs (Pretty sure California gave him a tax credit for those), the BEV’s range was never an issue for me.
Ultimately, the i3 was totalled in a spectacular accident on the 91 freeway in 2019 when I was hit on the driver-side a-pillar by a 40 foot box truck… sending me across two full lanes of rush-hour traffic… and the i3’s carbon fiber-wrapped passenger cell proofed incredibly effective in preventing any injury to myself. Man, I miss that car!
I hear David has one available for an above-market bargain price.
I think its about as good as you can do with that tall, short box form factor. I don’t exactly consider it attractive, or a classic beauty, but wouldn’t call it ugly, either.
I don’t think it’s ugly, per se. It is a bit awkward-looking.
Fake grille, headlights that echo the unloved Bangle-era cars, black upper surfacing (yes, let’s make the cabin and drive parts hotter by covering them in the most heat-absorbent color we have), the weird hiccup line for the rear doors (should have just been one continuous shape leading from the front mirrors), the rear that looks like it’s either been embedded with or trying to pass a Porsche 911, tall and narrow body and wheels, the list goes on.
As relatively pretty as the i8 was/is, they should have borrowed more of its language for the cheaper sibling.
Only the early models. Obviously the facelift was lipstick on the pig, but at least the pig used to be adorable.
I think they look great and were very forward thinking. I mean…it’s a 10 year old car that still looks futuristic today. That’s not easy to pull off. They’re a little quirky for sure but I like quirky, not to mention they come in great colors.
There are dozens of us! DOZENS!
Hollywood David, hanging with Roger Daltrey and Jay Leno. What famous person will David hang out with next? Find out only on The Autopian.
Dave picks up Margot Robbie in his Barbie Jeep.
Well, using Jay’s logic regarding the i3, I guess that means his jokes will finally be funny after he’s dead.
My family watched him all the time growing up. I think he’s a great talk-show host and an even better car-guy. He made me feel welcome, and even showed me how to hand-crank a car for the first time! Huge respect for Jay.
I was funnin’ with you. I used to watch Jay perform stand up in Boston in the early 70s about 20 years before you were on this earth, probably. Had to sneak into the clubs, but that wasn’t hard. Most people know him from his Tonight Show appearances and later hosting, but if you haven’t seen him perform blue, you’ve missed treat.
I was going to reply: I saw him before he was the TS host and his stand up was actually pretty good.
I don’t know if anyone is really funny as talk a show host. I don’t know if it’s because they have to water down the jokes to appeal to too wide an audience, but I’ve never been impressed by the acts of comedians I know are funny when they take a talk show host gig.
It’s true. Television, especially in those days, excluding some cable markets, really forced comedians to mind their Ps and Qs. Saw Carson in Vegas once and it was a revelation. The only hint of that side of his humor on the Tonight Show were his double entendres and that impish twinkle he got when you know he was thinking about something risqué.
I think that’s why I enjoyed (as it were) Craig Ferguson’s stint on the Late Late Show. Yes, he would be heavily censored, but there was enough of his unhinged mania that couldn’t be contained, it was delightful.
Miss the Ferg and Geoff.
And Secretariat
I preferred Letterman on late Nite with… A little more risque back then before sensitivity training existed.
I remember watching Jay’s first guest appearance on the Tonight show with Johnny Carson. I believe he wore the same denim shirt/pants combo.
It wasn’t denim, but it might have been corduroy. 1977 btw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvmQZ1jQjQk
I’ve interacted with several folks who have Jay Leno stories and every single one of them said he’s a stand up guy. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I’ve seen it floated around on car blogs so maybe it is? Apparently there was a kid who was being picked on at school who asked Jay if he could help him out, so Leno went to his school and picked him up in a Countach.
Nifty – it has a wind-powered range extender. 🙂
Oooooh, but when Jay Leno tells you it’s ugly it’s okay?? Harrumph! Harrumph I say!
“Noble Failures” sounds like a new weekly feature.
My nomination:
Maserati Quattroporte.
All of them – 1 thru 6
“Coming up”
*Insert angry Sreten noises here*