Ever wondered what it’s like to get a ride along with Jay Leno in his McLaren F1? Now’s your chance.
Sunday morning in Malibu means the Cars and Coffee, with the latest and greatest unofficial meetup centered around the Malibu Kitchen & Gourmet. Known to bring out some rare rides and celebrities who live around the area, this weekend’s C&C did not disappoint as Jay Leno showed up, like he does every week, this time in his infamous McLaren F1.
Spike Feresten chatted with Leno, snagged a ride-along in the three seater supercar, and filmed some of his ride, sharing a handful of clips on Instagram and one on Twitter.
Went for a blast in Jay Leno’s incredible Mclaren F1 today. Hear all about it on the next episode of Spike’s Car Radio. #scr pic.twitter.com/DxDdBNDQHX
— Spike Feresten (@SpikeFeresten) November 15, 2020
I’ve stitched together most of his ride along and am sharing it, with permission, below.
The McLaren F1 puts the driver in the center seat with two passengers on either side for better weight distribution. In the video we can see Feresten riding on Leno’s right, inches away from the former late-night talk show host.
The F1 is known for its raw performance, lack of traction control and ABS, and analog driving experience. Watching his ride-along, you get a sense of that pureness. Leno is not scared to bring the F1 close to its 7,500 RPM redline, as evidenced by the engine’s soundtrack emitting into the cockpit.
Even when he messes up a shift (at :47) he laughs it off because, well, he’s Leno.
It looks like Leno heads down the Pacific Coast Highway for a couple of miles before merging onto Interstate 10. The F1, a supercar of the 90s hunkered down low to the ground, is dwarfed by modern traffic. This, probably being the first time someone’s filmed shotgun, is a once-in-a-lifetime perspective considering Leno has literally dozens of cars to pick from on any given weekend.
The next time you’re in the Malibu area, head on over to Malibu Kitchen & Gourmet on Sunday, patronize a local business, and, just maybe you’ll run into Leno and one of his many rides.
