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Jay Leno got an RX-8 Shinka for his birthday!

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Old 08-21-2005, 04:41 PM
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Jay Leno got an RX-8 Shinka for his birthday!

It seems Leno is a bit of a rotary fan. He bought a very rare original Cosmo Sport, one of only 4 or 5 in the US. He also picked the RX-8 as his favorite car out of R&T's Readers' Choice Awards 2004 finalists: RX-8, 350Z Roadster, 911 GT3, BMW 5 series and WRX STi (actual winner).

I wonder how Jay likes his BD present or if he'll keep it.



From the Jul/Aug. '05 Mazda FUEL newsletter:
Attached Thumbnails Jay Leno got an RX-8 Shinka for his birthday!-jayleno.jpg  
Old 08-21-2005, 11:47 PM
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haha that's very cool! i dont think he's gonna drive it much, but still very cool! i wish he had a son and it was me... haha
Old 08-22-2005, 12:05 AM
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Heh ... that's great ... maybe Jay will start posting here too! Ha ha ha!

But yea, to him it's just one car out of his millions of cars.
Old 08-22-2005, 12:23 AM
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Pretty cool, but im sure if he wanted one he would have had one by now...
Old 08-22-2005, 12:56 AM
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just add it to his other 100 cars he owns...
Old 08-22-2005, 08:28 AM
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cool read, at least we know if all the other shinka 8s meet unfortunate ends, there will be one that is taken care of and gets an owner who will give the car the care it should get.
Old 08-22-2005, 11:21 AM
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he is one of the most passionate car enthusiast?? of course with that much money he makes from entertainment business.

If my income is that much I'd have a bigger car collection than him. i think many of us will.

who cares he got a rx8 for his birthday from mazda? all BS.
Old 08-22-2005, 11:47 AM
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Nice marketing strategy, but Mazda didn't need to. I don't think other celebrities of his calliber will run out to buy a Mazda just because one was given to Leno. I didn't buy mine because some celebrity car callector owned the same car.
Old 08-22-2005, 12:34 PM
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Yeah...he probably gave it to his butler or something. To Jay, its kinda like getting one of those birthday presents from a relative becasue he/she knows your hobby, but gets you something totally not cool....yeah...I bet thats what Jays thinking..."Eeerrrr...yeah..thaaaanks...hmmmmmm". Kind of like someone buying you a riced out fast and furious rx-8 toy because they know you like rx-8s...or someone buying you light up spray nozzles because they know your a car guy/gal....
Old 08-22-2005, 04:53 PM
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I know there used to be a thread for 8's in the movies, but I can't find it. Thought I'd post here because of the tv-tie to this thread.

Was watching Intervention on A&E last night. It's the show where they take junkies and addicts and film them doing drugs and crap, follow them for a while and then try to get them into a program to stop. I know - it sounds rivoting, right? Anyway, last night they did a follow-up on 4 of the people after treatment. A counselor went to visit Gabe, the gambling addict, and there was a black 8 parked outside of his apartment building. Dirty, but it was there.
Old 08-22-2005, 09:51 PM
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so millionaires that can buy anything they want get cars as bd gifts directly from the manufacturer?????

and the average joe like me can only dream about buying one...
Old 08-25-2005, 08:28 AM
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Jay owns all sorts of "unique" vehicles... Steam powered, rotary powered, Cars built off tank platforms, etc....

Dan
Old 08-25-2005, 08:37 AM
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I've had 5 Mazdas and I don't get jackS***
Old 08-25-2005, 09:34 AM
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thats nice, but as jay leno...he can afford to buy one if he likes it that much.

i never really understood why celebrities (VERY rich people) get free houses, cars, etc.

give the shinka to a guy who just lost his car in a fire, or recently got his car stolen.
Old 08-25-2005, 12:46 PM
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Originally Posted by SDRacer87
thats nice, but as jay leno...he can afford to buy one if he likes it that much.

i never really understood why celebrities (VERY rich people) get free houses, cars, etc.

give the shinka to a guy who just lost his car in a fire, or recently got his car stolen.

Marketing. It makes people want the Rx-8, if they hear that theyre favorite celebrity got one. Kind of like wolverine driving one :D
Old 05-12-2014, 03:32 AM
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I just got my Shinka not too long ago...cool to know we got the same car, color and all
Old 08-19-2024, 01:33 PM
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I’m up Angeles Crest Highway in my RX-8 when suddenly a yellow McLaren P1 is behind me with guess who behind the wheel. We start flying through the canyons, then he pulls up next to me and says about my Mazda “they’re great cars. I have one” and then talks about the article

🤯can see the Rex in the back
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Old 08-20-2024, 08:01 AM
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So he kept it. Cool. Also, seems he upholds his reputation as a classy guy. Also cool. Thanks for sharing!
Old 08-20-2024, 12:15 PM
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Wow what a great story and I'm sure to become a fond memory. I bet it was totally surreal seeing Jay behind you, not to mention getting to chat with him. Thanks for sharing!
Old 08-21-2024, 08:07 AM
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https://news.dupontregistry.com/jay-...ar-collection/

I was curious to know if any of my other cars were in Leno's collection. This is recent enough to be accurate. Kinda cool.

I scrolled through his list, and going back in my car history, I was surprised to discover he doesn't own a single VW (thinking buses, bugs, Karmann Ghias, and the like) or Toyota (FJ-40 seems like a must-have). No Jeeps. Mostly American, high end German, and then "obscure". Of the dozens of special interest cars I've owned over the years, the only one reflected in the Leno files is the RX-8. It's the only car I've kept long enough to re-register (more than once even!), and every time I get behind the wheel it makes me smile, so it checks out.

Last edited by spectre6000; 08-21-2024 at 08:21 AM.
Old 08-22-2024, 12:01 PM
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Cool. He also has an na8 Miata and Original Cosmo (with a 12a swap)



Originally Posted by spectre6000
https://news.dupontregistry.com/jay-...ar-collection/

I was curious to know if any of my other cars were in Leno's collection. This is recent enough to be accurate. Kinda cool.

I scrolled through his list, and going back in my car history, I was surprised to discover he doesn't own a single VW (thinking buses, bugs, Karmann Ghias, and the like) or Toyota (FJ-40 seems like a must-have). No Jeeps. Mostly American, high end German, and then "obscure". Of the dozens of special interest cars I've owned over the years, the only one reflected in the Leno files is the RX-8. It's the only car I've kept long enough to re-register (more than once even!), and every time I get behind the wheel it makes me smile, so it checks out.
Old 08-25-2024, 09:03 AM
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Also interesting he doesn’t own a single Porsche 911. Possibly the most iconic sports car ever made, I’d be curious why.
Old 08-25-2024, 09:12 AM
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thanks ktec, I went and watched the episode on May's channel.
forget what a quirky guy Leno is.
Old 08-25-2024, 10:56 AM
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So, I was thinking about this the other day. He's a collector, obviously. A serious one at that. There's a rhyme to his reason for what gets the buy and what doesn't. From what I gather, he has a clear preference for American/from his youth and unique. 911s are neither. I think VWs (easily argued to be the most iconic cars ever made) must similarly not be special enough. Just too many that are too similar to pass his sniff test.
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Old 08-27-2024, 07:32 AM
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He's explained why in an episode before. He dislikes how some brands put you on a waitlist, and you need to purchase a lesser model before you can be allowed to purchase the better model, IE Porsche. He wants to be able to just walk into the dealership and buy whatever car he wants without having to build a long standing and gatekeeping style relationship with the dealership.
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