Jay Leno

American showbiz colossus and car collector extraordinaire

Jay Leno made his second-ever appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Saturday – a day after he took in six laps of the Nurburgring in Germany aboard the new Jaguar XKR-S. The talk show host took to the hill in the amazing 23.9-litre Napier Railton in which John Cobb claimed 47 speed records in 1933-37. Leno said: “It’s such a pleasure to be here as the Festival is such an interactive experience for the fans and the drivers. Driving the Napier Railton is a dream come true; I had a photo of it on my wall when I was a kid. All I can say is that John Cobb was a better man than me. I just can’t imagine driving it at Brooklands - airborne at 144mph and without seatbelts. I did about 40mph and it was a thrill. I just didn’t want to screw up and end up on YouTube! It just amazes me in this day and age that you can put on a show like this. I’m having a great day.”