The Chin does love that Cat

s one of North America's best-known car collectors, Jay Leno spent his recent vacation in England doing exactly what you'd expect – checking out cars.

He and his wife Mavis began at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which he described as “the ultimate gearhead garden party.”

They then moved on to visits at the Jaguar, Aston Martin and McLaren factories before hosting a Jaguar event in the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London.

That's were I bumped into them as Jay strolled around shaking hands, mixing jokes with very informed automotive commentary.

He clearly enjoys talking cars and meeting people and says he jumped at the opportunity to host the launch of the all important new XJ, the Jaguar flagship.

Vaughan: Why Jaguar?

Leno: Jaguar is the car that got me into cars.

I was a kid nine years old from a small town in Massachusetts where anything with less than four doors is a sports car.

Well I saw a 1953 XK120 Jaguar, steel blue grey.

The guy polishing the car said, ‘Would you like to sit in it?' This was before most middle-aged men were sex suspects – so it was perfectly acceptable.

He let me sit in it and I smelled the leather and grabbed the wheel and said, ‘Some day I want to have one of these cars.'

I told this story on The Tonight Show a couple of years ago and somebody called and said, ‘You know that car you sat in?' That same guy still owns it.

I called him up and he still has the car from 1959. And the last time I went home I went back and the car was in the same barn.

He let me sit in it and it was an amazing, amazing experience.

That's quite an introduction to a brand.

I like them, I've got three of them myself.

That's why I'm here. There's no money in it – I'm here because I like it.

I was at Goodwood this week and I got a call from Jaguar. The good news, they said, was that they'd like me to help unveil the new XJ. That bad news, they said, is we don't have any money. I said ‘That's okay. I thought you called to borrow money.'

What are the Jags in your fleet?

I've got two XK120's and an XKE. I've bought three Jags because I had that wonderful, wonderful feeling that day.

What do you think of them as cars, apart from that great memory?

I think Jag's great at its price. You know a couple of years ago I drove the Vanden Plas XJ and its price tag was about $126,000.

Then I drove the XF and said, ‘How much is it?' and they said ‘$68,000.' I like Jaguars under $100,000. Jaguar has always been about price. When the Aston Martin was six cylinders it was $10,000, but the Jag XK was also six cylinders for $5,000. Jaguar's always been quality but at a price point.

What do you think of this new XJ? As you know it's built on the same aluminum platform as the previous one.

They've finally got the looks to match the chassis and the handling.

You don't put an old suit of clothes on a young man – that was the problem with it before. I liked the looks of the old XJ, but I'm an old guy.

It looks like you've had a good time on this car trip of yours.

Yeah, it's been great. My mother was a British subject and I like it here. Since I've been in England I visited the Jaguar factory and I went to Aston Martin and McLaren, too. As long as there's an England, there's always going to be Jaguar.

Michael Vaughan is co-host with Jeremy Cato of Car/Business, which appears Fridays at 8 p.m. on Business News Network and Saturdays at 2 p.m. on CTV.

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