Jay Leno likes all kinds of cars and motorcycles. He likes performance and practicality, history and craftsmanship. And Leno also adapted early to the hybrid and electric car industry. He has an ancient steam engine machine, a 1909 Baker Electric and one of the first of the first generation of Honda Insights.
It’s of little surprise, therefore, that Leno has taken a keen interest in Tesla.
Leno describes Tesla as an electric car that doesn’t look like an electric car.
The original Tesla Roadster, Leno, says debuted “loosely based on a Lotus.”
The Tesla Model S, the comedian notes, takes the Tesla into another area. It not only still performs and looks like a sports car, it has impressive numbers, including 265-mile range with an 85 Kwh engine configuration.
When driving the Tesla Model S, Leno is impressed with the car’s lack of noise and says it’s a distant relative but with a strong connection to his Baker Electric.
Article Last Updated: August 29, 2023.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
