Jay Leno’s shocking first car sale in 30 years—why he dumped his Tesla
Jay Leno has blacklisted car brands before—just ask Ferrari. So, when news broke that Jay Leno had sold his beloved 2015 Tesla Model S P90D, his first sale in 30 years, people started talking. Was Leno done with Elon Musk’s EV empire? Was he joining the wave of celebrities ditching Teslas for political reasons? Nope. He just needed to make room for something new—a faster Tesla to be precise.
The day Jay Leno sold his Tesla
Leno’s electric daily driver went up for auction back in 2021. For a guy who famously never sells cars, that alone was a big deal. The winning bidder? Nathan Davis of Fort Myers, Florida, who had his eye on the Tesla for more than just its Ludicrous Mode.
“How often do you get to buy a car from one of the greatest entertainers and car collectors in the world?” Davis said.
Most people ship their auction wins home, but Davis had a different idea. His wife had always wanted to see how far an EV could go on a real road trip, so they decided to drive the Tesla back cross-country. When Leno called to discuss shipping arrangements, Davis told him the plan.
“He thought we were crazy,” Davis admitted. But crazy or not, Jay Leno met them at the airport, helped carry their bags, and even gave them a private tour of his legendary garage before they hit the road. Davis, naturally, had one last request.
“Would you mind signing the dashboard?”
The Tesla Model S is the first Jay Leno-collection car to hit the market in years
One left-handed signature later, Davis was on his way home with a new prized possession. And the connection didn’t end there. Leno told him to reach out anytime he was performing nearby, and Davis took him up on it.
“The last show I got to go to was pretty special,” Davis said. Leno comped their tickets and even invited them backstage.
So, does this mean Jay Leno is still backing Tesla? Not necessarily. It just means he’s not blacklisting it. Tesla doesn’t even have a PR department, but somehow, Leno was one of the first to test-drive the redesigned Model Y just a few weeks ago. Whatever his opinion of Musk or Tesla today, he’s still got VIP access.
One thing’s for sure: Jay Leno didn’t sell his Tesla to make a statement—unless that statement was, I want a faster one. You can see him test driving the latest Model Y in the video below:
