ADVERTISEMENT
Furthermore, Leno’s commitment to his collection is a commitment to the craft of the mechanic. He has always valued the man with the wrench as much as the man with the microphone. Part of his legacy plan involves supporting the education of future automotive restorers and engineers, ensuring that the specialized knowledge required to maintain these complex machines is not lost to time. He is investing in the hands that will keep his engines running, acknowledging that a museum is only as alive as the people who know how to make it move.
As he looks back on a career that spanned the transition from broadcast television to the digital age, Leno seems at peace with the changing of the guard. He has seen the industry evolve, and he has seen the cars evolve, yet his passion for the fundamental mechanics of the world remains unshaken. He still spends his days turning wrenches, his hands stained with the grease of a hundred different eras, finding a meditative peace in the struggle of a difficult restoration. The scars from his accidents are still visible, a map of his resilience etched into his skin, but they no longer define him. What defines him is the forward motion.
ADVERTISEMENT