Jay Leno's Garage Welcomes A 1934 Rolls-Royce Merlin

As long as the vehicle is unusual, Jay Leno is likely to feature it on his show. Instead of welcoming a guest, Leno presents a work of art from his collection. It's a 1934 Rolls-Royce driven by the legendary Merlin aircraft engine. It's out of the ordinary, like so many of the tales on Jay Leno's Garage.

According to Leno, he heard of a man in England who constructed a few automobiles with airplane engines under the hood. When Leno stated he'd purchase it, the comedian and auto collector reportedly startled the man. The engine was originally mounted on a Rolls-Royce P2 chassis with a very simple wood frame. According to Leno, the restoration took over 20 years to finish.

Finding a gearbox that would work with the engine was a difficulty. The engine produces roughly 1,000 hp and 1,750lb-ft  of torque, which is more than enough to blast through any gearbox. The engine was connected to a Jaguar XK120 manual gearbox when Leno took it home.

According to Leno, he drove the car, placed it in second gear, and pulled the teeth out of the gear. He installed a second Jaguar gearbox, and it occurred again, which was not surprising. Gale Banks of Gale Banks Engineering came up with the answer, recommending a New Venture NV5600 manual transmission.

Another problem was to design and manufacture a period-correct automobile, even though this isn't a Rolls-Royce. The radiator was part of the project. Although the element is contemporary, the JLG team designed it to seem like a period-correct Rolls-Royce piece. Electric cooling pumps, disc brakes, custom headers, and redesigned wheels with heavy-duty spokes were just a few of the modern components used in Jay's amazing project.