yeah, with a bit of track aero Javelins go from some of the more awkward looking muscle cars; to honestly one of the arguably most beautiful. What a looker those Penski Javelins with the side exhaust were.
Love the Javelin! The Javelins under Donohue and Penske were what made the Trans Am such a thrilling period. The Javelins battling the Mustangs and the other contenders from the Big 3 is a story that deserves becoming a movie.
No doubt! Trans Am was the best American racing series ever for my money & my favorite car "1970 Javelin" driven by Mark Donahue... oh to build a custom tribute car with today's technology! The stuff dreams are made of...😍😏
My father worked for AMC in Kenosha and he took my brother and I to Meadowdale raceway in 1969 to watch the Javelins race. Mark Donahue won that day in his Sunoco Camaro. Great memories… my father is 90 now and still going strong!
Hear Mike talk was like getting in a time machine back to my childhood in the early 90's. I've lost interest in Nascar but Mike's voice brings back all that joy and nostalgia from watching races with my family.
That was great fun, gentlemen! I love this era of American racing. So much variety between Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR, Indy cars, SCCA, Bonneville, sports cars...There was so much to see! Everything now is so homogenized and regulated; it's nice to go back and see how it was 50 years ago before everything got too corporate. Thanks again, Jay and crew, for another great episode, and thanks to Mike Joy and Ken Epsman for bringing the cars out for a live history lesson! ✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦
Oh, I'm watching. You're saying there's a current Can-Am series I've somehow missed?😁 And try to tell the differences between teams in NASCAR, Formula 1, Indy cars, etc. without their liveries.
@@scottimusgarrett15 you can actually see a difference in F1 cars again, since the rules change last year. There were actually pretty big differences in the cars last year, and probably will still be this year. The problem with F1 is they turned the cars into land yachts, that are powered by Dyson vacs. I hope when they get rid of the MGU-H in 26, that we will actually get SOME sound back.
In a way it's probably good this was coming to an end just before I was picking up the keys. I got into enough trouble without trying to emulate these guys and cars on our local roads.
I was born in 1963, so I was too young to know about Trans Am. I bought a 1985 Trans Am shortly after graduating college. That was a fun car, and it looked great. But only in the last few years did I learn about the Trans Am racing series thanks to UA-cam.
You can tell Mike has spent his career in broadcasting cause he talks like my dad used to on the telephone. Loud as hell . Love you Mike. Your a voice of my generation.
Yet another wonderful episode of JLG. Mike Joy is a true gentleman in real life and those of us old enough to remember Trans-Am do so fondly. (By the way, the '70 Challenger T/A? That stood for "trans am" as well, only the name was already taken by Pontiac and Chrysler didn't want to pay licensing to SCCA 🙂). - Ed on the Ridge
im under 40 for now 85-95-kid lol and i remember T/A racing as a kid but the cars by the 1980's-99 where ringer car's and not something you could buy at the dealership's my 60's charger im going for a imperial/upscale feel and T/A vibe's/upcoming next year mule-car mod's as a what if hype marketing stunt, and yes technically it's a cheater care/500-540CI 4.3X4.5in stroke D-8 heads all iron and dry sump engine ect as im building for me not the rule book ( maybe there's a better class to fit it in ? ) but it's still got some/mostly vibe's from early sedan/convertible 🇺🇸 racing class's as it's not a full racing car ringer to win
I am sorry to hear about Jay's motorcycle accident. I'm 65 and have been riding motorcycles since I got my driver licence at 17. I'm aware that the unexpected can cause even experienced riders to go down. Us old guys don't bounce as well as we used to! Wishing you a speedy recovery. I just watched Steve Lehto's video no the cancellation of Jay Leno's Garage on NBC. I watch on You Tube and I hope the show continues. I would like to thank you for being such a conscientious steward of automotive history and sharing it with me.
Thanks for bringing back alot of great memories!!! I was an SCCA corner worker and Pit Row worker and remember the sound smell and compression of a group of Mustangs Camaros and Javelins and Dodges screaming by!!! When the grid would come down Pit Row you could feel the vibration from the asphalt up through your feet!!!!
My 3 daughters and I watched Mike Joy finish 2nd to his son at Limerock this past year. Prior to the race we were wandering around the pits in the rain and he had my young ones get their pictures in the cars. I did not recognize him and asked another driver why he looked familiar. The driver I asked was his son, though he did not tell us that was his Dad. We all talked again after the race and took pictures with them and the cars. Very nice people on a kind of rainy day where many bugged out. Great that they put so much into the sport.
Love the Javelin! That car runs, too! Saw it win at the Historics in Monterey and at Watkins Glen. Got to meet Ken and see the car up close a few times. Ken's a great driver and a super nice guy, even offering folks to sit in the Javelin at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival in town. Trans Am was my favorite series. I grew up in the area where Roger Penske started his operation with Mark Donohue, and live a few blocks from the original shop. I look at that building every time I drive by, thinking of the history that was made there.
I will keep you in my prayers for a quick and complete recovery! And I hope you take your show to another network or at least air complete shows on UA-cam! You are one of America best in entertainment! And the best car guy, sorry Tim Allen! Although I do enjoy Tim too!
This show will be the most watched for months to come, and hopefully into history. Jay get seriously injured, bounces back, and does a show with the Man. Mike, whose voice quivered, when Dale Earnhart finally won the Daytona 500 in '98..."Every man, on every team........I shared his tears. Mike Joy? Are you listening? Your work makes a generation of car guys, stand up and listen.....to your every word.
I was an SCCA course worker in 1992. The Trans Am race at Sonoma was my first pro event. I flagged the turn 6 carousel. I got to wander the Pitts several times & meet all the famous drivers & got to hang out with some of them on Saturday night. It's still one of my favorite weekends ever.
The Trans Am series was my favorite also. Thanks for bringing light to this old series. Mike Joy was awesome with his history on this subject. In regards to the AMC engine, they only had one block, like Pontiac, so the difference between a 304 and 401 was just bore and stroke. The racing engine used a different bore and stroke than the regular 304.
We always thought the AMC Javelin/AMX from '71 looked a bit hokey on the street, with the quasi-Corvette bulgy fenders, etc. As a race car, especially with the Trans Am livery, it looks awesome! 👍👍
This is very cool. When I was young I used to watch the IMSA Porsche 962C's. I once had the chance to see a SCCA race in person. I love to see any vintage race cars. Since your showing 70's race cars, I'd like to see someone come in with a 70's mid-engined Can-Am race car and explain the cool history of that era. I'm sure most young people have no idea. I love the AMC shown here. Hoovie from "Hoovies Garage" has a Hertz Mustang just like this one. Thank you.
I watched the Trans Am series at Laguna Seca in 1968 & 69. The cars raced for 500 miles ! Incredibly tight competition between all the makes and the drivers were fearless !
This is great. I recognized Mike Joy right away. His voice is legendary. I remember this series but I was too young to really remember. Trans Am history. Cool. Like a mini NASCAR.🔥🔥😎♥♥
I loved this segment highlighting the early days and development of the Trans Am racing system. The two guests were walking encyclopedias. Well done Jay. 👍
This was another EPIC video. Just wish it was much longer & Jay would've gotten to drive all three cars. Would've loved seeing that Javelin on the road. My Dad had a new Javelin in the early 70's but only kept it a week then went back to Oldsmobile. But overall, as far as I'm concerned this could've been 3 hours long with an hour dedicated to each car. Now I'm going to watch the Barrett Jackson auction on TV 😎😎😎
Another Fab J Leno!! I had completely forgotten about Trans-Am racing which was right in my wheel house in my early hot rod days… 1964 Falcon, 289…. Crane Cam, Needle Rockers, Hooker headers, Vertex Mag… American Mags, Fun Car… had to sell it to pay for the Doc Bill for #1 Son. Today I have a C8 in garage… starting my youth over again… Thanks J for more great memories!
Love that era of racing... thanks to those guys for sharing all their knowledge ! And there goes Jay riding off into the sunset like the last american hero lol
This is totally awesome. It was a blast watching the Trans Am cars in the vintage races at Laguna Seca this past summer during the Monterey Historics. Boss 302 owner here and a total Ford nut. That Javelin is really cool, love it. Great to see Mike Joy!
l had two AMX's. A 68' and a 69'. The 69' had a 290 v8 and less than 25k on the odometer. That car with headers was reasonably fast. l remember driving at over 100 mph it still got decent gas mileage. l would drive it from Dallas to Austin and back on a regular basis at 90+ mph. The car loved it. lt seems like that wouldve made a great trans am car.
Whole reason I got into racing in SCCA was the TransAm. Really enjoyed being in the support races to the TransAm, CanAm and F5000 cars in the early seventies. Thanks Jay.
My good friend Tony "a2z" Adamowicz won the Under 2 Liter Trans Am Championship in '68 piloting a Porsche 911. The title helped propel his career significantly which speaks volumes for how the Series was viewed back in the day. He later drove Challengers in '70 with Sam Posey and Javelins for Roy Woods in '71. Tony really enjoyed his time in Trans Am and always spoke very highly of Series. Thanks Jay for putting a video together on this topic!
Thank you for another fun episode of Jay Leno's Garage. all three of the car's in this episode look amazing! The sound of that Mustang is so loud but it brought back memories of going out to the drag strip back in the 90's. I know it is not the same, but the wide open exhaust and choppy idle are very exciting to hear...
Amazing cars always have been my favourite but living in Yorkshire I know very little about the Trans Am series fascinating insight to a wonderful era 🎉❤
The 69 Camaros had an option for a cross ram intake manifold with two small Holley Carburetors that got shipped in the trunk and installed at the dealer . Most used it for Trans Am racing versus Drag racing because it was only available on the DZ 302
Great video Jay! My two favorite racing series were Trans Am, (I remember that red white and blue Javelin), and the IROC series! If I’m not mistaken, when IROC started they used identically prepared Porsche 911’s, then came the Camaros! Fantastic racing! Thank you!
Mike Joy has been the voice of racing for me since watching races as a kid in the 1970's. I've always loved the Javelin. Good to see it get recognition here. Fantastic cars, fantastic episode. Wishing Jay all the best after his clothesline encounter :)
I remember Riverside in Agawam and Flemke, Krebs, Greco, and Jocko Maggiacomo (adding a lot of excitement with runs toward the front but not winning as often as it looked like he could have), to name a few. I got back from overseas and back to the races just before Mike Joy started there and wonder what he thought of Gary Colturi, who seemed so talented in the first pinto bodied Modified I saw (lost too soon in a motorcycle accident on the streets). I believe Mike Joy started there a year or two before Gary started impressing us. I always like the last turn seating when spectating. My dad liked the 1st turn seating where they had a rowdy crowd that would throw things at the drivers they disapproved of as they left the track. I tried to get my dad to sit in the more civilized sections, but he wouldn't consider it until the night his favorite, Ed Patnode, was finally around the second place car and had 6 laps to catch the leader. He was doing great, I'm sure prompted by us yelling "Go Ed Go!" as I carelessly swung my beer around as if making a lap, before my dad looking in horror as the beer headed for the largest part of the rowdiest crowd below us. Thinking quick, I grabbed his beer and splashed it on both of us as he followed my lead and looked behind us as if to see who had started the beer shower. Luckily the crowd behind us was watching the excitement on the track and didn't notice us looking like we were among the beer shower victims. We didn't sit in that section after that night.
Trans Am was a great, great series. Parnelli Jones proved to the world that he retired from racing waaaay to early. Donohue, Follmer and Gurney really spiced things up. I miss it to this day and wish someone had filmed the dog gone thing!
I love when the older guys are on this show. They are true historians with the enthusiasm to match. I hope that when I am older I will be as engaging and knowledgeable on at least one subject.
Great episode. Thank you for calling the racing Historic and not Vintage. Grinds me when I hear Historic racing called that. Lovely to see original Trans Am cars together like that too.
Man-O-Man! This is great…what rich racing history we have in this country! I was around the “roundy-round” racing a little bit in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa had a wonderful 1/2 mile track at our Fairgrounds. I watched in the 70’s and 80’s. I still remember the nice man selling papers, “Speed Sport, racing news…latest addition…” as he walked up and down isles selling papers. The Modfieds had inline sixes until the v-six came in. Everyday guys like Leamon English that owned English Tree Service raced on his budget and was a strong contender. I got to see wings be added and then the good/bad thing happen, sponsors and expensive high performance parts, squeezing out your regular Joe. Thanks again Mr. Leno for cataloging wonderful moments in automotive history…
Odd that you didn't mention Craig Breedlove being on team AMC/AMX With Mark Donohue Before Pete Revson, The Donohue / Breedlove Was the championship team, They put me in mind of the Jim Hall Hap Sharp Chaparral team. Just Say'in. Not to take anything away from Pete Revson, He wad a great driver.
This is one of the best episodes. Genuine interest in the cars, and the cars are awesome. These cars required knowledge, feeling and courage to get them on the limit. New cars are faster and easier to drive, but are they as rewarding? Props for bringing up Riverside. My father won the SCCA Formula B Championship there in 1968. He'll be 84 in a few days, and if it still existed, could probably do a respectable lap of it....
In addition to his fantastic radio voice, Mike Joy is a walking encyclopedia on cars and racing. Well done
during the big show at Barrett Jackson he is the guy I like to listen to
Mike Joy needs to do historical Vlogs for History's Sake ..
He's the voice of Barrett Jackson
I believe the dad I never had Jay would then be considered the encyclopedias author...
Mike is a true class act. I met him at Monterey Historics years ago, and he let me squeeze into the driver’s seat!
The Javelin is so underrated. The stance and look of them is just so good
yeah, with a bit of track aero Javelins go from some of the more awkward looking muscle cars; to honestly one of the arguably most beautiful. What a looker those Penski Javelins with the side exhaust were.
I much prefer the looks of the Rebel Machine.
It was never underrated, youre just an ignoramus.
Love the Javelin! The Javelins under Donohue and Penske were what made the Trans Am such a thrilling period. The Javelins battling the Mustangs and the other contenders from the Big 3 is a story that deserves becoming a movie.
I can remember building the model of a Penske javelin in that paint scheme too cool of a car
You’re right Wayne, especially if they went back to the beginning of how AMC came out of nowhere and almost beat Ford for second place.
The aussie touring car masters run a Javelin for a while?
AMC won it in 1971
No doubt! Trans Am was the best American racing series ever for my money & my favorite car "1970 Javelin" driven by Mark Donahue... oh to build a custom tribute car with today's technology! The stuff dreams are made of...😍😏
My father worked for AMC in Kenosha and he took my brother and I to Meadowdale raceway in 1969 to watch the Javelins race. Mark Donahue won that day in his Sunoco Camaro. Great memories… my father is 90 now and still going strong!
Go Dad!
Hear Mike talk was like getting in a time machine back to my childhood in the early 90's. I've lost interest in Nascar but Mike's voice brings back all that joy and nostalgia from watching races with my family.
You almost slipped “TRANS” 😮. Thanks for explaining great episode ‼️
This is a valuable car documentary. Thanks for the education gentlemen.
I told them to do this
That was great fun, gentlemen! I love this era of American racing. So much variety between Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR, Indy cars, SCCA, Bonneville, sports cars...There was so much to see! Everything now is so homogenized and regulated; it's nice to go back and see how it was 50 years ago before everything got too corporate. Thanks again, Jay and crew, for another great episode, and thanks to Mike Joy and Ken Epsman for bringing the cars out for a live history lesson! ✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦
This is literally not the case. Sportscar production racing is huge. IMSA runs multiple street car categories, you just aren't watching.
Oh, I'm watching. You're saying there's a current Can-Am series I've somehow missed?😁 And try to tell the differences between teams in NASCAR, Formula 1, Indy cars, etc. without their liveries.
@@scottimusgarrett15😂😆😉
@@scottimusgarrett15 you can actually see a difference in F1 cars again, since the rules change last year. There were actually pretty big differences in the cars last year, and probably will still be this year. The problem with F1 is they turned the cars into land yachts, that are powered by Dyson vacs. I hope when they get rid of the MGU-H in 26, that we will actually get SOME sound back.
@@Spike-sk7ql remember the sound of naturally aspirated V-12s shrieking to 18,000 RPM?😁
Jay is an important part of preserving this history. Wishing him a speedy recovery.
I agree...I love watching this show! I just heard about both of Jay's accidents.
God, I miss this era of racing. This was a great time to be a pre-teen and teenager!
100%
Totally with you on this, Bill.
Me, too, fella!
In a way it's probably good this was coming to an end just before I was picking up the keys. I got into enough trouble without trying to emulate these guys and cars on our local roads.
I was thirteen in seventy I remember all those cars and drivers been a motor head since and still
I was born in 1963, so I was too young to know about Trans Am. I bought a 1985 Trans Am shortly after graduating college. That was a fun car, and it looked great. But only in the last few years did I learn about the Trans Am racing series thanks to UA-cam.
Fantastic episode and three amazing cars! The Javelin is the bomb! Thank you Mr.Leno for the great stories and super guests.
Mark Donahue's Javelin is still awesome looking and one of my favorite race cars.
Omg, the stance on that Camaro. Pure 70s nostalgia at its best. Thx for showing.
Thank you, Mr. Leno for absolutely the best history lesson that you have ever done, great explanation of Trans Am series. Let’s go Nascar! Daytona🙏🏽
I live in New Smyrna Beach and Daytona takes over in February in these parts...it's going to be a party!
@@kevmagill5163 hope you went to the 24 hours 2 weekends ago!
You can tell Mike has spent his career in broadcasting cause he talks like my dad used to on the telephone. Loud as hell . Love you Mike. Your a voice of my generation.
I could listen to Mr. Mike Joy all day long!! He is NASCAR knowledge! #nationaltreasure
Yet another wonderful episode of JLG. Mike Joy is a true gentleman in real life and those of us old enough to
remember Trans-Am do so fondly. (By the way, the '70 Challenger T/A? That stood for "trans am" as well, only
the name was already taken by Pontiac and Chrysler didn't want to pay licensing to SCCA 🙂).
- Ed on the Ridge
im under 40 for now 85-95-kid lol and i remember T/A racing as a kid but the cars by the 1980's-99 where ringer car's and not something you could buy at the dealership's
my 60's charger im going for a imperial/upscale feel and T/A vibe's/upcoming next year mule-car mod's as a what if hype marketing stunt, and yes technically it's a cheater care/500-540CI 4.3X4.5in stroke D-8 heads all iron and dry sump engine ect as im building for me not the rule book ( maybe there's a better class to fit it in ? ) but it's still got some/mostly vibe's from early sedan/convertible 🇺🇸 racing class's as it's not a full racing car ringer to win
My dad and I go to the classic car races at Laguna Seca almost annually. I sat in the Donohue Challenger one year.
Jay all of your videos are solid, but this one stands out a bit. Thank you so much for entertaining us on this platform!
WOW! Does this bring back memories, never seam to be any disappointments with this channel Thank You Jay and all your friends.
Jim Wheelin’
I am sorry to hear about Jay's motorcycle accident. I'm 65 and have been riding motorcycles since I got my driver licence at 17. I'm aware that the unexpected can cause even experienced riders to go down. Us old guys don't bounce as well as we used to! Wishing you a speedy recovery. I just watched Steve Lehto's video no the cancellation of Jay Leno's Garage on NBC. I watch on You Tube and I hope the show continues. I would like to thank you for being such a conscientious steward of automotive history and sharing it with me.
Mustang MGTOW
I wonder why he doesn't go to Motortrend?
man... hearing Mike's voice takes me back! Loved hearing him call races
I find it so crazy appropriate in closed caption mode that engine sounds are labeled "music!" 😍
Mike Joy. What a voice. What a wealth of information. Sounds like family. Cool to see him "not at work". Thanks for sharing cool stories of cool cars.
As a European, this is very intriguing indeed I must say. Thank you gents a bunch for this most interesting history lesson.
Fabulous! Back in the day, that was real racing. What great fun this show was. Thanks, Jay.
Thanks for bringing back alot of great memories!!! I was an SCCA corner worker and Pit Row worker and remember the sound smell and compression of a group of Mustangs Camaros and Javelins and Dodges screaming by!!! When the grid would come down Pit Row you could feel the vibration from the asphalt up through your feet!!!!
Did you know a man name Vince Gimondo.
He was my mentor for welding fabrication he wrote the safety regulations early in the beginning.
Watched these cars run at Riverside every year they raced through Best of
Times 👍
My 3 daughters and I watched Mike Joy finish 2nd to his son at Limerock this past year. Prior to the race we were wandering around the pits in the rain and he had my young ones get their pictures in the cars. I did not recognize him and asked another driver why he looked familiar. The driver I asked was his son, though he did not tell us that was his Dad. We all talked again after the race and took pictures with them and the cars. Very nice people on a kind of rainy day where many bugged out. Great that they put so much into the sport.
I grew up going to Riverside & The Danbury Fair Racetracks
Always nice to hear a passionate history, even better at his voice! Great coffe car meet
Love the Javelin! That car runs, too! Saw it win at the Historics in Monterey and at Watkins Glen. Got to meet Ken and see the car up close a few times. Ken's a great driver and a super nice guy, even offering folks to sit in the Javelin at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival in town. Trans Am was my favorite series. I grew up in the area where Roger Penske started his operation with Mark Donohue, and live a few blocks from the original shop. I look at that building every time I drive by, thinking of the history that was made there.
Yeah. It looks great
One of the all-time great pairings, like Colin Chapman and Jim Clark. And like them, one that ended too early.
I think Ive enjoyed every episode of Jay Leno.....however, this has to be my favorite. a lot of information, great guest and great history
@Jaylenos ok, here i am
I'm trying to imagine the feeling up pulling up to a light and look over to see Jay Leno and Mike Joy in the car next to you! LOVE this, guys!
I will keep you in my prayers for a quick and complete recovery! And I hope you take your show to another network or at least air complete shows on UA-cam! You are one of America best in entertainment! And the best car guy, sorry Tim Allen! Although I do enjoy Tim too!
Jay AND MIKE in one, car history related video!?
I'm dreaming!
This show will be the most watched for months to come, and hopefully into history. Jay get seriously injured, bounces back, and does a show with the Man.
Mike, whose voice quivered, when Dale Earnhart finally won the Daytona 500 in '98..."Every man, on every team........I shared his tears.
Mike Joy? Are you listening? Your work makes a generation of car guys, stand up and listen.....to your every word.
Great video. When I was seventeen I got to drive a 1969 Z28. What a memory! The Trans-Am series was terrific. Thanks for sharing this video.
How I do miss this era in North American racing. Thanks for the memories...and showcasing these great cars.
I was an SCCA course worker in 1992. The Trans Am race at Sonoma was my first pro event. I flagged the turn 6 carousel. I got to wander the Pitts several times & meet all the famous drivers & got to hang out with some of them on Saturday night. It's still one of my favorite weekends ever.
A great piece of video, and could have listened to these guys all afternoon.
one of the absolute best episodes ever!
I'm glad Jay is back to work. I enjoy all his videos.
Bought a new 401 AMX after Vietnam. Muscle car power, corner carving (well maybe) profile. Wonderful car.
The Trans Am series was my favorite also. Thanks for bringing light to this old series. Mike Joy was awesome with his history on this subject. In regards to the AMC engine, they only had one block, like Pontiac, so the difference between a 304 and 401 was just bore and stroke. The racing engine used a different bore and stroke than the regular 304.
Great story, excellent presentation...memories galore!
Thanks for all you do for us car guys Jay. Hope your feeling better soon!
We always thought the AMC Javelin/AMX from '71 looked a bit hokey on the street, with the quasi-Corvette bulgy fenders, etc. As a race car, especially with the Trans Am livery, it looks awesome! 👍👍
Two of the most iconic voices in television!
Mike Joy is absolutely on-point with his facts and info. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Thank you, Jay Leno. I've learned so much about cars and their history because of your show.
This is very cool. When I was young I used to watch the IMSA Porsche 962C's. I once had the chance to see a SCCA race in person. I love to see any vintage race cars. Since your showing 70's race cars, I'd like to see someone come in with a 70's mid-engined Can-Am race car and explain the cool history of that era. I'm sure most young people have no idea. I love the AMC shown here. Hoovie from "Hoovies Garage" has a Hertz Mustang just like this one. Thank you.
I love watching the various vintage races at Goodwood throughout the year, so much history, beauty, and good racing.
That Camaro is gorgeous!
I loved that series. Great cars and great drivers.
Jay Leno and Mike Joy on a historic Trans am car.The best.
Wonderful episode, beautiful cars, fun topic, friendly people!
I watched the Trans Am series at Laguna Seca in 1968 & 69. The cars raced for 500 miles ! Incredibly tight competition between all the makes and the drivers were fearless !
This is great. I recognized Mike Joy right away. His voice is legendary. I remember this series but I was too young to really remember. Trans Am history. Cool. Like a mini NASCAR.🔥🔥😎♥♥
Great info, great story.
The Donahue car is still one of my favorites.
Javelin is an awesome car!
I loved this segment highlighting the early days and development of the Trans Am racing system. The two guests were walking encyclopedias. Well done Jay. 👍
I could listen to Mike talk about cars all day. Great voice.
This was another EPIC video. Just wish it was much longer & Jay would've gotten to drive all three cars.
Would've loved seeing that Javelin on the road. My Dad had a new Javelin in the early 70's but only kept it a week then went back to Oldsmobile. But overall, as far as I'm concerned this could've been 3 hours long with an hour dedicated to each car.
Now I'm going to watch the Barrett Jackson auction on TV 😎😎😎
Another Fab J Leno!! I had completely forgotten about Trans-Am racing which was right in my wheel house in my early hot rod days… 1964 Falcon, 289…. Crane Cam, Needle Rockers, Hooker headers, Vertex Mag… American Mags, Fun Car… had to sell it to pay for the Doc Bill for #1 Son. Today I have a C8 in garage… starting my youth over again… Thanks J for more great memories!
Love that era of racing... thanks to those guys for sharing all their knowledge !
And there goes Jay riding off into the sunset like the last american hero lol
Im so glad you invited Mike to be a part of the show. Such an iconic voice in motorsports and what an informative video. Thanks Jay!
This is totally awesome.
It was a blast watching the Trans Am cars in the vintage races at Laguna Seca this past summer during the Monterey Historics.
Boss 302 owner here and a total Ford nut.
That Javelin is really cool, love it.
Great to see Mike Joy!
I have been a fan of Mike Joy for years! I'm glad this video was made.
l had two AMX's. A 68' and a 69'. The 69' had a 290 v8 and less than 25k on the odometer. That car with headers was reasonably fast. l remember driving at over 100 mph it still got decent gas mileage. l would drive it from Dallas to Austin and back on a regular basis at 90+ mph. The car loved it. lt seems like that wouldve made a great trans am car.
Whole reason I got into racing in SCCA was the TransAm. Really enjoyed being in the support races to the TransAm, CanAm and F5000 cars in the early seventies. Thanks Jay.
My good friend Tony "a2z" Adamowicz won the Under 2 Liter Trans Am Championship in '68 piloting a Porsche 911. The title helped propel his career significantly which speaks volumes for how the Series was viewed back in the day. He later drove Challengers in '70 with Sam Posey and Javelins for Roy Woods in '71. Tony really enjoyed his time in Trans Am and always spoke very highly of Series. Thanks Jay for putting a video together on this topic!
Thank you for another fun episode of Jay Leno's Garage. all three of the car's in this episode look amazing! The sound of that Mustang is so loud but it brought back memories of going out to the drag strip back in the 90's. I know it is not the same, but the wide open exhaust and choppy idle are very exciting to hear...
Amazing cars always have been my favourite but living in Yorkshire I know very little about the Trans Am series fascinating insight to a wonderful era 🎉❤
Incredible restaurations, truely iconic cars. Just wow.
Trans Am was the best of racing... And these cars can still be scene at vintage racing
What a great episode. Those are some amazing cars!
Thanks to Mike for his dedication to racing and sharing his knowledge of it.
The 69 Camaros had an option for a cross ram intake manifold with two small Holley Carburetors that got shipped in the trunk and installed at the dealer . Most used it for Trans Am racing versus Drag racing because it was only available on the DZ 302
Best episode ever! “If it had a parts number….” Just love this era of American performance cars!
Wow, I could listen to Mike Joy talk about cars all day. It's like listening to a fine symphony.
I love vintage race cars! Awesome!
Great video Jay! My two favorite racing series were Trans Am, (I remember that red white and blue Javelin), and the IROC series! If I’m not mistaken, when IROC started they used identically prepared Porsche 911’s, then came the Camaros! Fantastic racing! Thank you!
What he said about the badges is so true, I'm always looking for a little chrome Hell at or Demon on the fender whenever I see a Challenger
Jay was excited at 11:49 when the guys call the strut brace a “Monte Carlo bar” because he always has to explain why he calls them that. 😂
Or the 'front tower strut/shock bar' that firmed up the front end side to side flexing and stearing in the turns.
He Lit up like a Little boy😀
Mike Joy has been the voice of racing for me since watching races as a kid in the 1970's. I've always loved the Javelin. Good to see it get recognition here.
Fantastic cars, fantastic episode. Wishing Jay all the best after his clothesline encounter :)
I remember Riverside in Agawam and Flemke, Krebs, Greco, and Jocko Maggiacomo (adding a lot of excitement with runs toward the front but not winning as often as it looked like he could have), to name a few. I got back from overseas and back to the races just before Mike Joy started there and wonder what he thought of Gary Colturi, who seemed so talented in the first pinto bodied Modified I saw (lost too soon in a motorcycle accident on the streets). I believe Mike Joy started there a year or two before Gary started impressing us.
I always like the last turn seating when spectating. My dad liked the 1st turn seating where they had a rowdy crowd that would throw things at the drivers they disapproved of as they left the track. I tried to get my dad to sit in the more civilized sections, but he wouldn't consider it until the night his favorite, Ed Patnode, was finally around the second place car and had 6 laps to catch the leader. He was doing great, I'm sure prompted by us yelling "Go Ed Go!" as I carelessly swung my beer around as if making a lap, before my dad looking in horror as the beer headed for the largest part of the rowdiest crowd below us. Thinking quick, I grabbed his beer and splashed it on both of us as he followed my lead and looked behind us as if to see who had started the beer shower. Luckily the crowd behind us was watching the excitement on the track and didn't notice us looking like we were among the beer shower victims. We didn't sit in that section after that night.
I love Mike Joy's passion for racing. His voice, and Bob Varsha's, bring back great memories, thanks Jay.
Love the history lesson Jay. $5 a car that really surprised me! Now I have to look up and if Pontiac raced the Trans Am...
They did, not very successfully but...
As a younger guy I loved this. Eager to learn more about the Trans Am heroes!
I love to hear Mike Joy talk cars.
Could listen to Mike Joy all day. His enthusiasm is incredible
Trans Am was a great, great series. Parnelli Jones proved to the world that he retired from racing waaaay to early. Donohue, Follmer and Gurney really spiced things up. I miss it to this day and wish someone had filmed the dog gone thing!
Great to see Mike Joy and here his experiences throughout the years. "The voice of NASCAR", unmistakable.
Original GT40 heads.
Might be a bit expensive hop-up for your motor today.
👆Congratulation 🎉, Claim your prize with the above TG name. 👆
I love when the older guys are on this show. They are true historians with the enthusiasm to match. I hope that when I am older I will be as engaging and knowledgeable on at least one subject.
Trans am is a beautiful car
Great episode. Thank you for calling the racing Historic and not Vintage. Grinds me when I hear Historic racing called that. Lovely to see original Trans Am cars together like that too.
Jay. Get better from the motorcycle accident. What the hell? Did the Sopranos put a hit on you 😂
Man-O-Man! This is great…what rich racing history we have in this country! I was around the “roundy-round” racing a little bit in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa had a wonderful 1/2 mile track at our Fairgrounds. I watched in the 70’s and 80’s. I still remember the nice man selling papers, “Speed Sport, racing news…latest addition…” as he walked up and down isles selling papers. The Modfieds had inline sixes until the v-six came in. Everyday guys like Leamon English that owned English Tree Service raced on his budget and was a strong contender. I got to see wings be added and then the good/bad thing happen, sponsors and expensive high performance parts, squeezing out your regular Joe.
Thanks again Mr. Leno for cataloging wonderful moments in automotive history…
Odd that you didn't mention Craig Breedlove being on team AMC/AMX With Mark Donohue Before Pete Revson,
The Donohue / Breedlove Was the championship team,
They put me in mind of the Jim Hall Hap Sharp Chaparral team.
Just Say'in.
Not to take anything away from Pete Revson, He wad a great driver.
These types of episodes that show off classic americana are the most interesting.
Hopefully your Monday is better then mine😅
Great episode. The two guests were brilliant, the cars are excellent, the story was informative.
Sorry, but the “announcer” guy is super annoying, had to stop watching.
Love show offs like these , I’m 31 but these were the cars I was raised around fast old school muscle cars
This is one of the best episodes. Genuine interest in the cars, and the cars are awesome. These cars required knowledge, feeling and courage to get them on the limit. New cars are faster and easier to drive, but are they as rewarding?
Props for bringing up Riverside. My father won the SCCA Formula B Championship there in 1968. He'll be 84 in a few days, and if it still existed, could probably do a respectable lap of it....