Jay Leno and Ford Donate Electric Focus ST Racer to Petersen Museum
Posted by: Auto Buff / Category: Motoring
Matt Stone
on
January 31 2011 9:00 AM
“The show was a failure, but at least the car was a success” chuckled Jay Leno, speaking of the electric orange Ford Focus ST driven by a wide variety of celebrities on a parking lot race track during episodes of The Jay Leno Show, NBC’s ill-fated stab at a primetime evening talk show.
Leno, car collector and motoring enthusiast par excellence, is serious in his commitment to alternative fuels and greener, cleaner energy and fuel sources. Leno referenced his own 1909 Baker electric car, as well as Chevrolet’s Volt, as electric car pioneers of their times. He also owns numerous steam powered cars.
The donation of this car to the museum also underscores Ford’s commitment to EVs, and that a pure electric Focus is on its way to market next year. The specially built, electric Focus was driven on Leno’s show by Drew Barymore, Steve Carell, then-governor Anrold Schwarzenegger, Serena Williams, and Sheryl Crow. Its days as a gymkhana racer are over, and it will now join the Petersen’s impressive collection of built-in-LA, and alternative fuel vehicles.
Leno is philosophical about the need for EVs mentioning that if you drive an EV during the week, most of which cost about $1.50 to charge, then you earn enough energy points to drive a Cobra or a Hemi or a Viper on the weekend. Good thought.
Source: Petersen.org, jaylenosgarage.com
Tags: cars, motoring, vehicles
