Jay Leno first non-Jaguar person to drive the C-X75

Famous comedian and TV host Jay Leno became the first person outside Jaguar to drive the C-X75 on a public highway. Since its launch at the Paris Motor Show the concept car has been hugely acclaimed by media and public.

“I have compromising pictures of (Jaguar Design Director) Ian Callum. That’s why I am being allowed to drive it first,” joked the highest rating TV chat show host in America.

Jaguar offered Jay Leno this chance because of his passion for cars and especially for Jaguars. The TV host says that his obsession with cars started just over 50 years ago when he was nine and saw a neighbor in Massachusetts polishing an XX120. Today, Leno is the proud owner of a garage that houses hundreds of cars and motorbikes, including a Jaguar XK120, XK140, an E-Type (XKE in the US) and a new XJ.

At that time, 3000 miles away from his childhood home near Boston in England, Jaguar’s design team were finishing off the iconic shape of the E-Type, a car that sealed Jaguar’s place in the dictionary of cool forever. Jay Leno thinks that almost half a century later, Jaguar has made it again.

“Jaguar really surprised everybody when they showed up with this car at Paris, but that’s what Jags do. They tend to show up and surprise everyone. The XKE in 1961, the XK120 in 1948 and this one in 2010. That’s part of the Jag tradition. You turn up with something cool, surprise everyone…then hopefully build it.”

Ian Callum and his one-off creation were in LA for the auto show in order to test the reaction of potential customers in the world’s entertainment capital.

“The C-X75 is called that because it celebrates 75 years of Jaguar heritage and shows our thinking for the future,” said Callum, walking Leno around the car. “It also shows the kind of forward thinking talent we have at Jaguar.”

Leno’s view on Callum’s styling? “The nice thing, despite being so cutting edge, is it still looks like a Jag. It’s got certain key features like the detail on the buttress behind the driver’s head that is reminiscent of the new XJ. The back end is especially sexy and has hints of E Type and even the D Type.”

After taking on the wheel of the Jaguar C-X75 concept Leno said, “There is no point talking handling and performance. It is just a thrill to even feel it move,” beams the comedian. “It’s such an important car for Jaguar. The design, the propulsion, the statement it makes about the company’s take on the future. It is just aching to be built. I hope. I really hope they do make it. It’s beautiful. And Jaguar’s are beautiful.”

Jaguar is already scheduling a production model of the C-X75 concept car, but the model should only arrive in 2015.