Who is the famous guy with all the cars?

Most people mean Jay Leno, the longtime Tonight Show host and “Jay Leno’s Garage” front man, renowned for one of the world’s best-known private car collections. Depending on context, the phrase can also point to other high-profile collectors—from the Sultan of Brunei to social media personalities like Manny Khoshbin—so the intended person can vary by who’s asking and where you heard it.

Who the phrase most often means

In mainstream conversation, “the famous guy with all the cars” is overwhelmingly Jay Leno. Beyond his decades on late-night TV, Leno built a global profile as an ambassador for car culture through his series “Jay Leno’s Garage,” first on CNBC and now primarily on YouTube. His Big Dog Garage in Burbank, California houses a rotating trove estimated at roughly 180-plus cars and 160-plus motorcycles—ranging from steam cars and brass-era rarities to modern hypercars—making the breadth and visibility of his collection almost unmatched. While CNBC canceled the TV series in 2023 amid programming changes, Leno continues to regularly feature vehicles on digital platforms.

Why Jay Leno fits the description

These are the most common reasons people default to Jay Leno when they say “the guy with all the cars.”

• Mass reach: Years of national television plus an ongoing, widely watched online show keep him front-of-mind beyond enthusiast circles.
• Scale and variety: A sprawling lineup that spans eras, technologies (including steam and turbine), and performance tiers.
• Visibility: Frequent, in-depth videos and public appearances make his collection feel accessible even if the garage itself isn’t open for public tours.
• Cultural shorthand: Pop-culture references and memes have cemented Leno as “the car guy” for a broad audience.

Taken together, Leno’s fame, the scale of his holdings, and how regularly he shares them explain why casual references so often point to him.

Other contenders people might mean

Depending on who’s speaking and the setting, several other names also get labeled as “the guy with all the cars.” Here are the usual suspects and why they come up.

• Sultan of Brunei (Hassanal Bolkiah): Long linked to what is widely reported as the largest private car collection ever—numbering in the thousands at its peak—including ultra-rare, custom-commissioned Ferraris, Bentleys, and more. The collection is largely private and rarely seen.
• Manny Khoshbin: Real-estate entrepreneur and social-media figure known for highly curated hypercars (Bugatti, Koenigsegg, Pagani) and frequent YouTube/Instagram showcases.
• Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian famed for a world-class Porsche collection and the series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.” He sold a notable tranche at auction in 2016 but remains a prominent collector.
• Ralph Lauren: Fashion designer with a museum-grade assemblage of historically significant cars, including a Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic and a McLaren F1.
• Floyd Mayweather: Boxing champion known for high-end fleets—often arranged in matching colors—and a habit of displaying them on social media.

In enthusiast, luxury, or social-media contexts, these figures can easily be the intended reference—especially when the conversation centers on hypercars, Porsches, or ultra-private royal collections.

How to tell who someone means

These quick cues can help you decode which “guy with all the cars” someone has in mind.

1. Mentions of late-night TV or “Jay Leno’s Garage” almost certainly mean Jay Leno.
2. Talk of secrecy, royalty, or “thousands of cars” points to the Sultan of Brunei.
3. YouTube mansion tours and business-as-motivation content with hypercars suggests Manny Khoshbin.
4. References to Porsches or “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” indicate Jerry Seinfeld.
5. Boxing tie-ins or photos of color-coordinated fleets often mean Floyd Mayweather.

Context—the platform, the kinds of cars, and the person’s cultural touchstones—usually reveals the right answer.

Summary

If you hear “the famous guy with all the cars,” the safe bet is Jay Leno, whose highly visible, remarkably diverse collection and media presence made him car culture’s most recognizable face. Still, in certain circles the phrase can just as easily point to the ultra-private Sultan of Brunei, social media fixture Manny Khoshbin, or fellow celebrity collectors like Jerry Seinfeld and Ralph Lauren.