It almost seems like Jay Leno ran out of “ordinary” cars to present and now he’s focusing on the quirkiest things ever. Ladies and gentleman, this is the three-wheeled car you’ve probably never heard of… until now.
This little automobile – nicknamed Philbert the Puddle Jumper – is the only one of its kind, and the story surrounding it is quite astonishing. For starters, it was built by a gentleman named Bob Shotwell, in 1931, when he was only 17 years old. After he completed the oddity, Bob drove from Minnesota to Alaska and to Sand Diego, together with his brother. Over the course of his lifetime, he covered ~150,000 miles (241,401 km) with the vehicle bearing his name.
Although Mr. Shotwell adored his creation, in his later years, he got in touch with Leno because he wanted the vehicle preserved, knowing he can entrust his pride and joy to the American comedian.
The Shotwell comes with a lot of Ford Model A components, and it’s powered by an Indian motorcycle engine – good for pushing the entire rig at speeds up to 60 – 65 mph (96 km/h – 105 km/h) on the motorway, according to Jay Leno. Moreover, it received some updates once the former talk show host got a hold of it, but nothing that could spoil its uniqueness and panache.
It even broke down during filming, due to a faulty fuse – an occurrence which perfectly showcases the car’s original fragility, if it wasn’t for Leno to upgrade it. But we’ll let you see Jay Leno in action now.