Jay Leno didn't visit suburban Detroit's Woodward Dream Cruise just to crack jokes.
He also had a car to pick up.
The comedian helped kick off the annual Motor City celebration of car culture by appearing with Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis to announce a new line of co-branded car care products. Then he became the first customer to take delivery of a 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 "Last Call" edition.
Leno said he ordered the 1,025-hp Demon, which costs $103,361 after shipping and gas guzzler charge, in March when he helped unveil it in Las Vegas. The special edition, which marks the Challenger's final year of production as an internal combustion vehicle, is his fourth car with four-digit horsepower, he told The Detroit News.
"I'm a huge fan of Dodge," he said. "To me, it's a great American road car."
Leno said he preferred to be at the Dream Cruise this month instead of hobnobbing at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California. "They eat kale in California," he told the News. "It's good to be in Detroit where they eat real food. I enjoy Pebble Beach, but it's $5,000 a day. The Cruise is free. It's a hamburgers and hot dogs celebration."
Dodge said its Direct Connection performance parts division will sell more than 20 detailing and car wash products through its partnership with Jay Leno's Garage. Leno and Kuniskis spent the Dream Cruise event burning rubber together along Woodward Avenue and handing out free samples of the new products.
