But before we get there, let’s hear from Dr. Peter Grossman, of the burn clinic that bears his name: That’s great. Reports suggest he was a peach of a patient, and the hospital issued this statement as well: Leno received skin grafts from donor skin, and had to spend time in a hyperbaric chamber. These were pretty severe burns, but the Grossman clinic is known to be one of the best in the country, so he was in good hands. I should add that I know Jay a bit, as he blurbed my book and I was a producer on his show for a while, and we once shared a magical time in the worst car ever built:
— Jay Leno’s Garage (@LenosGarage) June 3, 2018 In my experience, he’s proven to be a genuinely good guy, and it says something that this man, who has so much money that if he went out to lunch with God, he’d pay, is doing his own work on his own incredibly obscure cars. His love for cars is genuine and not about status or any other bullshit like that. He’s the real deal. Here’s the 1907 White steamer that he was working on when the accident happened:
So while steam cars don’t run on gasoline, that doesn’t mean they can’t. Even though steam cars are powered by steam, you still have to make the steam, which means heating up water. The methods used to heat water can involve burning wood or coal or really pretty much anything, including gasoline.
In the case of the White steamer, there’s a “pilot fuel” used to light the flame to get the water hot, and, as you can hear Jay say at this point in the video, the White uses gasoline to light the pilot of the car. It’s also worth noting that the gasoline tank in the car is pressurized, so if Jay was under the car and something happened to a fuel line, it’s not going to just drip out like a non-running internal combustion car would, but instead would spray out, since it’s under pressure. So, for all of you White steam car owners reading this, take heed from Jay’s misfortune and be careful when working on the pilot system! In fact, maybe it’s best for you to take it to one of the many friendly White Steam Car dealerships in your area. Why risk it? Anyway, get better soon, Jay. But seriously glad Jay is okay. It is a testimony to his nature that you never see his name in the This celebrity is an asshole, cheapskate, smells bad articles. My generation obviously didn’t teach you kids well enough… Henry Ford was cheap, and didn’t want to pay for the patents on any of those systems for the Model T, and so used Gravity Feed to keep the carb bowl full of fuel.
