New CNBC star Jay Leno talks cars, comedy and Donald Trump

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- Jay Leno couldn't help himself. Just because he's no longer doing monologues as host of "The Tonight Show" doesn't mean he can resist cracking jokes about Donald Trump.

Meeting with TV critics Thursday to discuss his new CNBC car show, Leno took a detour to lampoon the GOP presidential front-runner.

Noting the battle for that nomination between Jeb Bush and Trump, Leno said, "It's kind of like the race between the tortoise and the bad hair."

And recalling that a medical problem scored Trump a deferment from military service, Leno offered his own diagnosis: "He had an intrarectal cranial inversion: His head was up his ass."

Leno reminded reporters that he has two passions in life, comedy and cars. The latter is fueling his new show, "Jay Leno's Garage," premiering on CNBC on Oct. 7.

He said he owns about 135 cars as well as 117 motorcycles, building on a hobby that began as a teen and found him working as a mechanic at car dealerships early on.

Cars provide clarity, he said.

"Comedy is subjective. Some people think it's funny, some people think it sucks -- and they're both right. But when a car was broken and now it's running, no one can say it's not running."

Cars are more than metal and motion, he added. They come fully equipped with memories.

He recalled getting word that a 96-year-old woman was looking to sell her 1951 Hudson, which she had bought new but was no longer able to drive.

Leno bought the car and, when it was restored, he invited her for a spin.

"She got her hair done, and her two `kids' came, too, who are 70 now," he laughed. "She had the time of her life. It was so much fun to buy that car, fix it up, and take `em for a ride.

"You really buy the story, along with the car."

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