The American Ferrari: Apollo GT | Jay Leno's Garage
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2022
- Learn all about the Apollo GT from the man who wrote the book and from its owner’s family legacy.
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I knew Kurt's (the owner) father and he would thought that this was the best day ever. His son, the Apollo, Jay (and Jay's fandom for the Apollo) and introducing the car to car enthusiasts everywhere. Don was a great guy - as is Kurt!
I love when people bring a bit of back story to the comments, this car is amazing. Thanks for sharing!
For the Era this car was built it's a very sporty car that apparently may have been pretty expensive but, apparently became somewhat popular
And Kurt's dad would have had a right to be proud that his car was being shown on Jay's show
And it's great that Kurt has kept the car up and running
Kurt has earned any praise he gets for keeping his dad's dream alive
this car was in the 1st Herbie movie from 1969! the antagonist in the movie had a yellow Apollo GT with a big black stripe down the middle. there are so many significant classic cars in that movie that are now worth many many millions.
The "Thorndyke Special". Loved that car!
Thanks I knew I recognized this
Elvis's 'Spinout' is another like that.
Thanks, all the way through the programme I was trying to remember where I had see it before. I loved that movie for all the cars although I never had much time for VW Beatles.English actor David Tomlinson played Thorndyke and he also played the father in Mary Poppins.
My favorite all time movie
I personally know Milt Brown, and he is one of the most inspiring, humble, and intelligent men you will ever meet.
To see his work respected and revered even decades later is a testament to his foresight and ingenuity. On a personal level, Milt is kind, genuine, affable, and as passionate for life and new experiences as he was in his early 20s when this wild idea came to him.
Currently, he enjoys sailing, socializing, and the finer things in life, but still savors that zest for risk and travel.
As a young man in my early 20s I am inspired by his accomplishments and turn to him for wisdom and lessons to carry forth into my life and journey.
Seeing Jay Leno talk about this great man makes me eternally grateful to call him a close friend, a mentor, and a role model.
After seeing this video and story, he seems like a great man to meet.
To see a man in his twenties speak with the maturity, eloquence and gratitude for the virtues of another, as you have, is in itself an inspiration. This is the first I've heard of Milt Brown and his vehicle, and from what I'm seeing in Leno's video and in the comments such as your own, his is a story that should be far more widely known and looked towards as a life to exemplify, at the least in spirit if not in kind.
Thanks for your input. Nice background info to have👍
@@ironymatt Thank you for the reply! Videos like this only make me cherish and value his humility and comfort in life’s simplicities even more.
One of his favorite places to go to this day remains In-N-Out burger, and I think this small detail really completes the image as to the kind of man Milt Brown is; grounded, down to earth, relatable.
Despite all of his accomplishments, he doesn’t gloat or exude an air of arrogance in the slightest.
Truly a very special man, and I’m so happy his work is being recognized even decades later.
SORT OF LIKE THE CUNNINGHAM!...
I remember as a 10 yearold going to see the "Love Bug" and when I saw the Apollo GT, I fell in love!! It was the coolest looking car I'd ever seen. Back in the early 80s I was living in Jupiter, Florida and saw an Apollo on US 1 heading the opposite direction, did an immediate U turn and followed the guy 40 + miles until he pulled into a convenience store and he got out and looked at me like I was a lunatic stalker, and I guess I was! Anyway we talked a minute I told him the story about the movie and that this was the first time in the 25 years I'd ever seen one in person. He took me for a short ride and I'll always be thankful to him!
It always amazes me when I hear about someone who owns and drives an unusual, rare, special car like an Apollo and then wonders why they get so much attention. Now assuming you're not racing the driver, cutting them off, tailgating them, yelling at them or other obnoxious behavior...and you weren't so what's the problem? Sir, you bought one of 88 cars ever built. You're going to get attention! I'm glad to hear they offered you a ride. And no...nobody owes anybody anything except just basic respect. There's a lot of grey area between being annoyed and testy with everyone who shows interest in your unique car and feeling obligated to stop and give everyone a ride every time.
Mr. Thorndyke Special! It was yellow with black stripes! Hahahahaha
Jay Leno, one of the all time greatest historians and caretakers of automotive history, yet he still remains the most humble and kind man ever!!
Conan would disagree
@@dantesiege Lol!
@@dantesiege facts xD but hey we all tussle once you bring somebodies money into the equation you need to be prepared for all business no games.
I heard he kicks small animals...
And sometimes he is funny.😂
I like how Jay knows a lot, but he’s not a know-it-all. He doesn’t have to have all his facts ready for a script, he has no problem being corrected and learning new things from others through genuine car talk.
I saw this car a few years back at an Italian car show in Golden Colorado. Looks even better in person. Kurt graciously answered every question I threw at him. He didn’t hover over the car, even allowing a couple of awestruck kids to be photographed in the drivers seat. Great car, great owner. Thanks gents.
Kurt really came across as a nice guy. I'm not at all surprised to read that nice story about the kids in the car. Thanks for sharing.
The styling looks like a combo of an jaguar e type and a Ferrari Daytona, things absolutely beautiful
talk about having a hot dad and a hot mom!
Exactly !
More 275 than Daytona
I would have to agree. It's a timeless design.
I'd say 275 GTB much more than a Daytona. Plus the hood scoop from a 250 SWB.
Jay Leno is probably one of the coolest car guys and easily my favorite celebrity. Just seems so nice and down to earth
Mine too, I can't think of too many that I would love to sit down with and talk to, but Jay would be great to hang out with!
Proper blue collar extraction.
@@GT380man what do you mean?
He should have had kids to pass on the legacy.
Seeing Jay Leno be a child is always a reward. Especially when it comes to an American car.
This was the Thorndyke Special! In the original Herbie The Love Bug, the car that the bad guy used to try to beat Herbie. It was yellow and black in the movie. A childhood dream of mine!!!
There was also a red one used in that movie too
@@CarCrazy12804 The red one you're thinking of was actually in the third film.
Herbie goes to Monte Carlo. Used in the Qualifying races shot on location at Laguna Seca Raceway.
That one was one of the Apollo 5000 GT's and was fitted with Side pipes.
It's still around today , but without the side pipes. It's got two little circular panels welded over where the pipes used to come out of the body.
There's something amazing about dads, sons, and cars when they get together.
This car came to fame as the "Thorndyke Special" in the 1968 Disney movie "The love bug".
They murdered an e type for that film
Pretty cool. I really like how he grew up "hating" the car and now it has become an integral part of his life. Great back story.
I can feel the pain and resentment Kurt felt toward the car growing up. I can also feel the appreciation and love he has for his father and has discovered his father's passion for the car. Now it is his best connection to his father. Great story.
I restored one of these for a customer back in 2006. It was bought uncompleted out of the bankruptcy sale by a fellow who was a merchant marine. He never completed the car and my customer purchased it still unfinished but in very good condition from dry storage. Unbelievably I was actually the first person to ever drive the car. The front and rear suspension was pirated from a 1962 Buick Skylark. Several modifications were made to the steering gear to allow the tie rods to clear the frame, and the car I did had Bendix disc brakes that were adapted from a Studebaker Avanti. Because it had never been completed, any engine originally installed in a Apollo would technically be correct, and conversations with Milt Brown confirmed that a handful were built both with small block Fords and Chevrolets. My customer opted for the Chevrolet and we sourced a period 327 and Muncie four speed for installation. He wanted it equipped with period speed parts so a factory performance cam and an Edelbrock 3-2bbl. intake were installed along with Corvette 2 1/2” rams horn exhaust manifolds. The bodywork was pretty nice for a hand built car, and the customer chose Ferrari red as the color. We finished it just in time to participate in the Apollo Reunion held at the 2006 Concourso Italianio at Pebble Beach. I can vouch for the fact that no two of these are the same, they are hand built in every respect. After the initial restoration my customer decided that the 3.70 gear in the spindly Skylark differential was too low to drive comfortably on the highway. Because I couldn’t locate a more suitable gearset for the Buick rear, I had a 9” Ford narrowed and the axles redrilled to accept the adapters for the Borrani wire wheels. When I went to mount the diff in the car I discovered that the car was built with a wheelbase that was 5/8” different from side to side and the hand built body had been constructed to accommodate this. I made my customer aware of this and he just laughed and said, “Ferrari GTO’s are the same way and they cost $12 million!” The customer sold it at auction a couple of years later and I believe it brought $120K. No clue what they are bringing now.
You restored that thing in less than one year? That's making good time.
@@jiveturkey9993 the car was in exceptional shape, it was literally a new car that had been stored for decades. That said the paint was coming off in sheets, and it had suffered some pretty serious damage to the left fender behind the wheel as a result of poor planning when the car was being loaded for transport from California to Moscow, TN. where my shop is located. Several deviations from original were made principally in the drivetrain, wiring, and climate control. As I posted above we installed a hot 327 and four speed, and I eventually replaced the diff with a 9 inch Ford with 2.75 gears making it much more comfortable to drive. The wiring was sketchy as some attempt to complete the car had been made to install an engine and the wiring had been cut and spliced in several areas. In the interest of reliability and safety we installed a Ron Francis Wiring Works harness, but I left the original fuse box under the hood and arranged the wiring to make it look like it was still operational. My customer was big on driving his cars and the Memphis summers can be brutal so we installed a Vintage Air climate control system. Many of the time consuming issues that are commonly encountered with a restoration were not present on this car. There was absolutely no rust whatsoever, and apart from the transportation shipping damage the body was straight. Now that’s in the realm of hand built car straight, not custom paint straight, but the bodywork was straightforward. The interior was simply cleaned and reinstalled. We “finished” the car a day before it was to go on an enclosed transport to the Concourso. I called my customer and told him that it will start, move under its own power, and it will stop, but it’s full of gremlins, and he was to only drive it from the transport to the show field. When it returned to us we spent a few months working the bugs out, there were serious bumpsteer issues with the front suspension, and there were overheating issues with the car even though I had had a high capacity custom radiator built and equipped it with a tight fitting shroud. The bumpsteer issue was the result of the car never being completed at the “factory”. There was a modification made by Apollo that changed the steering gear angles and created the issue. The fix was as simple as moving the outer tie rods from the bottom of the spindle steering arms to the top. This was done on the cars that were completed and sold but never done on this car. The overheating issue was caused by the small grille opening and lack of baffling in the engine bay. I taped tufts off yarn around the engine bay and lowered the hood as much as possible and discovered that the hot air coming out of the shroud was being pulled over the radiator and back through it. Kind of hard to cool an engine with 200° air! Once panels were built to seal the radiator to the grille opening the car never ran over 175°. You could drop a rag six inches in front of the grille at idle and it would get sucked against the radiator. I could go on and on. It’s an interesting car, Google 327 Chevy powered Apollo if you would like to see pics.
@@Tonysopranoyafinook off topic but thanks to my kids I'm positive Elf is the greatest Christmas movie in the history of film.
@@robertwooley2592 Thanks for the thorough explanation about the car and your process of restoring it. It was really interesting. I checked out the car on google and it looks really nice!
The "Thorndyke Special" (Apollo GT) in The Love Bug movie (1968). Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) is mesmerized seeing one in a car showroom, in yellow with groovy black stripes, and in a light voice says, "Over 400 cubes, dual quads, synchromesh 4 speed - and 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds." Well, that is Hollywood artistic license in action - inflating it to be a big block bruiser. I really liked the hood stripes on the Thorndyke Special.
I dont know if Dean was actually a car guy...but I remember sitting in my parents car at the drive in thinking
"That's how to be a car guy".
The movie was back in theaters after a 7 years. 1975. I was 8.
@@nascargas I was 7 when The Love Bug came out in 1968. I grew up in SoCal - so there were VW's and especially VW Bugs everywhere. On the way to the drive in me, my older brother, and younger sister all made a game over who could spot the most VW Bugs on the way to the movie. Good times. Until now I didn't know that the yellow Thorndyke Special sports car on the showroom floor in the movie was actually an Apollo GT.
@@Thomas63r2 today's kids still keep an eye out for Bugs. They still play slug bug. They arnt as ubiquitous today as they were back then...even with the new version. But they persist in the lexicon at least.
I knew the Apollo was the Thorndyke only after watching the film on DVD with my kids years ago. That flash in the pan car thing I had as a child evolved into a fully raging love of automobiles as an adult. What with the internet I was able to Sherlock Holmes the identity of the car fairly quickly.
@@Thomas63r2 Us kids did the same going to the Falmouth (Cape Cod) drive-in in '68 too in mom's '67 Mustang, at night it was looking for one head light out cars, "Pedittel!"
I saw the thumbnail for this video and said to myself: "that's the Thorndyke Special from The Love Bug! I've always wondered what type of car that was." Excellent video as always Jay and crew!
Yes! That's how most folks recognize it
It says something that Kurt won't let anybody else drive the car -- except Jay.
I love that gorgeous Italian body, but with reliable GM power and a Borg-Warner 4 speed.
The best of two worlds. The Apollo is definitely a keeper.
My father’s investment company got involved with this car and I remember him bringing one home for a few days trial. I think I was about 8 years old and still have fond memories of riding in it and him showing me the engine and raving about it.
Those were great times 👍😁
I was 11 or 12, and the Apollo GT was in Herbie the Love Bug, I remember it ! Now almost fifty years later here it is ! Thanks J.
The "celebrated" Thorndike Special. Lol
you know what? thats where i saw one of these before! you have a good eye and a great memory. i wonder if they used it cause nobody knew what it was and they could call it what ever they wanted.
@@perry92964 the movie came out in 1968.... was kinda fresh in the market at the time, you just had to be knowledgeable on makes and models at the time since it was never mentioned in the movie as an apollo.... just the Thorndike special that was in yellow with black stripe down the middle. It looked stunning to be honest.
Very striking. You could describe the looks as 275GTB meets E-type meets MGBGT. You wouldn't be wrong, but you also wouldn't capture the elegance of that amalgamation. And those shut-lines! Amazing work.
You're right, the inspiration couldn't be clearer, especially with those Borrani style wheels but there is a big miss in my opinion that separate a good GT of this era from a racy sports car....: V12 engine
That’s exactly what I’m seeing. Greatest hits
I grew up in San Francisco. My neighbor across the street, a guy named Jay Walsh, had an Apollo GT (I believe it was #24?) which he had inherited from his mother, who had bought it brand new. They had been at a race at Laguna Seca and the then-new Apollo GT was featured in parade laps between races. She fell in love with it and bought one. It was one of only three built with an automatic transmission. she passed away he didn’t have a place to keep it, so he rented a space in a multi-story parking garage in downtown San Francisco where it sat under a cover for years. The first time I saw it, it was in terrible shape. He moved to a horse ranch in Petaluma which gave him space, so he dragged the car to a shop and had it restored and returned to (barely) running condition. It then sat in a small wood barn and was neglected again. The last time I saw it, a shovel had fallen on the back and badly gouged the paint, and it wouldn’t start.
He offered to sell it to me in the mid-1990s for $25,000, which was a great deal. I was turned off by the automatic transmission, and terrified of something as simple as a rock in the windshield sidelining the car forever, so I passed.
(Not long after I got a ride up the Ferrari Club Virginia City Hillclimb route in another one which was tastelessly fitted with Ferrari badges! It was reasonably fast (given the limitations of the 165/400 tires and drum brakes) and sounded great.)
I saw this car at Concorso Italiano and it made me regret my decision not to buy the one that had been offered to me all those years before…..
I loved Herbie movies as a kid, so I’ve been a fan of the “Thorndyke special” Apollo long before I learned it’s an Apollo. Awesome car :)
Looks a little like an AC 428 blended with an E type, very cool
Agree ... I see the E-type influence as well.
Nice to see another person who knows about the AC 428!
Did the 240Z take any cues?
@Martin Cool, I was wondering if anyone else thought the same thing.....
AC428 Frua/Maserati Mistrale? Can’t really see that, the Frua bodies appear much more slab sided to my old eyes… but it is an amalgam of so many early/mid 1960s European grand tourer styling cues. From the Ferrari like front to almost an early 911 rump. Such a pretty, well proportioned plaything. Lucky devils!
The "Thorndyke Special" from "The Love Bug", brings me right back to seeing that movie for the first time.
I love the relaxed body language and speech Jay. Passion and being your self and being emphatic. I hear and see all this wonderful information, and at the same time it relaxes me. Love it. Thanks Jay.
Well, I just did the vail concours 2023 and this exact Apollo car was there. We did an extremely fast rally from Vail Co to Steamboat and back. The car handled amazingly well and the power was superb considering it has only ~ 225 HP. It kept up with the other modern sports and super cars without any effort. The owner Kurt drove it flawlessly and his co-pilot was non other than Milt Brown the creator of this beautiful 60 year old car. What a treat to see this beautiful masterpiece, owner and creator.
This Apollo GT HAS GOT TO BE 1 of the top 5 cars to ever be featured by Jay.
Well, in my opinion, it is :-)
In EVERY aspect it is....!!!!AWESOME!!!!
Hopefully, the owner now has a clear comprehension of why his dad coveted it so deeply.
His Last Will & Testament MUST dictate this rare gem be donated to The Jay Leno Car Museum.
Regards,
Ben
I remember seeing this car in the movie The Love Bug. It was called the Thorndyke Special painted in Yellow with a black stripe down the middle. It was my first introduction to the Apollo GT. And at first I thought it was a European sports car. Cause the character Peter Thorndyke sold expensive European sports cars. But then to find out it was an American made sports car with Ferrari inspired styling just blew my mind. Love this car it looks an sounds sexy from every angle.
I don't know how they all missed pointin' that out.
@@BubbaSmurft Yeah I was hoping to hear that fact put in. Cause you can't be a car/movie nerd an not at least have heard about Herbie and the Love Bug franchise. And for a lot of car guys that was how we first heard it saw some of these cars. Especially if you didn't grow up in California.
as a european, I heard about these thanks to CCSC magazine from the UK, they had a whole article on the apollo GT and the Intermeccanica, both basically US homegrown creations that rivalled the poise and stature of europe's finest at the time. IMHO these cars are awesome since they aren't hybrids (euro bodies, american engine) but pure US cars, which shows that petrolheads with ambition could come up with some awesome things that weren't just straight line pullers. sidenote here: that buick engine ended up being europe's most famous V8 in the hands of Rover xD
@@TheChill001 I did not know that.
@@stephencivic1989 for some odd reason I just read that in Johnny Carson's voice.....😳
Looks like an elongated MG/ Jaguar XJE / Ferrari Dino hybrid . Where else could you see a story like this but Jay's Garage . Jay is always on the hunt for elusive cars .
Kurt looks like he'd be a Rockstar, the hair, the tan. Great guy seems like 🙂
Absolutely stunning car! There was one of these in the 1968 original “Herbie the Love Bug” movie. They called it a “Thorndyke Special”.
Thanks Jay and Kurt for sharing this beautiful car with us! Kurt,I know your dad would be so proud to know you’re sharing his dream and caring for his baby. Like Jay,I wish my dad would have been a car guy too.
...at least his Dad got to keep the car. Lucky man. Divorces have a way of destroying dreams. Thanks Jay for making these videos. Wow again. We are near the same age and I recall hearing about this American Ferrari. What a treat for you, and you bringing us along.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of Apollo . Absolutely Beautiful ! That’s the kind of car I would want to keep and drive. Just Beautiful !
You're a national treasure Jay Leno!
I am in shock! I really didn't know anything about the Apollo. I remember back in the 60s, seeing ads, in magazines, for the Apollo, but somehow thought it was a kit car. Nothing of the sort! My dream sports car, hiding for 50 years. The rear view has some E-type influence, first time I've seen that view. Beautiful car ! Big fan of the Buick 215, small V8s sound so good! Thanks, Jay, and the the other guys, for the enlightenment and insight into the accurately nicknamed, "American Ferrari ". 😀👍
Wanted one of these ever since I saw the Thorndyke Special in The Love Bug.
Same with me !!!
YES!!!! I searched the comments to see if anyone else recognized the car. Well done Mike!
There is NO substitute for listening to an expert historian of the marque. Thank you Jay for bringing these guys out and telling this story.
This is the most beautiful American Car I've ever seen!
Finally nice to see this thing get the attention it deserves.
Have LOVED the Apollo 3500 GT since I was 2 years old.
"The Thorndyke Special " from the First Herbie the Love Bug film had me HOOKED.
Seeing that on showcase on that
Turntable ,
one couldn't but feel a bit how Dean Jones felt when He saw it in the film...
""Ohhh, LADY.😍😎". My own taste however does prefer it fitted with the four point roll bar so it doesn't seem so big of an open space behind the seat.
Max Balchowsky, of the Ol Yeller racecar fame , another of Jay's heroes , was a Stuntman for that film, and prepped the stunt and racecars for the film. Including the two Yellow and Black 3500 GT's used .
The one that slid down the hill and into the pond backwards is now up here in Canada in Ontario from what's been shown.
So glad this car got proper showcase ! Been a long time fan and love the Content, to Mr. Leno & team.
The front end of this automobile is definitely reminiscent of ‘60’s era Ferrari’s, which is to say, perfect! Of all the American sport car start ups from the fifties and sixties, this is the most beautiful.
Huh! You learn something every day! I consider myself a car guy, but I've never seen one of these before. Thanks, everyone, for showcasing this brilliant car! ✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦
Do you remember ever seeing Disney's The Love Bug from 1968? The "bad guy" who owned a tony high end car dealer in San Francisco owned an Apollo...but for the movie it was called The Thorndyke Special.
This was the very first Herbie movie. Not the Lindsey Lohan picture.
Kudos to the father who bought that car he so was passionate about; and today one of the most prominent car collectors in the world cant stop drooling over it! ❣
That’s gorgeous and has so many different things going on that look fabulous. There’s something missing these days where we are missing the human element of design .
BEST JAY LENO EPISODE EVER!!!!!!
Lets hear it for the dreamers that are (still), trying to start their own car company. I remember seeing articles on the Apollo back in the 70's and assumed that they were fiberglass. I've seen a Ferrari 275 GTB undergoing a body restoration and they said it was 3/4" different from side to side. Lots of little pieces welded together when you looked at it without the upholstery. Although this car is pretty exciting to look at it does have some funky details and proportion issues. Thanks to all for this episode.
I really enjoy it when the owners of these cars say Jay, you’re the only one I would let drive this car. The feeling Jay must get when he hears that. 🙂
That is a gorgeous car. As with others, I remember the Thorndike Special from the Love Bug and it's awesome seeing this one
Oh wow! This is the only Apollo I've ever seen outside of Herbie The Love Bug. I've never seen modern footage of one driving! Awesome.
Apollo gt ?
Are they made in America?
Went to Oregon college of art in the 1980s, got excellant instruction on auto design but had to drop out because of death in the family. I T JUST GOES TO SHOW WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED IF CIRCUMSTANCES ARE FAVORABLE. AN ENGINEERING DEGREE IS ALSO ALSO HELPFUL! WAY TO GO, THIS FATHER AND SON TEAM, AND THE APPOLO! THANKS MR. LENO!
When bodywork becomes art, man, man what a beauty! Michelangelo would be proud!
Definitely a treat to see this Apollo, enjoyed the test drive and a great owner now has it from father to son tradition, and thanks for sharing it with us Jay and have a great week brother 👍👊😎
22:27 - I so agree with Jay in what he says here, my father was fortunately engine mechanics among other mechanical education. So I was with him from the time I could walk, I became a handyman from about the age of five, and he taught me to see what he needed so he did not have to ask. It was almost exclusively in engine mechanics, but he also took on interior design work, and built cabins on boats when there was little engine work. The boats he built cabins on always stood on land with us for a long time, because as soon as an engine came, it was off with the carpenter's clothes and on with the overalls. So engine I learned from him, bodywork and frame he had a friend who taught me. Everyone called him Dirty Petter, and bullied him for this. It ended as soon as I passed 15 years, he almost lived in the garage and loved to teach his skills to everyone. He repaired your car and would rather have payment in tobacco than money, this exploited people, which also ended when I was fifteen years old.
This same engine was used in the 350 GT Warwick. This was the late 50s, early 60s. Warwick was the resurrected Peerless, same fiberglass body but with the Buick V8. A chap named John Todd imported a couple of them and raced them back east at Briggehampton and other courses. I was his sole "pitcrew". The good old days.🤣
Touching story. Great way to carry on his dad's legacy.
The amount of passion from creation to preservation really is inspiring. Beautiful car
Wonderful show, thanks Jay, the car was co-star in "The Love Bug" and went to be famous because of that. Incredible those skinny tire,quite a wide track as well.The engine is the hugely loved later becoming ROVER V 8 that lived in so many cars, TVR 350 and 450 SE,Range Rover,Rover 3500 and was the fetish motor for any "big V 8 engine in small car".Later on was bored up a bit, and came in the latest MG V 8, the Triumph TR 8,the Marcos, the Ginetta 33,the Morgan Plus 8(3.5 and 4.6. litres)and others. Next to the 350 cui V 8 from GM I guess it was the most often used V8 all over the world.Jay, I think you should try to buy this car :-)
Thanks for the history on that engine, save me all the typing time and would not be as good as yours. One of my all time favourite engines!
That is just about the most beautiful styling as one could create for the GT if its era. It is really gorgeous.
Everything about this episode is wonderful…the car gracefully cuts the air, handles the road and glides along…
Never heard of this one before- thanks for the education!
Never heard of it. What a beautiful car! If I was going to collect a car, this would be it... in my dreams!
"Havashore!!!! TEAR IT APART!!!!" ..... Thorndyke Special.... I wanted one, ever since I saw the movie "Love Bug" when I was a kid. This is an amazing car!
This is an amazing car. I was blessed by having had the chance to help in the restoration on one of the 11 convertibles. It was found with a 1966 Pontiac 389 power plant, which I wound up rebuilding. Eventually the owner ended up selling it and is now in Belgium. These cars are gems. It was an awesome experience for me. Loved this car, brought back the memories.
Soo happy to see the Apollo featured! Grew up knowing the history of the Apollo through our family friend, George Finley. Finley had jumped ship from Ford/Lincoln to be head of Apollo sales during it's start up. He has some stories! Had the pleasure of meeting Milt Brown and both the gentlemen on the show! The Apollo is now going to be a name known far and wide thanks to Jay! P.s I have a video up on the first-ever spider Apollo.
funny it looks like a mix of a jac E type and MGB and some ferrari parts. But all and all it's not a Facel vega....after al those years of Jay leno garage. you never ever shown a Facel vega. please go find one and show the world how beautiful those cars are.. love you channel and greetings from the Netherlands.
First time I learned about this car was in the 1969 "The Love Bug" film. It was featured in the big road race at the end of the film driven by the villain and was painted yellow with a big black stripe. Gorgeous car!
When Jay quotes his Dad, I close my eyes…and envision my own! What a generation.
I like it, I realize I am quite the novice classic car enthusiast, thanks to Jay, his crew, and the wonderful folks that come on the show I get to not only see the cars but hear the stories. Priceless!
Beautiful car! Love the story behind the owner! He definitely got his dream car!
I cannot fault the looks of this beautiful car. A classic Ferrari at the front, and similar to the mark 1 e type at the rear. A lovely smooth profile. Really nice. I think that Jay would like to own it.
I also remember the Apollo in magazines and just sitting, staring and wishing. Thank you Kurt, Jay, Jay's Dad and the Apollo builders.
Looks like someone cut off the cabin of an MGB GT onto an E Type lower body. The interior is right up my street. Nice!
What a family story! You can feel Kurt's regrets for not connecting initially with his dad's passion. Thanks to Jay for sharing this moment.
All my life (and I am older than Jay), I thought these were fiberglass cars. Learn something new every day.
Hey You Tube!!! Thanks for the ad's every 90 seconds!
I have seen one of these cars. A couple years ago I did home deliveries, and one of these cars ( in red) was on on a lift in this guy’s garage. He also had a 60s era Lincoln Continental convertible (the one with the suicide doors). I had to look it up because had never heard of this car before.
It's the Thorndyke special! I cam up watching the love bug movie and this car always was a great 'bad guy' car. Very cool!
This guy really misses his dad.
You can see it on his face that he just might start to cry.
Good times man!
Looks amazingly close to the Scaglietti "Corvette". Ferrari lines with American heart. Love it.
Lovely car. I only ever saw it in a classic car magazine.
I do remember that the car in that article was dark blue which made it look very stylish IMO.
Dark blue would be sharp.
As a 70 yr old retired ASE Certified Master Mechanic this makes my first look of an Apollo GT. Badazzzz car.
While you were seeing this car for the first time, I was on the commode taking a huge dump and then afterwards came here to see it. Otherwise, I might have beat you to it.
JAY,XCELLENT SHOW N I'D NEVER HEARD OF THIS APOLLO GT! TY,JAY!!🎅👍💜🤶👍
This is the first Apollo I have ever seen and it is gorgeous !!!!!
Another great video by Jay.
I saw one these at a car show many many years ago. It really spicked my curiosity and I tried to find the owner to ask questions. Never did and just assumed it was a Ferrari with an American engine. This was before the web where you could just google. Boy was I wrong!
Took all these years to get the skinny on it.
Thanks Jay, you're the greatest.
I believe the Apollo was the car used as the "Thorndyke Special" in the Love Bug movie.
Most beautiful car I've ever seen......
Come on TH-cam, notify me of Jay's uploads...I've ticked the bell icon for all notifications, been wondering why I haven't seen one in a few weeks
The owner is such a gentle wonderful person. He was second to his dad after the car .....if I may be forthright...He is such a lovely Man...
Such a gorgeous car! Thanks for featuring this one, Jay! The front end is reminiscent of the exquisite racing Ferraris of the mid-late 1950's and the rear has definitely got the beautiful and athletic look of Jaguars from the 1960's as Jay mentioned. The overall side profile of the car bears some resemblance of the Datsun Fairlady/Z in the early 70's. The interior is quite nice also, with the period European sports car motif. Just beautiful all around!
Beautiful car, and as a watch enthousiast, I can't help it to mention those lovely Jaeger instruments! Great video
Learned something today. I never knew those cars existed. What an awesome car ! Love this channel.
I believe Rover bought the rights to the Buick aluminum V8 used in this car, for their own vehicles in the UK, like the P6 executive saloon and the original Range Rover, amongst many others. It became a customizable darling for Brits looking for a powerful V8 in their cars. TVR for instance used tuned bigger capacity versions on models like the Griffith in the 90s to early 2000s (as well as other models back in the 80s as well) before developing their own bespoke engines around the mid-naughties.
You are correct. They made it into all sorts of British stuff.
MGB v8 had a Rover v8
This was a beautiful episode. I know his dad would be overwhelmed with joy seeing this.
60-ish cubic inches to the liter, Jay! That'll get you close enough. 😉👍
So: about ~300 cubes gets you 5 liters, ~240 gets you 4 liters, ~360 gets you 6 liters, ~420 gets you 7 liters.
I bought one of these in Arizona at the Barret Jackson auction in 2004. It didn't sell when on the block and I recognised it as the Thorndyke Special from Herbie: The Love Bug. I went and found the owner and we struck a deal, and I immediately paid for it to be transported back to London. I think it was $17k or though it may have been the $ equivalent of £17k. It was the rarer 5 litre version. I went to the docks to collect it and drive it to the showroom where I worked, open minded, but not overburdened with high hopes. It was kind of wonderful. Torquey and easy to manipulate along the road. It had DTM style exhausts which made no sense and were terribly loud. Octane magazine borrowed it and did a cool article. We sold it to a German guy who flew over as soon as he saw the advert, paid the £35k asking, no quibble and that was the last I saw of it.
It just occured to me...I've watched way more of Jay Leno's Garage than I ever watched the tonight show.
me too. You don't have to stay up late to watch it.
likewise
Same I didn't even care for Jay on Tonight Show I had loved Carson and then switched to CBS when Letterman went there.
I fell in love with Jay and his passion for cars here.
Beautiful car... Love it. Interior is nicely done.
Classic 60s GT look
Best guest and car...i am floored.
What an exquisite automobile…thanks again for bringing light to such widely unknown historic vehicles, Jay!