by: Jeremy Hart A-list Eighty all day Wave, say Hi Mister Cruise Car capital Have it all Hello Big Boy

Dusk is falling. Being a Friday, that is a big deal for Leno. Friday night in LA is for cruisin'. And the place to be is Bob's Big Boy Diner, where the cars, unlike the food, are to die for.

Neon marks the spot where Bob's Big Boy rises from the streets of pulsating V8s and carpets of laid rubber. The night air is full of fumes from fries and fuel. Cars, as well as cholesterol, are in the blood. Leno is right at home. This, not Beverly Hills, is his spiritual home.

"I love coming down here. The guys here want to talk cars and not Hollywood. It's an escape. We are all here for the same reason," he says, strolling up and down the line-up of cars. Leno owns more cars than there are in the whole parking lot. But he knows that and is grateful for every chassis in his collection.

...and for when retirement beckons

"Hey, one day showbiz will give up on me," he shrugs. "The phone will stop ringing. For some in Hollywood that would be the end of life as they know it. But you know what I will do? I will spend my time working on my cars."