Jay Leno's Garage

Nethercutt's 1930 Ruxton – The Forgotten Front-Wheel Drive Pioneer (2025x24)

Air date: Jun 16, 2025

This week's episode features a car you’ve probably never seen — because almost nobody has. It's the 1930 Ruxton, one of fewer than 20 ever made, and one of the earliest American front-wheel-drive cars. Designed for style over substance, the Ruxton is a rare Art Deco icon that tells a story of ambition, lawsuits, and Depression-era automotive dreams. Jay is joined by Cameron Richards of the Nethercutt Collection to take a closer look at this extremely rare, ultra-low-slung luxury sedan with one of the boldest factory paint jobs ever put on a pre-war car — and a shifting mechanism that seems almost experimental. ???? Factory-designed Art Deco livery ⚙️ 100 hp, 286 cu in Continental flathead straight-8 ???? Front-wheel drive (sort of) ???? Paint scheme by Joseph Urban ???? No running boards — just step in! Come for the weird headlights, stay for the lawsuit that led Ruxton to sue... Ruxton.