David Letterman has described his collection as a small but important mix of German, British and Italian cars. Historical accounts name Porsches, Austin-Healeys and a Jaguar XK120, but there is no reliable public count or complete, current inventory. The intrigue lies less in a verified fleet of extravagant proportions than in the cars he collected—and his habit of calling them “junk.”
What cars have been reported in Letterman’s collection?
The clearest detailed account comes from Ferrari specialist Tom Yang, who published a first-person recollection in 2023 of visiting Letterman’s Santa Monica Airport hangar around 1995. Yang recalled seeing about a dozen cars, including Austin-Healeys, a Jaguar XK120 and several Porsches. That estimate describes what Yang remembered seeing on one visit; it is not an audited count or proof of present-day ownership. Yang’s account
Porsches Yang recalled
Yang identified a 1600 Speedster, Carrera Speedster, Convertible D, B Coupe, 911 Carrera Coupe and Porsche 914/6 among the cars he remembered. He said he chose to drive the 914/6. These details are an attributed retrospective recollection, not a verified list of cars Letterman owns today.
A broader mix of marques
In a 1994 interview, Letterman described his collection as “small but important,” spanning German, British and Italian cars. A 1996 SFGate profile likewise characterized the collection as German, Italian and English sports cars. Those broad categories are supported by his own description and period reporting; the available accounts do not establish a full list of makes or models. 1994 interview 1996 SFGate profile
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How many cars does David Letterman own?
No reliable current total has been established. In the 1994 interview, Letterman said, “I have some cars. I don’t — honestly, I don’t know the number.” In 1996, SFGate again quoted him as not knowing how many he had. Yang’s later estimate of about a dozen applies only to the cars he recalled seeing during his visit around 1995; it should not be treated as a current count.
Where was the collection kept?
A 1993 TIME profile reported that Letterman’s foreign sports-car collection was in an airplane hangar in Santa Monica. Yang’s later account places his visit at the Santa Monica Airport hangar around 1995. Together, these reports document a historical setting, not the collection’s current location. TIME’s 1993 profile
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Why Letterman’s collection is connected to racing
Letterman’s interest in cars sits alongside a long-running interest in auto racing. TIME’s 1993 profile described racing as his top passion and discussed his childhood connection to Indianapolis. The profile quoted him describing racing as “more than cowboys in cars going as fast as they can.” In a CBS Sunday Morning page dated June 15, 2025, CBS described Letterman as a co-owner of Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing. That establishes the role as reported at the time of the broadcast; it does not show that every car in his collection was a race car or confirm the team arrangement beyond that date. CBS Sunday Morning, June 15, 2025
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What makes the collection notable—and what remains unknown
Letterman’s own understated description is a useful counterpoint to the idea of a celebrity garage whose scale or value is self-evident. The sources support a historically reported collection of European sports cars and a handful of specific examples from one visitor’s recollection. They do not establish a current inventory, a definitive total, a valuation, or a ranking of the cars by rarity or performance. Claims that a particular car remains in his possession would need current, reliable confirmation.
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