He's called the Red Rocker, but when rock star Sammy Hagar ordered his custom 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari, he chose white paint.
"It's nice to see a Ferrari that's not red," says Jay Leno, visiting Hagar on a recent episode of CNBC's "Jay Leno's Garage." "It really gives you a whole different feeling of the car."
Hagar holds up his right index finger and explains to Leno that, of the 499 iterations of this car ever made, his is the only one in this particular shade of creme.
It's also arguably the crown jewel of Hagar's impressive collection. Leno tells him admiringly, "You're like the ultimate car guy. Especially music and cars."
Hagar explains that cars have always been his passion. "I was into cars before music," he says. "I would drive my bike 10 miles across town to the Ford dealer to see the first Mustang. I'd go in the back and lift the hoods up."
He no longer has to trek across town on two wheels. Hagar's garage is loaded. His collection includes, among many others, a 2008 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano F1, a 2005 Aston Martin Vanquish Lagonda, and a 1967 Gateway GCM–R Fastback Mustang.
But the car for which Hagar is best known is his 1982 Ferrari 512BB from the "I Can't Drive 55" music video. It originally sold for about $38,000, and its current value is estimated at $350,000.
Leno asks, "Now the Ferrari in the video, was that actually yours?"
"Yeah. I still have it," Hagar replies. "I would never sell that car."
Naturally, Leno asks for a ride. He says, "I want to be in the actual car that was in the video. With the actual guy."
Hagar obliges, though he adds, to nobody in particular, "He'll be sorry."
Soon, the two men are cruising down a California roadway where, mid-drive, Hagar explains the one distinct connection between cars and his music. "The way these cars sound," Hagar says. "I try to sing that way."
Hagar refers to the pitch of the engine, and notes the roar of a Ferrari at 7,000 RPMs. "That's what I want my guitar to sound like."
CNBC's "Jay Leno's Garage" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EDT.
