Jay Leno peeks inside country music star Brad Paisley's $1.74 million custom tour bus
For musicians, the tour bus becomes a second home. So if you can afford to go all out, you might as well.
Country music megastar Brad Paisley can afford to. And he has.
"Well, we wanted it to be fun," he says.
Paisley, whose career has included 32 top ten singles, of which 19 have reached the top of the charts, is one of the biggest names in American music. And he's a car guy. That's why he customized his $1.74 million 2012 Prevost as a tribute to his favorite vehicle: a 1958 Corvette.
On a recent episode of CNBC's "Jay Leno's Garage" he shows off his home away from home to host Jay Leno, giving him an up close look at all the little details.
Inside and out, Paisley has added classic Corvette branding, upgrading both the tire rims and the plush leather upholstery. Even the interior lighting is modeled after the tail lights of the classic car.
And just like the Corvette, this bus has power. It produces 515 horsepower and 1,650 foot-pounds of torque.
But Paisley hasn't always been a star.
Leno asks him about what he drove back when he was broke, and Paisley flashes back, explaining that in high school he played a lot of acoustic shows. He says: "I would get a couple hundred bucks every time. And before long I had $3,000 and bought my [1984] Chevy Cavalier."
Once he had some more money, he purchased the first car he was passionate about. And it was some time in the 2000s that Paisley took home his first Corvette: a preowned 1999 C5.
Leno praises the model. Paisley agreed that the C5 is when Corvette really turned things around. He adds: "They realized what they have here. Which is to me the most iconic American automobile. It just really is the flagship for our country."
CNBC's "Jay Leno's Garage" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EDT.