The comedian also takes it for a test drive, proving it's worth the extra work getting it going.

Trust Jay Leno to get a car that shares genetics with a train, rather than cars. So it chugs along with little puffs of steam.

To prove his point, Leno drives by a train, and predictably, the train whistles back at the car, recognizing its brother. Watch how Leno shows us how to power up the 1909 White Model M Steam Car, via his YouTube channel, Jay Leno’s Garage.

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First, let’s get into the history of this more than a 100-year-old car, never mind the pristine condition. Apparently, in 1909, newly-elected president William Howard Taft had had enough of horse-drawn carriages. So he turned the White House stables into a garage and got four automobiles: two Pierce-Arrows, a Baker electric, and finally, the White Steamer. Raft became the first US president to use an automobile rather than actual horsepower, and the White Steam Car became his favorite to outrun the press, and he got the moniker, the 'motoring president' because of it.

Frankly, it was a powerful car of its time, with 40 horses to its credit. Unlike the Stanley car that had a boiler, the White Steamer had a steam generator, and getting it started is “not the end of the world” as per Leno, but it’s cantankerous, to say the least.

The car is multi-fueled. There’s oil for the engine, water to make the steam, and gasoline to heat the water to make the steam, And then there’s the pilot fuel, hexane.

Related: Watch Mercedes-Benz Let Jay Leno Drive The Oldest 300SL Gullwing

Leno says, "you don’t wanna be wearing your good clothes while starting a steam car" and then goes to show why. While his steam car mechanic, George is pressuring up the pumps and pipes and filling in the water tanker that opens from the front seat floorboard, Leno gets down and dirty with a butane lighter to start the pilot. It’s a steam car. And to make the steam, you have to get the fire going, like in a stove.

So Leno gets that going and finally, they get steam. As he turns the engine, you feel you are heading to Hogwarts, as the chug-a-chug-chug sound takes you straight back to the time of the steam locomotive. And Leno tells his audience that starting the car is a lot of work, but it’s all worth it once you get the White Steamer on the road. The reason why it became a President’s favored ride.

Once the engine truly gets started, all the clanging and the clambering pipes down, and it hit top speeds of 60-65 mph. Plus the car whistles, enough for trains to whistle right back.

The 'That '70s Show’ star is a big fan of American muscle—so big-block, loud, and fast.

Arun Singh Pundir has been a longtime media crackerjack and worked most of his life in sales and marketing. In 2018, he officially flipped and switched sides to the editorial. He lives with his wife, two rascally sons and is a car and motorcycle nut in his free time. Not that he has too much free time. He currently writes news, features, and listicles for HotCars on anything that has any number or kind of wheels. He is also penning pop culture, lifestyle and all things rich for TheRichest. For now, he considers his Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, Suzuki Ciaz, and Royal Enfield Classic 500, the three current flames of his life. His dream is to drive around the world; even if it takes more than eighty days.