Jay Leno in Vancouver, where he recently filmed an episode of the CNBC series, "Jay Leno's Garage." Photo: MJ Ambriz

Jay Leno comes to the Northwest fairly often, whether he's performing at a casino or appearing at a special event kicking off the Portland Art Museum "The Shape of Speed" exhibit.

But Clayton Paddison of Vancouver didn't go see the comedian when Leno told jokes at Ilani Casino Resort in April, or talked cars at the museum on June 16.

Instead, Leno came to visit Paddison. In early May, Leno and a 25-person mobile filming unit arrived at Paddison's house to film a segment for the TV series, "Jay Leno's Garage."

"They got here at 7 a.m. and were done by about 1 p.m.," says Paddison, who has turned his lifelong love of cars into a hobby, and a side business, Paddison Pre-war & Model T.

During the visit, Leno and crew checked out Paddison's garage, and Leno got behind the wheel of another of Paddison's vintage autos, a 1927 Buick Master Six that Paddison was restoring for a client.

The in-person visit grew out of Paddison making contact with Leno two years ago.

"As a fellow auto enthusiast, I've always admired Leno's collection," Paddison says. The 33-year-old Portland native has seen episodes not only of "Jay Leno's Garage" on CNBC, but the online version on YouTube, "which is geared for us car nerds," as Paddison says. "It's like reading an old technical manual. You can dig into it for hours."

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Clayton Paddison and Jay Leno. Photo: MJ Ambriz

The two have a mutual friend, Paddison says, who lives in Southern California. After hearing the friend say something like, "There are two people on this planet that should be in the same room for an hour, and that's you and Leno," Paddison recalls, he wrote the longtime host of "The Tonight Show" a letter.

Yep, a hand-written letter, not an email. "That will get his attention," Paddison remembers thinking.

It did. "The day after it was delivered, my phone rings, and it's Leno," Paddison says. "He called me personally."

The two talked, and Leno was interested in getting a look at the 1927 Ford Model T that Paddison had assembled from parts, working with a limited budget.

"If you're willing to bring it down," Paddison remembers Leno telling him, "we'd love to shoot it for an episode of the web series."

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Paddison drove from the Northwest to Los Angeles in summer 2016. "I spent all day at the garage, and they put the episode together," Paddison says. YouTube viewers liked it, and so did Leno, apparently.

This spring, Paddison got a call from one of the producers of "Jay Leno's Garage," who asked, "How far are you from Portland?" Paddison recalls. "About 20 minutes, up in Vancouver," he replied.

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The "Jay Leno's Garage" van in Vancouver. Photo: MJ Ambriz

"We'd like to shoot a segment of the CNBC show at your shop," the producer said.

"You guys realize that it's a two-car garage at my house," Paddison told the producer about the specifics of Paddison's "shop."

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Clayton Paddison, second from left, with Jay Leno and crew members at Paddison's home. Photo: MJ Ambriz

The producer was unfazed, Paddison recalls, which led to Paddison and his family, including his wife, Julia, and the couple's three sons, scrambling to get ready.

"We spent the next month getting the house painted," Paddison says, "and organizing the garage."

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The "Jay Leno's Garage" crew at work. Photo: MJ Ambriz

So when Leno and the crew filming "Jay Leno's Garage" showed up in early May, Paddison was ready. The two talked cars at Paddison's garage, and took the Buick out for a spin, as the camera crew recorded the action.

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Jay Leno and Clayton Paddison at Paddison's home. Photo:MJ Ambriz

Paddison, like his wife, has a fulltime job. But having the hobby and side business of restoring and consulting on vintage autos is, as Paddison says, his "passion."

"It makes play money, so I can have my own cars, and lets me help people" who share his love of pre-war vehicles, Paddison says.

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Clayton Paddison, with Jay Leno behind the wheel: Photo: MJ Ambriz

He's not sure when his segment will air on "Jay Leno's Garage" on CNBC, Paddison says, "but from what they told me, it should be sometime this summer."

For now, Paddison says he had fun entertaining his famous visitor.

"Jay is really just a car guy like the rest of us, but his knowledge base is really deep, and there isn't much you can get him on," Paddison says. "The cool part is, we both learned things we didn't know...that is when you know the conversation is good!"

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Jay Leno greeting friends and neighbors during his Vancouver visit to Clayton Paddison's house. Photo: MJ Ambriz

Beyond that, Paddison says, "Leno is actually a very personable, kind and welcoming person." Paddison adds, Leno was "very down to earth," and "quick to approach and introduce himself to my family and friends who were present to watch the filming. I was able to spend a good amount of time talking one-on-one about cars, history and collecting with him. It was fun, because we both seemed to be on the same page, same level. It was a really great experience."

You can find other web episodes of "Jay Leno's Garage," at this link.

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Clayton Paddison and Jay Leno. Photo: MJ Ambriz

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Clayton Paddison and Jay Leno, outside Paddison's house. Photo: MJ Ambriz

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Jay Leno behind the wheel. Photo: MJ Ambriz

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Clayton Paddison, left, and Jay Leno. Photo: MJ Ambriz

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Jay Leno in Vancouver. Photo: MJ Ambriz

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Jay Leno in Vancouver. Photo: MJ Ambriz

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Clayton Paddison and Jay Leno on the road, in the vintage Buick Paddison is restoring. Photo: MJ Ambriz

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Clayton Paddison, second from left, with Jay Leno and members of the "Jay Leno's Garage" crew. Photo: MJ Ambriz

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Jay Leno, taking a close look at the vintage Buick at Clayton Paddison's house. Photo: MJ Ambriz

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Clayton Paddison says the "Jay Leno's Garage" crew was making a Northwest trip when they filmed a segment at his house. Photo: MJ Ambriz

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