The 25-year-old question of who can do the better burnout remains unanswered.
Hollywood is full of car-crazy celebrities, but few have the camaraderie of Jay Leno and Tim Allen. Both came of age during Detroit’s original muscle car era, both are comedians, and both enjoy turning rubber into clouds of smoke. The duo have a 25-year “feud” over who can do the longest burnout that started in the early 1990s, with Allen and Leno roasting tires in The Tonight Show’s parking lot. As this new video shows, the setting has changed but the antics haven’t.
Actually, this CNBC video goes a bit further than just a burnout exhibition with Dodge Challenger Hellcats. The clip starts out with Leno visiting Allen’s shop, where we get a small tour of his collection. There’s plenty of Ford muscle to be had, including an original 427 Cobra, a classic Mustang Shebly GT-350H, and a very sedate-looking 1955 Ford Fairlane that hides a host of racing upgrades, including a Ford GT-spec supercharged V8 making over 700 horsepower.
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It’s not entirely a Ford show, however. We’re also shown a cool 1970 Pontiac GTO, a 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air, and in the background we see a litany of European rides including classic Jaguars, Porsche 911s, and even a VW Beetle. Given Allen’s reputation, we suspect the Bug isn’t stock.
But alas, the hook for this story is yet another burnout contest and this time, it’s supposed to be an equal match. Two 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcats are called to duty, and there’s no doubt the cars have enough supercharged Hemi V8 power to properly atomize rubber. But in traditional Leno-Allen fashion, the contest devolves into some trash talking followed by donuts and a visit by the police, who promptly “arrest” both TV stars.
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It’s certainly not the first time we’ve seen this shtick, and it probably won’t be the last. It’s an entertaining way for gearheads to spend seven minutes of the day, and for now at least, the feud goes on.