The Tesla Cybertruck navigated The Boring Company’s Hawthorne test tunnel as it was driven by veteran talk show host Jay Leno and Elon Musk in the passenger’s seat. The episode of Jay Leno’s Garage on CNBC revealed that the Cybertruck was fully capable of navigating the startup’s rather narrow tunnel. It was a tight fit, but the all-electric pickup was able to traverse the entire length of the test tunnel without any issues.
The highlight of the episode has been teased in the past. After the trailer for the sixth season of Jay Leno’s Garage was released in late April, the short television spot previewed the massive Cybertruck dropping into the Hawthorne test tunnel.
The event was previewed once more by Leno earlier this month, when the host was featured in Spike Feresten’s podcast to talk about his experience in the Cybertruck. After describing the ride, Leno said Musk offered him a journey through the Hawthorne tunnel. Describing the trip vaguely to not give away too much, the former late-night show host explained a super tight fit that allowed for about a quarter-inch of space on each side of the Cybertruck.
SPACEX COUNTDOWN! 🚀 #NASA and #SpaceX are scheduled for a historic launch and we are counting down to @ElonMusk on #JayLenosGarage.
SpaceX, Electric Semi, #Cybertruck, a new #TeslaModel… All TONIGHT! pic.twitter.com/TaHXowpfrb
— Jay Leno's Garage (@LenosGarage) May 27, 2020
The episode of Leno’s show revealed that the fit was extremely tight and restricted, and Leno was undoubtedly wary of his surroundings while navigating the all-electric pickup through the tunnel. Musk, for his part, seemed relatively relaxed.
“It will be quite interesting to see if we can actually fit it down there,” Musk said.
After navigating the truck within the tunnel, Musk gave Leno the finer points of the Hawthorne tunnel and its design, explaining that it was a test tunnel for the Boring Company’s future projects. But Leno’s description of the ride seemed to be slightly different than a carefully navigated stroll that was filmed and put into the final cut of the episode.
The @boringcompany LA test tunnel, appears to removed the old test tunnel track guide system and now is paved over. #Cybertruck #boringcompany pic.twitter.com/udb4ZLit4y
— Jack (@JxckSweeney) May 28, 2020
Leno told Feresten during his interview on the podcast, “We drive the Cybertruck, we barely get it into the tunnel, and now we’re going like 50 or 60 miles per hour through the tunnel with a quarter-inch on each side.”
After exiting the tunnel, Leno extended his congratulations to Musk, offering him luck that the next twelve years would be like the last twelve. Since 2008, Tesla has built itself up from a small startup with a slight chance of success to one of the most valuable car companies in the world.
Leno’s absurd collection of cars would make any automotive enthusiast jealous. However, it seems that Tesla cars always have struck a different tone with the veteran host, even speaking highly of the company’s electric vehicles in the past. This time around, the Cybertruck certainly seemed to win Jay over. Its design and performance are unlike any pickup on the market today, something Leno identified during his short stroll through Los Angeles in the Cybertruck.
