It’s pretty common for actors, comedians, and celebrities to buy an expensive car once they hit it big and have the funds to splurge a little bit. But late-night host Conan O’Brien has never been shy about the deep rooted love he has for his car, a 1992 Ford Taurus SHO.
The car was purchased when O’Brien was still an aspiring writer and ultimately became the longest-running gag of his career. Fans have seen the distinct green car before on his talk show. In a recent episode of his Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast, he told guest comedian Nate Bargatze that he wants to rehab the car and give it new life.
But he also joked about Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt having messed up the car’s clutch. In a 2004 episode, Pitt was a guest star promoting his movie Troy when O’Brien gave him the keys to his car after having “sold” it off. Pitt is later seen outside the studio, driving off after revving the engine.
“Later on, I noticed, oh, the clutch is all—Brad Pitt [effed up] my Ford Taurus. And who can say that? ‘Brad Pitt [effed up] my Ford Taurus.’ So, I want to bring it back,” said O’Brien on his podcast.
O’Brien admits that when he bought the car, he had no idea how to drive a manual transmission. It led to a lot of grinding gears and faulty starts when he was living in L.A. The late-night host now drives a Toyota Camry, with the green Ford Taurus SHO still parked in the lot at Warner Bros.
Not wanting to part ways with the car, he says he wants to get it “rehabbed and bring it back.” He recounts how he would always get a laugh when celebrities ask what car he drives.
“It would come up a lot of times with celebrities where they would say, ‘I just got a new Ferrari or something, what do you drive, Conan?’ and I say, ‘1992 Ford Taurus SHO—Super High Output!’ and it would get a laugh. And it would be like, ‘No, I’m being honest, that’s what I really have,'” he said.
