How Carolla’s ‘War’ Captures Capitalism at Its Best

Adam Carolla’s “The 24 Hour War,” available now on chassymedia.com, recalls that bitter rivalry. It’s one that dates back to the earliest days of auto racing. The documentary recalls how the motor titans swapped victories over time.

One year Ford emerged triumphant at Le Mans. The next, the Italian motor car family boasted the best sports car on the planet.

Meanwhile, automobile customers saw the fruit of their research every time they stepped into a dealership.

“It’s why I’m such a fan of the free market and competition,” Carolla tells HollywoodInToto.com. Company skirmishes make everything better, down to the fast food burgers we scarf down, the podcaster turned director says.

Take away competition, he argues, and the public would suffer.

“Imagine if there’s a place called Government Burger. All the burger places were taken over by the government,” he says, citing an example he’s shared with friends over the years. Their reaction is typically the same. “Everyone makes a face. ‘That would be the worst God damn hamburger on the planet.’

“Why? It’s why you get treated like s*** going to the airport. It’s ‘Government Burger,’” he adds.

Carolla is an unlikely film director. The comedian and podcaster’s love for automobiles is legendary, but up until recently he hadn’t proven he could translate that passion into a big screen effort.

Last year’s “Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman” earned him both praise and respect. “The 24 Hour War,” co-directed with Nate Adams, confirms his directorial chops.

Those two motor sports films helped him create chassymedia.com. The new video outlet is dedicated to premium car content, the kind Carolla had a hard time finding across the cable landscape.

“Every time I turn on Velocity there’s another fat guy with a mustache rebuilding a Mopar,” he says. “I wanna kill myself.”

“’We got two weeks and $2,000 to rebuild this truck!’” I’m so tired of these f***ing retarded garage shows,” he says. “I wanna see some sports cars, European cars … some of these events. I couldn’t find anything out there.”

So he’s bringing it to the marketplace himself. Let the competition begin.

So far, the channel offers a handful of features including “The 24 Hour War,” “Winning” and eventually “The Bug Movie,” starring Ewan McGregor.

Next up? Carolla’s documentary on Willy T. Ribbs, the first black racer to compete in the Indianapolis 500.

Carolla’s evolving empire now includes Endless Rant IPA, Mangria, a crush of podcasts and a documentary film arm. That leaves little room for comedies like “Road Hard” or “The Hammer,” at least for now.

“That’ a luxury item. It takes a lot of time and you don’t make much money … any money,” he adds with a laugh.

RELATED: Carolla Blames Politics on Sour ‘Road Hard’ Reviews

Carolla wasn’t always this busy. A few years back he balanced his blossoming career with a stint on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.” That gave him a unique view on President-Elect Donald Trump.

Or, as people have called him in his presence, “that douchebag.” Carolla has a different take on the country’s next president.

“I have this yardstick I measure guys with, and it’s a pretty simple one, but it’s not foolproof,” he says. “If you show me a guy … and he has an adult aged son who he hasn’t spoken with in 28 years, I don’t like that guy,” he says. The same holds true if the adult child commits a heinous act.

“My one comment about Trump is that his kids are really good and impressive. Ivanka [Trump] is one of the most impressive people you’ll meet in person. I was blown away with how poised she is,” he says. “When everyone would say, ‘what a douchebag he was,’ I’d say, ‘yeah, but he can’t be that bad. His kids are great and they adore him. That’s what I walked away with [from the show]… although it’s not like we spent hours on the golf course [together].”

FAST FACT: Adam Carolla engineered his big break when he offered to give boxing lessons to L.A. radio show personality Jimmy the Sports Guy, AKA Jimmy Kimmel.

Carolla may not have enough time for a third comedy feature, but his plate is overstuffed all the same. How does he get it all done? He reluctantly rejects that “Superman Syndrome.” That’s the curse of too many entrepreneurs who insist they tackle every task.

“Get good people around you and start farming stuff out,” he says. “[For “The 24 Hour War” I didn’t sit in the edit bay for every single second. I told talented people what I was looking for and then I left.”

His team found plenty of worthy moments to splice into the finished documentary. Of all the revelations seen in the film though, it’s the sequences involving Ken Miles that had the biggest impact on him. The celebrated race car driver died during a testing run back in 1966.

One of the rewards for making a movie like “The 24 Hour War?” Carolla says it comes down to the Miles legacy, a chance to let people know his genius on the race track. Like the driver’s son.

“I was picturing Ken Miles’ son watching the movie and seeing his dad up there in all his glory,” Carolla says.