Another One for The Bucket List

In the dark of the evening on October 19, at 9:55 pm to be exact, a tricked out Mercedes CL55 AMG rolled out onto the streets of New York with three passengers and one goal. To beat the Cannonball Run coast to coast race record.  Sound like the premise for the next “Cannonball Run” movie?  Well, my friend, this is a case where truth is stranger than fiction.

The Cannonball Run is a real race that started in the 70's as both a celebration of the open road, cheap gas, and fast cars, and a sneer at the laws governing the roads.  The record was set by Erwin Baker, the winner of the first Cannoball Run with a time of 35 hours and 53 minutes.

The trio in the Benz had rigged it out with extended gas tanks, space age electronics, engine modifications, and some special touches that sound like it's straight out of a movie.  But I guess black out taillights are handy if the cops are chasing you through the desert at night.

The Benz pulled into the Portofino Hotel and Marina in Redondo Beach, California, at 11:46 p.m. on October 20 after driving 2,803 miles. The total time: 28 hours, 50 minutes & about 30 seconds.  An average speed of about 100mph from start to finish!

And for the record, the company hired to keep the official coast to coast time has refused to have their name released because they were unaware it was being hired to track this race that was deemed "illegal".  It may not be so legal, but its now on my bucket list.

Here's some of my favorite outtakes from Cannonball Run....

I don't care if I win, I just want to run wide open so I'm adding "Racing in the Cannonball Run" to my bucket list.  And I'm probably rolling in a Ford GT.