They'd kill it.
Posted on 08/02/2007 10:44:29 AM PDT by GSWarrior
The Colorado State Patrol is on alert today for cars zooming west on Interstate 70, participants of the Cannonball Run, a race from the East Coast to the West Coast.
The local office of the State Patrol was notified by teletype today from Denver to be on the lookout for an array of fast-moving cars.
“We got people out looking for them and an aircraft up looking for them in case we have to do some speed enforcement,” said Troy Marvel, communications officer for the State Patrol.
The State Patrol is looking for fast-moving exotic cars such as Porsches, Maseratis and Ferraris that may be participating in the race, Marvel said.
“Brock Yates
Brock Yates was executive editor of Car and Driver, an American automotive magazine. He was a pit reporter for CBS’ coverage of certain NASCAR Nextel Cup (then Winston) series races in the 1980s, including the Daytona 500. He was also one of two commentators on the TNN show American Sports Cavalcade with Steve Evans. Paul Page and Don Garlits appeared on the show, but it was primarily Brock and Steve.
Yates is a best-selling author, most frequently about automotive topics and motor sport, and a commentator for the cable television Speed Channel. Some of his articles and commentaries for Car and Driver magazine and other publications have had considerable impact within the auto industry and the general public, beginning with his 1968 critique of the American auto industry, its management and its products, “The Grosse Pointe Myopians.” A recurring theme of his nonfiction work has been the way American automotive management has frequently grown arrogant, lost touch with its markets, and failed to respond to changing public needs and tastes, technology, and energy and environmental concerns.”
I remember a TV show back in the late 60’s and early 70’s called Car and Driver. They always spotlighted the latest new muscle cars. Gave them test track performance ratings such as tire burnout from a stop, quarter mile times, then they would drive a cone track at highest possible (until it spun out) speed and document over-steer and under-steer. The commentator would always end the show saying: Be careful and don’t tip over!
That’s no dhimmi! That’s Troy...er..Doug McClure!
Agreed!
I still use that line!
Gumball Rally racers hitting 165mph on Interstate out west:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z70EZnSIws
For the movie, the Mustang had to be beefed up, the Charger was stock. I had fun with those cars but the Charger was superior.
********************************
There were multiple Mustangs used in Bullit ,, the close up shots and putting around scenes were small block while the highway chase was FE big block powered... as good as those cars were a new Mustang GT or Hemi Charger would easily run away and hide from them...
The Cannonball was cool but when it was canceled after 5 runs (every other year) it was replaced by the “US Express” ... the Express beat the cannonballs best time by almost 4 hours... heres the trailer for the US Express movie.. I love the quote “the risk reward ratio was getting out of hand...”
www.32hours7minutes.com
Gumball.
Two sequels, actually. Cannonball Run II and “Speed Zone” which was originally supposed to be CR III, but got renamed at the last minute. (Jamie Farr is still in the film as the Shiek though.)
Plus, the USA Netwrok did a Cannonball Run reality show as well. 6 teams with 2 people and random cars. The catch was that the two people teams had a third person added to the team during the first episode, designed to cause trobules with the team. (A team of two Playboy bunnies had a seminary student added to their team, for example. And a dating couple had the guy’s ex added to the team.) It suffered due to USA not allowing the contestants to speed.
I would hope that 37 years of automobile technology would improve things.
I remember changing spark plugs about every 6000 miles on my Charger SE. I don’t miss high test leaded gas.
They'd kill it.
The telegraph lines had all been cut.
No takers I guess. :^/
Was the Pony Express not available?
Yep.
In all, 123 crazies, wastrels, rich men, poor men, beggarmen and thieves got underway in the participating vehicles. Among them were notables like Jacques Villeneuve, Gilles brother (Gilles was an enthusiastic entrant with his old Formula Atlantic car owner, John Lane, until his Long Beach GP schedule interfered), Indy car pilot John Mahler, human fly extraordinaire George Willig, Sports Illustrated writer Sam Moses, Offshore powerboat champions Sandy Satullo and Charlie McCarthy, Karting champ Terry Baker and my partner, Hal Needham, whose plan to run a bogus ambulance was perhaps the best number ever to be tried in the Cannonball.
http://www.onelapofamerica.com/cannonball/index.shtml?cball=article1979
“Sounds like we got reports of close to 100 cars that were crossing the state; it could have been a lot more.”
According to the event’s Web site, www.thegreatamericanrun. com, there are 400 cars, with a driver and a copilot in each. Each driver paid $10,000 for a spot on the starting line, taking off from New York or Miami on a 2,900-mile, cop-riddled gauntlet to Los Angeles.
“A couple of the vehicles were contacted, but I don’t know the disposition of those if they were cited,” Sullivan said.
Trooper Will Sanders, who flies a plane for the State Patrol, said he was notified of the race while on a training mission over the Vail area.
“What we were told is there were vehicles at 180 mph in the Eisenhower Tunnel area,” Sanders said,
Despite his highly tuned flying skills, Sanders’ plane was no match for the Cannonballers.
“I think we probably missed them,” he said. “Our airplane only does 150, so they would have been ahead of us by a long shot.”
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/03/8_3_11B_Cannonball.html
I was actually in the first multifarious event in Nov. 1972. I was one of 23 competitors photographed for the March 1972 Car and Driver. The photo, was shot on top of the red all garage in manhattan..
I believe it is. I saw him do it when I worked there..
Were you really in that first Cannonball Run? I remember reading about it in the magazine and smiling the whole time I was reading. :)
Wasn't there a Studebaker in that one?
Considering this thread is more than four years old, I guess that my server, SuddenStink, isn't the slowest one out there as I thought.
No Studebaker was in that racke. The Trtavco and the Fleetwood wouldn’t fit on the freight elevator. I spotted the post searching for a better picture of the event that I had on a computer that crashed.. I was there. I Shi’ite you not!
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