Yes, but this is called the Gumball, and IIRC the Movie: "Gumball Rally" came out before Reynolds did his Cannon Ball Run flick.
BTW: I really loved the Ferarri in GR racing through NYC in the wee hours of the morning with that nice, sweet 12 cyl sound echoing off the skyscraper canyons.
In any event, this guy in the article didn't invent anything.
Long ago I saw a "making of" feature about the movie "Gumball Rally" (released in 1976). The filmmakers were real car lovers, and took great care to properly match the right engine sounds and dashboard instrument shots to the right scenes. So when the film shows a Ferarri ripping along, you're actually hearing the Ferarri's engine on the soundtrack, in the correct gear and at the right speed. And so on.
Likewise for the sound of gearshifting, acceleration, and the tachometer/speedometer readings on the instrument shots.
Another film that did a good job of being true to the cars it depicts is the recent "Gone in 60 Seconds". For example, in one scene they steal a vintage Ford (GT500 model) by popping the hood and firing it up by shorting across a couple of the starter solenoid connection lugs. I had a couple of 1960's Thunderbirds, and I can personally attest that although they could have easily "faked" the scene with Hollywood props or a close-up of any random car's engine compartment and some bogus "wire twisting" shot, instead they did it right. I was impressed that the scene as actually shot depicts an actual 60's Ford starter solenoid, on the proper inside right fender mount, being shorted in the authentic way that actually engages the starter without a key in the ignition. The filmmakers really knew their car stuff, or had a consultant who did, and bothered to do the scene properly instead of just faking it.