#HighSpeed

I had forgotten all about coast-to-coast Cannonball Runs. Erwin “Cannon Ball” Baker was the first, of course, going from the East Coast to the West Coast in 53.5 hours in 1933, driving a Graham-Paige Model 57 Blue Streak 8.

The late Brock Yates, of Car and Driver fame, got it down to 32 hours, 51 minutes in 1971, and the 30-hour mark fell to Dave Black and Ed Bolian in 2013 (28 hours, 50 minutes).

Now, Arne Toman and Doug Tabutt have shaved over an hour off that time. With the help of spotter Berkeley Chadwick, they motored from Manhattan’s Red Ball Garage to the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach, California, in 27 hours and 25 minutes.

“I am satisfied that you were the leader of the group.

“You have an appalling record. This was an atrocious piece of dangerous driving.

“You drove through suburban streets of Wolverhampton at speeds which meant the police car could not keep up.

“You were driving on the wrong side of the road.

“You then got on the motorway and there was a moment in that pursuit that your intention was to outrun the police helicopter.”