Savoy Automobile Museum, Cartersville (Georgia), USA
Until February 1, 2026
The “Canonball” exhibition at the Savoy Automobile Museum (Georgia, USA) showcases some of the cars that took part in this race from New York to Los Angeles. The full name of this race is “Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea,” named after Erwin Baker (nicknamed “Cannonball”), who crossed the United States several times by motorcycle and car in the early days of the automobile, setting 55 speed records along the way. In 1933, he set a record of 53.5 hours to travel from New York to Los Angeles, a record that stood until the early 1970s.
1927 Studebaker Commander EW Sedan, On loan from the Studebaker National Museum, South Bend, IN
In 1971, Brock Yates (screenwriter and author of books on automobiles) and Steve Smith (editor-in-chief of Car and Driver magazine) organized a New York-Los Angeles race to protest the introduction of speed limits and the deployment of speed cameras by the police. This open-road race was obviously illegal, but was nevertheless organized several times in the 1970s, by invitation only. Dan Gurney (winner of the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans and F1 driver) won the second edition in 1971, the first to feature several teams, in a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” in just under 36 hours.
1933 Graham Model 57 Blue Streak 8 Sedan, On loan from Cameron Davis, Founder of DC MotorWerks
The last “official” edition took place in 1979, with the record falling to less than 33 hours, an average of 118 mph with points at 170 mph (in a Jaguar XJS). In 1980, the race (still illegal) was relaunched under the name US Express, still East Coast-West Coast, but with different start and finish points, until the mid-1980s. The increase in traffic, and especially the equipment available to the police, made it difficult to organize this type of race. However, this did not prevent a few speed enthusiasts from attempting to break the record, with cars specially prepared for the purpose, with more powerful engines, modified suspensions, and additional fuel tanks to limit stops. They also organized a team of lead cars to check road conditions and, in particular, police activity.
1971 Ferrari 365 GTB Daytona
The models on display represent the different periods of these records and races, from a 1927 Studebaker Commander that crossed the United States from New York to San Francisco in 77 hours and 40 minutes that year, driven by one of the brand’s development drivers. The other vintage car in the exhibition is a 1933 Graham Model 57 Blue-Streak, identical to the one in which Erwin Baker set his 1933 record. For the “official” racing period, there is the 1971 winning Ferrari Daytona, whose V12 had been slightly improved, and a Porsche 911 T that took part in the 1971 edition.
1971 Porsche 911T, On loan from Bill & Jane Warner of Jacksonville, FL
The Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9L (1979) was the most powerful sedan in the range and set a time of 30h56 in the US Express. Several powerful German sedans then illustrate the race for the record from the 2000s onwards, outside of a race but still well outside the legal framework for road traffic. In 2006, Alex Roy lowered the record to 30 hours and 4 minutes with a BMW M5, then Youtuber Ed Bolian completed the crossing in 25 hours and 50 minutes with a Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG coupe.
1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9L, On loan from Cameron Davis, Founder of DC MotorWerks and 2004 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG, On loan from Ed Bolian
In 2019, Arne Toman broke the record at the wheel of “Angry Ursula,” a 2015 Mercedes-Benz AMG E63 with a modified engine developing nearly 800 horsepower. Arne set the time at 27 hours and 25 minutes, then improved his time even further to 25 hours and 39 minutes in a 600-horsepower Audi S6 “disguised” as a Ford Taurus police car! Among the cars, we discover the unique trophy awarded to the first winner, which has never been awarded since, which seems logical for an event that defies a few laws!
2015 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and 2016 Audi S6, On loan from 2-time Cannonball Record Holder, Arne Toman
The photos on this page belong to the Savoy Automobile Museum, no right of reproduction without the express permission of the museum.