Johns Creek man claims Cannonball Run record

Metro Atlanta

Johns Creek man claims Cannonball Run record

Ed Bolian and two friends say they drove the 2,800 miles from New York to Redondo Beach, Calif., in 28 hours and 50 minutes.

Dan Huang, Ed Bolian and Dave Black with the Mercedes-Benz at the Portofino Inn, a day after the cross-country drive they say they completed in 28 hours, 50 minutes, a new Cannonball Run record. The Portofino Inn, in Redondo Beach outside the city of Los Angeles, is the traditional finish of the Cannonball Run race.

Ed Bolian bought the 2004 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG he used in his Cannonball Run record drive from a listing on Craigslist. He then began spending money to prepare it for the high-stress, cross-country drive, including dropping $9,000 on a final super tune up.

The dashboard of Ed Bolian’s tricked-out Mercedes-Benz included two GPS systems, radar and laser detectors, a CB radio, docks for iPads and smartphones, and extra gauges to keep tabs on the engine that they pushed to an average speed of 98 mph for 2,800 miles.

While scouting the quickest way to exit from Manhattan at the start of the run, a New York policeman stopped the Mercedes and wrote the driver a warning for making an illegal turn. The officer showed no interest in the tricked-out dashboard and didn’t bother to ask what all the gear was for.

The team of three drivers scouted Manhattan to find the fastest way off the island before they began their high-speed highway journey across the country.

A mechanic installed a pair of 22-gallon fuel tanks in the trunk of the Mercedes. With the extra tanks, the driving team stopped for gas a total of three times from New York to California.

These two GPS systems tell the story of the team's coast-to-coast drive, including showing the average speed, miles traveled, time and top speed achieved in the Mercedes.

Fortunately for Bolian and his two co-pilots, bugs were the only creatures to die in the high-speed run across the country.The team averaged 98 mph from New York to California, and a lot of bugs ended up as spatters on the windshield.

American racing legend Dan Gurney, winner of the 1967 Le Mans endurance race, won the second Cannonball Run in the 1970s in a Ferrari with Brock Yates as a co-driver. It took them 35 hours and 54 minutes. "At no time did we exceed 175 mph," Gurney said.

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Dan Huang, Ed Bolian and Dave Black with the Mercedes-Benz at the Portofino Inn, a day after the cross-country drive they say they completed in 28 hours, 50 minutes, a new Cannonball Run record. The Portofino Inn, in Redondo Beach outside the city of Los Angeles, is the traditional finish of the Cannonball Run race.

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